Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk is used to making the big jump.

Van Riemsdyk initially went from playing lower-tier juniors to Division I hockey at the University of New Hampshire.

Three years later, he went straight from college to the NHL.

And it paid off.

Van Riemsdyk overcame separate injuries during a trying rookie season only to recover and help the Chicago Blackhawks win another Stanley Cup. His older brother, U.S. Olympian and Toronto Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk, and the Blackhawks provided support for Trevor during his jump to the NHL.

“It’s definitely tough mentally because I was on such a high at the beginning of the season and then the injury happened,” van Riemsdyk said. “It was rough, but having my brother, having my family and the people in the [Blackhawks’] organization made it that much easier, so I could keep it positive.”

Trevor van Riemsdyk, a native of Middletown, New Jersey, for a while didn’t seem likely to follow his brother’s footsteps to the NHL.

While James left home to play with the best age-group players in the country at USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, Trevor stayed home to play high school hockey at Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft and then played the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons with the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs, a Tier III junior team.

Originally hoping to sign on with a NCAA Division III team, van Riemsdyk’s big second season in New Hampshire brought a different opportunity. He scored 16 goals and 38 points in 39 games, and then added two goals and five points in six games to lead his team to the EJHL championship. He also finished as the league’s defensive player of the year.

From there he signed on with UNH, where he played three seasons and became a First Team All-American.

Then, despite being undrafted, he went straight from college hockey to the NHL in 2014 after signing a two-year entry-level contract with the Blackhawks and making the team out of training camp.

“Obviously, it was a big adjustment going from college to professional hockey,” van Riemsdyk said. “The players are that much better, older, stronger and everyone is just so smart and positionally sound.

“There are smaller areas to make plays, and you have less time to make those plays. There’s a transition, but having the guys that we have in this room really helps you progress that much faster.”

The path to the NHL was much different from that of James, drafted No. 2 overall in 2007, before starting his two-year career at UNH. Yet both players now play significant roles for their respective NHL teams.

Trevor said James is a big inspiration, and the brothers frequently text, whether it’s to discuss hockey or catch up. James also helped his younger brother through the trials of his rookie season.

“He’s been doing this for awhile now and he’s had a lot of success,” Trevor said. “He definitely knows a lot about the game and how to prepare yourself physically and mentally. It’s a big aide to have him, especially coming into my first year just to lean on.

“To be associated with him, someone who has done it the right way and worked hard throughout his career, is awesome. I’m proud to be his little brother.”

Trevor endured hardship early in his NHL career when he suffered a fractured patella one month into the season. He recovered several months later, but experienced a setback, injuring his wrist, which required another surgery.

“It was definitely challenging to have one injury, to come back for a week or so and to get hurt again,” he said. “It’s tough physically and mentally to come back from that.”

But van Riemsdyk returned. And he came back on the biggest stage, making his playoff debut during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

“It’s definitely nerve-wracking, especially not playing for a few months,” van Riemsdyk said. “Even having those 20 games under my belt was nothing compared to the [Stanley Cup] Finals.”

Four games later, van Riemsdyk experienced the pinnacle in professional hockey, helping the Blackhawks win a third Stanley Cup championship in six years.

“It was unbelievable to have my family there when we won it in Game 6,” van Riemsdyk said. “It was really special to share it with them over the summer too.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.