“It’s funny, whenever he shows up there are probably about five to 10 scouts at every game now,” Cretin-Derham Hall coach Matt Funk says. “He’s been performing under pressure, and tonight he was huge for us.”

Fisher is logging all the important minutes for the Raiders (9-4-0). As centerman, as a penalty killer, and as well as the focal point of the power play. A smooth skating forward listed at 6-foot-2 and 181 pounds, Fisher brings size, but also ultra rare offensive flash demonstrated with superior vision and a sneaky fast trigger on a heavy shot. 

Funk can’t help but marvel at the development he’s seen grow before his eyes.

“We’ve had some great players at CDH, but he’s putting himself in pretty good territory,” Funk said. “For us, he can do it all. He’s a complete player.”

More and more, however, Fisher is getting help. 

A total of 15 skaters have scored at least once so far for CDH, ranked No. 7-2A in the Jan. 1 Let’s Play Hockey coaches’ poll. But perhaps no one’s production has elevated more significantly from a year ago than has junior wing Chuck Owens, whose tandem with right winger Max Anderson and centerman Fisher is becoming an increasingly important cog in the Raiders’ offensive machine.

Asserting himself with a pair of goals and an assist against Stillwater (6-2-0), Owens helped shoulder the load while also creating opportunity for Fisher with his play away from the puck. 

A speedy and hard-working forward, the junior is blossoming in his new role after earning a fulltime spot on the varsity last season after Christmas, where he skated primarily on the fourth and third lines. The physical progression from sophomore to junior season has been significant for Owens (7-8-15), as his willingness to outwork the opposition. 

“I think teams have been underestimating him a lot,” Fisher says of Owens, a close friend. “He’s one of the hardest working players on the team. He’s always eager to go into the corners and the hard areas, but if you give him the puck in the slot, he’s going to bury it. Chuck’s a very good guy to play with.”

Owens shifts the focus back to Fisher, saying nothing has been more important to the elevation of his game than playing with one of the state’s elite forwards.

“Playing with him for sure makes the game a little easier,” Owens says of Fisher. “He makes plays in the defensive zone, the offensive zone, and those plays create a lot of opportunities for me. He’s an incredible 200-foot center, and that’s why he’s going to play at the next level.”