“The year I played in Austin was probably the most important year of my career, not just in terms of hockey player, but the coaches there taught me how to be a man,” Sturm said. “It was the first time I was away eight, nine months from home. First time standing on my own feet. It was tough at the start. I was fortunate enough to have them as coaches.”
The big step came when he was selected to play for the German World Junior team. “That was a huge confidence boost.”
Sturm said his time in Corpus Christi, which lasted three months, was where he going into a training routine and gained 20 pounds.
“We work out back home, but there were no specific workout goals. It’s just, you hit the gym,” Sturm said. “Just to give everything a purpose, that’s what I’ve learned. Workout with a purpose, skate with a purpose, come to the rink with a purpose — know exactly what you’re doing, where it’s gonna lead you. And I’m grateful for my experiences in junior hockey in general, not just on the ice.”