FRASER, Mich. – Mitch Forton comes from a large hockey family. 

His older brother, Kenny, actually played for the Metro Jets during the 2013-14 season. 

Mitch, the second-youngest of 10 Forton kids (six boys, four girls) that range in age from 15 to 34, said Kenny helped push him to the Jets when he was unsure of where to play. 

“Kenny had given me brotherly advice and had really been my driving factor this past summer,” said Forton. “I was on the fence about playing for a while – one day I was going to and the next day I wasn’t. Him and his old billet brother were the ones to really finally push me over the edge after ‘Q’ and Randy (Wilson) called a few times, but it was because of him I kept working out, skating and finally made the decision to play and indulge in the junior lifestyle.  

“I kind of signed late. Like any kid, I had big lofty goals of making a Tier II lineup and playing good college hockey after, but I was missing a few key components. A few phone calls from Randy and Q finally convinced me to sign late in the summer.” 

This season skating for the Jets, the 18-year-old Petoskey native (he turns 19 the day after Thanksgiving) has rang up six goals and two assists in 15 games. 

“On a personal level, I have already grown tremendously as a player,” Forton said. “Q and Jamie (Lovell) really know their stuff and how to teach the little details of the game that can be overlooked at lower levels. They are dedicated to developing solid players and it shows as long as players bring the work ethic. Those guys teach a good brand of aggressive hockey that also incorporates control and skill that allows any type of player come and develop and have a chance to compete at a higher level.” 

“When we look to bring players into our program, we talk about looking for good people first and then we will make them into good hockey players,” added Jets associate head coach Jamie Lovell. “Mitch Forton epitomizes the ideal person we want for our program. From Day 1, his attitude has been tremendous. It’s infectious – he makes others around him work harder. He’s taking full advantage of a hockey environment that is all about development and he’s learning and getting better each day.   

“He’s always been a big strong player, he’s fit, but now he’s learning how to use that more on the ice by developing his hockey sense and learning to play a role that colleges will be looking for at the next level.” 

As for moving up the hockey ladder at some point, Forton knows that buying in to the Jets program will open a few doors down the road.” 

“I feel I have brought a good work ethic to the team,” Forton said. “If you consistently put in hard work, it’s hard to regress. Basically, that has been my focus for this season, to put in as much work as I can and get to the next level ASAP. 

“I just want to play hockey. I love the sport. I love the relationships and connections that you can develop from the game so however it works out is fine by me. Obviously, eventually getting paid to play is ideal but if I get a college scholarship, play through college and then my life takes off and men’s league is all that’s left, that’s fine by me, too.”