There was something special about young Grant Meyer when he laced up a pair of skates and got a hockey stick in his hand.

An accomplished skater by age 4, Meyer, a Curtice resident and Genoa High School sophomore, played for the Toledo Cherokees as a youngster.

“He scored more than 100 goals two years in a row with the Cherokees,” said Meyer's father, Lester. “They won two state tournaments, for ages 10-and-under and 12-and-under.”

Cleveland Barons hockey player Grant Meyer, a Genoa High School sophomore. (Photo cour- tesy of USA Hockey)

Grant, 15, now plays right wing for the U-16 Cleveland Barons, which compete in the Tier 1 Hockey League and are rated as one of the top youth teams in the nation.

Meyer, who has 15 goals and 27 assists in 40 games this season, has played for the Barons, whose home ice is Lakefront Lines Arena in Parma, for four years. The Tier 1 Hockey League consists of the top youth players in the United States and Canada.

“What I like about hockey is the battle every time you step on the ice,” Meyer said. “It's really a challenging sport and you have to be committed and give everything you've got. You can't take one shift off. There are a lot of games in the season and you have to toughen it out the whole season.”

Meyer and his parents, Lester and Jill, have had to make a lot of sacrifices in order for Grant to play for such an elite squad.

“I have a 2008 Suburban with 174,000 miles on it and I'm loving it,” said Lester, who co-owns Riverside Machine in Genoa. “We're on the road five days a week, so about 24-26 days a month, anywhere from Toronto to Cleveland. I drove to Philadelphia (two weeks ago) and Toronto the weekend before that. I do it for the enjoyment.

“Grant got into this when he was 4 years old and I told him as long as his passion is there, I will keep getting him to the games, the rinks, the practices. He worked out four times a week all summer at a gym in Oak Park, Mich., with a welterweight boxing champ for conditioning. I really don't know if the average person knows what commitment and dedication is needed to play at a very high level of hockey as a youth.”

Meyer's high school schedule is a bit more challenging than your normal student. He catches the bus to Genoa High School around 7:20 a.m., then takes five classes — social studies, Spanish, geometry, English and biology — followed by lunch. One of his parents then picks him up around 1:10 p.m. and drives him to Cleveland to meet with the Barons' head coach and their strength and conditioning coach.

“We get a day off on Friday,” Meyer said.

Meyer said the powers that be at Genoa, which does not have an organized hockey team, have been gracious in giving him some leeway with his school schedule.

“I talked to my guidance counselor and she gave me two study halls at the end of the day,” he said. “They're pretty flexible with that. My first grade card this year, I had three A's and three B's.”

Meyer usually gets home from Cleveland anywhere from 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Of course, one of his parents has to bring him home.

“I couldn't ask for better parents,” Meyer said. “I just appreciate them so much. I can't believe they do it. My dad leaves work and drives me to hockey and has to stay there the rest of the day when he could be doing other stuff. The best way to pay him back is, when I make the NHL, to make a million dollars and pay it back to him and my mom.”

Meyer will be eligible to be drafted by the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and United States Hockey League (USHL) at the end of this season.

“My goal is pointing toward the USHL and playing there, wherever I get drafted,” Meyer said. “But I'm open to anything. I've had a couple of USHL teams contact me, so I'm on their radar. I'm supposed to be visiting Merrimack College in Boston soon. There are two routes you can take when it comes to hockey – play in the USHL and go to college or go to the OHL, where you lose your college eligibility. A lot of the players in the NHL will be drafted from the OHL.”

Grant isn't the only hockey player in the Meyer household.

“I also have a 13-year-old, Garrett, who plays for the Toledo Cherokees in the Little Caesars League,” Lester said. “This weekend (Dec. 9-11) I'm going to be in Cincinnati with Garrett and my wife's going to be in Cleveland with Grant. That happens a lot.”

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