Ethan Miedema arrives at Bemidji State with a maturity shaped by five OHL seasons and three different organizations. The Fort St. John, BC native saw his path through Windsor, Kingston, and Guelph serve as a blueprint to refine his daily preparation and mental consistency early in his hockey career.

By navigating the different demands of the league, from the long overnight bus rides in Windsor and Kingston to the more centralized schedule in Guelph, Miedema developed a steady routine that worked no matter where he landed.

Faced with the choice of jumping into the NCAA or returning for a fifth year, the 4-star recruit opted for one more season in the OHL. When he was traded from Kingston to Guelph, he viewed the move to such a high-end, storied organization as a chance to better himself and prepare for the next level.

“When I had that opportunity with Guelph, I think it was a no-brainer,” Miedema told PuckPreps. “It’s such a high-end organization and the history is crazy. To have that opportunity was quite special.”

Miedema put up a career-best 25 goals along with 47 points and guided Guelph to a playoff berth this season.

Following the Storm’s postseason elimination, the 21-year-old forward revisited his NCAA recruitment. After weighing options from teams across all conferences, he pledged his commitment to Bemidji State and will join the Beavers in the fall.

In terms of what he brings to the table, for starters, Miedema offers a pro-style frame. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, he is a big-bodied forward with the durability that suggests he can handle the style of play in college hockey.

While he has a proven track record of putting up points, his game goes far beyond the box score.

He takes immense pride in net-front presence and winning battles in high-traffic areas, which includes doing the heavy lifting of screening goalies and retrieving pucks.

“Being at my stature and my size, I think it’s something I’ve continued to get better at,” Miedema said of establishing positioning in front. “You don’t always get credit for points or assists or goals being in front, but just having that net-front presence and standing your big body in front and maybe screening the goalie, it doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.”

Miedema describes himself as a power forward who can make plays.

While he became a more consistent finisher over his five years in the OHL, he considers his passing an underrated part of his game. He spent his summer training sessions focusing on the puck distribution, specifically practicing soft passes designed to clear a defender’s stick by only an inch or two.

“I think my passing is a very underrated skill of mine,” Miedema said. “It’s something that I actually work on quite a bit in the summer. It’s an area that I’ve tried to get better at, and I’ve always kind of taken pride in setting up my teammates.”

At the same time, Miedema worked to ensure he wasn’t just a pass-first player.

By changing his stick curve and focusing on his release, he developed the ability to beat goalies from distance. That development into a dual threat has allowed him to keep defenders off balance, as he is now just as comfortable finishing plays as he is creating them.

“I do feel like I have that dual threat,” Miedema explained. “When I was younger, I always looked to pass, whereas now I feel like I can beat goalies from a little bit of distance out. Getting those reps in is quite important. Playing at higher levels, you need to be able to have both.”

His recruitment to Bemidji State stemmed from a clear development plan.

The long tenure of head coach Tom Serratore and the program’s history of producing professional players were the primary draws. Miedema valued the vision the staff presented for his specific role in the CCHA, noting that the coach’s excitement and track record made the decision easy.

Miedema committed to the Beavers without an in-person visit. Instead, he relied on virtual tours, photos, and videos to get a feel for the program. He noted that seeing the details of their daily schedule and practice habits provided everything he needed to move forward.

“We did a Zoom tour and he showed me a lot of pictures and videos,” Miedema said. “That was honestly all I needed to make that decision. It is pretty cool to see that and especially just how they go about their days and their practice times.”

A major selling point for the NCAA jump was the structure of the schedule.

In the OHL, a dense calendar often leaves little time for off-ice training, with Miedema recalling stretches of 15 games in 31 days. The college schedule allows for a heavier emphasis on the weight room with games primary limited to Friday’s and Saturday’s, which promotes development toward an NHL opportunity.

“Maximizing time in the gym and really putting an emphasis on growing and getting stronger, there’s no way that’s going to hurt you,” he said. “It’s only upward when you’re training that hard and you have access to people that are all-in to help you.”

The young forward models his game after similar big-bodied forwards.

Specifically, he watches Colorado’s Valeri Nichushkin and Los Angeles’ Quinton Byfield. He also draws from his experience playing alongside New York Rangers’ Will Cuylle in Windsor, where he observed the habits required to reach the professional ranks.

Now, as Miedema moves toward his freshman year at Bemidji State, he is focused on fine-tuning his physical conditioning this summer to make an immediate impact in the CCHA.

Still fresh off his final season in junior hockey and his commitment, he will take a mental break over the next couple of weeks before getting back to it. Included in his off-ice preparation, Miedema will also look at developing a list of goals for his freshman year to ensure he gets off on the right foot.