JENKINS TWP. — When Adrian Danchenko arrived in Northeast Pennsylvania, he was 16 years old, pursuing a dream of playing hockey in the NHL – and needing a place to live. At the same time, Roseann Zubrickas had a son leaving home and she and her husband Lenny had an empty bedroom.

That was nearly four years ago, when the Zubrickas family learned about the term “billeting,” and Adrian, from Palm City, Florida, moved into the couple’s Dunmore home.

“It was like a match made in heaven,” Roseann said. “He’s a part of the family.”

Danchenko asked last year if the Zubrickases house could hold another “son” and now Tyrone Bronte, from Melbourne, Australia, is part of the family, as well.

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Billeting is a a common practice in the world of junior hockey, where youngsters between the ages of 14 and 20 commit to a team to improve their playing skills on the arduous path toward the ultimate goal of playing professional hockey.

“We recruit players for the team, and the number one thing their parents want is to have them taken care of,” said Andrew Whiteside, assistant coach for the Knights, a Tier III junior hockey club and part of the junior hockey programs that skilled and talented players get into as a way to make their way into pro hockey. The Knights are not associated with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, although those associated with the junior hockey club have found that hockey programs in Northeast Pennsylvania grow because of the Penguins’ presence.

“It’s a developmental league,” Whiteside continued. “We tend to take younger players, so we do our best to help them transition from being kids at home to becoming more mature and independent.”

For the player, the process involves a lot of hard work, practices, physical training and, yes, keeping up with their education. Because they’re teenagers, they need some help with the rest of daily life.

That’s where billet families come in. For the hosts, it means providing a livable, clean, comfortable spot – bed, bureau, some closet space. It can also mean extra cooking, a bit more laundry, providing Internet access – because schooling has to be done online – and putting up with the odd schedules that are part of a 60-game regular hockey season.

It’s a commitment on both sides because the season begins in August and can run through late May, depending on how far the team might go into the playoffs.

“And when things are going well for the players in their billet houses, it shows on the ice,” Whiteside said. “When there’s no worry off the ice, they can concentrate on hockey.”

“I’d like to think that, if my son left home to chase a dream, he’d have a safe place to stay” Roseann said. “So, we stepped up to do that for someone else’s son.”

In the Zubrickas’ house, players’ parents visit, spend holidays, become part of the extended family, as well.

Since last October, Roseann has taken on the job of billeting coordinator for the team. She’s now a recruiter, as well, working to make sure every player has that safe place to stay. That’s in addition to her “regular” job in an orthopedic office.

Right now, she has a team of 27 families hosting players, and she’s always seeking more. She tries to find homes within a 30-mile radius of the Revolution Ice Rink , the Knights’ home ice, but is flexible with distances. The players do have their own transportation.

Some billet hosts have youngsters involved in hockey, while others have no connection to the sport at all. There are families, single parents, two-career families, stay-at-home-moms. The key is to be flexible. The players have strict rules from the team and work to be good “guests,” but there can be issues, said head coach Tom Kowal.

“There are blips. We’re all human. Sometimes a player and a billet family don’t mesh. That can happen,” Kowal said. Everybody has different lifestyles, comes from different places. But our goal is to get players who respect other people, follow the rules, are flexible. Everyone can work through the little things that might come up. And the system works.”

It does help that Roseann keeps a close eye on billeting, visiting every billet home before she sends a player to stay. And she keeps in constant contact with the hosts to be sure things run smoothly.

“I won’t put someone else’s child into a house where I wouldn’t put mine,” she said.

And she notes the process is what she calls “altruistic.”

“Families get a stipend of $400 a month for each player to help with expenses, but you just don’t do this for the money,” she said. “It’s about giving back; it’s about paying things forward. It’s about doing something good for another family, helping a kid.”

The tough part of the whole process is not the actual hosting, said Lenny Zubrickas.

“The down-side is that sooner or later, they leave,” he said. “They’re part of the family. It’s your own kid leaving home.”

At the end of this season, the Zubriskases will have two boys leaving home. Danchenko is headed to the University of Alabama at Huntsville and Bronte will play his next hockey at Bemidji State in Minnesota.

When that happens, next August, the Zubrickas family will open its doors again, stepping up for another family’s son. Or two.

“It’s a great thing to do,” Roseann said. “It’s opening home and heart to some wonderful people.”

Len and Roseann Zubrickas, of Dunmore, have opened their home to many ice hockey players over the years. Roseann is the current billet program coordinator.
https://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_Billet1.jpg.optimal.jpgLen and Roseann Zubrickas, of Dunmore, have opened their home to many ice hockey players over the years. Roseann is the current billet program coordinator. Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch

Andrew Whiteside, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights assistant hockey coach, was on hand to explain the billet system for his players.
https://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_Billet2.jpg.optimal.jpgAndrew Whiteside, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights assistant hockey coach, was on hand to explain the billet system for his players. Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch

Roseann Zubrickas and Andrew Whiteside discuss the billet process.
https://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_Billet3.jpg.optimal.jpgRoseann Zubrickas and Andrew Whiteside discuss the billet process. Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch

Adran Danchenko, left, of Palm City, Florida, and Tyrone Bronte, of Melbourne, Australia, both 19, talk about the advantages of the billet system while moving up the ranks in the American Hockey League.
https://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_Billet4.jpg.optimal.jpgAdran Danchenko, left, of Palm City, Florida, and Tyrone Bronte, of Melbourne, Australia, both 19, talk about the advantages of the billet system while moving up the ranks in the American Hockey League. Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch

Australian Tyrone Bronte is a benefactor of the billet system, having lived broad since he’s been 12 years old. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights billet coordinator Roseann Zubrickas looks on.
https://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_Billet5.jpg.optimal.jpgAustralian Tyrone Bronte is a benefactor of the billet system, having lived broad since he’s been 12 years old. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights billet coordinator Roseann Zubrickas looks on. Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Billet program caters to young hockey players

By Gina Thackara

For Sunday Dispatch

Reach the Sunday Dispatch newsroom at 570-655-1418 or by email at sd@psdispatch.com.