The bench door opens at Buccaneer Arena, home of the Des Moines Buccaneers, and out skates a 15-year-old carrying a bucket of pucks. He glides over to his usual spot between the center hash marks, about 12 to 15 feet from the net.

He pours the bucket of pucks onto the ice and zeroes in on his target. The youngster fires away at the four corners of the net, concentrating on his quick release and keeping his head up. After a few rounds, then 15-year-old Aaron Palushaj skates a few laps around the freshly resurfaced ice rink.

After about 30 minutes, his teammates and some of the coaches trickle onto the ice. A strenuous two-hour practice soon follows. But afterwards, the now ex-Wolverine grabs the same bucket of pucks. Positioning himself on the face-off dot in the left circle, Palushaj shoots at the far side corners of the net until, finally, coach Regg Simon has to kick him off the ice.

But if it were up to Simon, he'd let the Northville, Mich. native keep at it all night.

When Palushaj arrived in Des Moines in the summer of 2005, Simon quickly realized he had acquired a special young player.

“Desire — he has an intangible not many players have,” Simon said. “I’ve never been around a kid who was legitimately the first one on the ice and legitimately the last one off everyday. … If I had to hedge a bet on someone who was going to will their way to the NHL, it would probably be him.”

On Apr. 3, Palushaj came one step closer to proving Simon right. Palushaj signed a contract with the Peoria Rivermen, the American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL's St. Louis Blues.

Palushaj sat down with Michigan coach Red Berenson prior to making a final decision — one that would mean forfeiting his final two years of NCAA eligibility.

Berenson has historically been opposed to players leaving the University early if they are not ready for the next level. But Palushaj said the two are still on “good terms," even after his premature departure from the maize and blue.

“He was disappointed, but you don’t just leave to play in Peoria,” Palushaj said. “It’s a chance to play in the NHL and play for St. Louis. He understands where my heart’s at.”

A self-made family

For the past few weeks, Palushaj has been stationed in St. Louis, training with the Blues’ strength and conditioning coaches to become stronger and improve his skating. But Palushaj wouldn’t really consider that work — especially with an opportunity to impress the St. Louis coaching staff at the Pro-Orientation Camp which begins on July 8.

Working 30 to 40 hours a week as a 12 year-old — that’s real work. Just tell that to Tom Palushaj, Aaron's father.

In 1972, the elder Palushaj emigrated from his native country of Albania to the United States. Aaron’s mother, Rita, had traveled to the United States just three years earlier.

As a teenager, Tom endured long hours to support his family of 11. He and his brothers eventually became entrepreneurs in the restaurant industry, opening Archie’s in Livonia and the Lyon Grill in South Lyon.

“They're a self-made family, and it’s a good home," Simon said. "Aaron probably grew up with inspiration around him all the time.”

Lightin’ the lamp

Natural goal scorers have a distinguishing attribute about them — the puck always seems to find their stick and eventually the back of the net.

A soft touch around the crease, an endless array of moves that leave netminders scratching their heads and an uncanny ability to score anywhere in the offensive zone makes them a goalie’s worst nightmare and a coach’s best weapon. It's what every coach, at any level, looks for.

And it didn't take long for Simon to recognize the offensive talent he had on his bench.

“(Aaron) was just a punk when he showed up (in Des Moines),” Simon said. “He was a real young kid, fresh out of Midget Minor in the Honeybaked (AAA) system. He was underdeveloped physically but most kids are at that age, but you knew he had the body to grow. … The determining factor of having him on that team was that he just always scored goals.

"Even as the second-youngest player in our camp (in 2005), he still scored.”

As a rookie, Palushaj had to prove to Simon and the rest of the Buccaneer coaching staff that he belonged in the lineup. Whether it was in off-ice workouts, practices or the weight room, he needed to show that he was driven and committed in his new environment.