Calabasas native, California youth hockey grad, Vikings star Tsoar commits to NCAA D-III St. John Fisher
The USPHL Premier’s Ventura Vikings recently made some huge team history with their first NCAA commitment, as Kai Tsoar will be moving on to the new program at St. John Fisher University next season.
Tsoar, a 2004-born native of Calabasas, has been a monstrous offensive force for the first-year Vikings, scoring 46 points in 17 games. He also recently received a call-up to the NCDC’s Rock Springs Grizzlies, with whom he is expecting to close out the 2024-25 season.
“I met Coach [Reid] Lesswing in 2023. He was with a different university, but we exchanged info and right away I had a great first impression. He reached back out in August and told me he’s going to be the head coach at St. John Fisher University. I was out for a couple months due to having shoulder surgery, but Coach Lesswing did checkups with me every couple weeks,” said Tsoar. “It was late November when I knew I wanted to play for him and we started to really talk about me coming in. I did my visit in December and I knew my first day I wanted to officially make it happen. I think what they like in my game most is my speed and ability to create opportunities on the ice for my teammates and not being afraid of the contact and being relentless.
“Character is a huge part of the recruiting process with Coach Lesswing.”
St. John Fisher University is located in Rochester, N.Y., and the team is building its inaugural roster to make an impact from Day 1 in NCAA hockey. They will compete in the ultra-competitive United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC).
“I just knew I wanted to play for a coach and represent a university who wanted me when I was at my lowest I felt and not only be there when I’m doing well. They have been amazing and I can’t wait to play for St. John Fisher University and to play under Coaches Lesswing and [Alex] Pommerville. I know that they are big on development and having a winning team. My goal is to be an immediate impact for the team and win as many championships as we can. I want to be a Sports Psychologist and be connected in the hockey world once I’m done playing and they have a ton of connections and resources that I know would benefit me.”
The Vikings have been a huge help to moving him on to college, said Tsoar.
“Coaches Luc [Beausoleil], Kane [Toriumi], Jeff [Jarvis] and Bill [Bruininga] have done a great job building a team that will be special for years to come. Being able to play back home where I started ice hockey was special. Our coaches have all had great careers and have experienced all kinds of events a hockey player is going to face going up the ladder,” he said.
“Skill development is huge for Ventura as we have extra time with our coaches to get better and ask questions about situations we want to work on. They really gave me the confidence and belief that I could be an impact player so being able to win games was special for me because of how much support they gave me,” he added. “I also was with a great group of guys which made it even better. I clicked really well with Jett [McCullum] and even became roommates so our chemistry was really good and made hockey fun. He’s someone who I’ll be very grateful for. Ventura is an amazing spot and I wish it was there when I was younger.”
He knows there will be some improvements needed to make the jump from junior hockey to NCAA college hockey, and he’s ready.
“I want to work on my first three steps. In college, it’s a fast-paced game, so just being able to have that extra second would be great to have. I have a great summer group that’s all playing college hockey, so I’ll be picking their brains and just looking to improve all aspects of my game physically and mentally.”
Prior to junior hockey, Tsoar played back home for the California Golden Bears, California Titans and Ventura Mariners.
Photo/USPHL
— Joshua Boyd/USPHLPremier.com
(January 31, 2025)