Center Ice Spotlight: J Tanner Esco | Collegeville PA

My name is Tanner and I am from Philadelphia PA. Well, Collegeville which is in the suburbs of Philadelphia. My Mom grew up in Western NY near Canada and loved hockey and skating. She says when she was a kid that there were not many skaters who looked like her and it makes her sad that it is still true. She like Tai Babalonia and wanted to be just like her. She says it was her only mirror. Mine is Ryan Reaves.

I wanted to become a brand ambassador because my mom said it would be good to be involved with people who reflect me more. I also like politics so I think an Ambassador is like a politician so I will be good at that.

I hope I can make little kids want to skate more. My friend Roman tried hockey and did not like it but his brother Xavier who is five really likes it and he is brown too. I think he looks up to me.

I am very shy and sometimes when I am nervous it takes me a while to be able to talk

If I could sit down and have dinner with a hockey player it would be Wayne Gretzky for sure. He is literally Wayne Gretzky so who wouldn’t want to have dinner with him and I want Grant Fuhr too. It really counts as one since Wayne couldn’t have been Wayne if Grant wasn’t there. That’s what my Mom said. So both of them

The best hockey advice I have been given is my mom ALWAYS yells “two hands on the stick.” So that is probably the thing.