Watertown forward Camden Markham makes a move with the puck along the boards during a game this season at Prairie Lakes Ice Arena in Watertown, South Dakota. Markham is heading to Wisconsin-Stevens Point to play hockey. (Photo provided)

HOUGHTON — Former Michigan Mr. Hockey Camden Markham has decided where he is going to go to college. The 2023 Houghton High School graduate is heading to Stevens Point, Wisconsin, to join the Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers.

For Markham, the decision was pretty straightforward.

“The type of game they play,” he said when asked the reason why the Pointers were the right place for him. “They’re super, super offensive, which fits me. They are a winning program in the past. They continue to compete for national championships. So, that’s something I want to be a part of.

“I want to be a part of a winning program, and getting the chance to win a national championship ultimately is a big part of it.”

Markham scored 31 goals and 60 points as a junior in high school with the Gremlins in 21-22, then 36 goals and 78 points as a senior. In his second full season of junior play, he was top goal scorer for the Watertown Shamrocks of the North American Hockey League with 22, and he finished second in points with 45.

When asked what it is about the game the Pointers play that excited him most, Markham was quick to point out that it starts with how they work their offense the entire 200 feet of the rink.

“I think a big thing is the way they recruit,” he said. “They recruit a little bit smaller, offensively-skilled defenseman that are able to make plays breaking out of zones. That’ll make it much easier on wingers and the forwards when you have offensive defensemen like that.”

After struggling to find his footing in his first year of juniors in a season that saw him bounce between the NAHL’s Wisconsin Windigo and the Austin Bruins, where he scored two goals and seven points in 33 games combined between the two teams, Markham was energized by the chance to help lay the foundation for a new NAHL team in the Shamrocks last season.

“It was absolutely amazing,” he said. “The fans (were awesome). We sold out almost every single home game, over 1500 people. We started slow, but in the second half of the season, we were a lot better.”

As good as the season was for him, Markham admits that the changes in the rules for NCAA teams to recruit players from the Canadian Hockey League’s teams made it a challenge for him to find a place to play college hockey.

“Personally, I had a pretty big season where normally I feel like I would have gotten a shot at Division I,” he said, “but just with the new Canadian rules and everything, it changes everything.

“It was definitely a big topic of discussion throughout the season. Then I remember we were in a hotel room when we found out, and kind of that set in, that it’s going to make it a lot tougher, and kind of realizing that, I mean, (you’re) still trying as hard as you can to get that opportunity, but realizing that it’s going to be a lot harder.”

At the same time, Markham had to focus on being a part of the Shamrocks and what they were trying to accomplish in their first season. He also served as an alternate captain for the year.

“It was super good to be able to kind of set the foundation of that franchise, be a guy that was a captain there as well, and get it to really grow the program just in one year,” he said. “The growth that that organization has had, has been unreal. So, to get to be a part of that all season long, and be a big part of that, was super awesome and it helped me a lot.”

He was honored to be a part of the leadership group.

“A lot of the guys there looked up to me, and thought that I was going to be a guy that could lead them,” he said. “It truly meant a lot. So, right from the jump, that just helped me. That helps you with confidence. So truly, all season long, I felt confident in myself, because I was able to lead and be someone that guys on that team were looking up to, being an older guy.”

For Markham, and really the Shamrocks, the season turned a corner in January.

“Pretty much after like January, February, March was really when it was my best,” he said. “I was on a 13-game point streak, and like a six-game goal streak, so that was probably my best.”

Being able to chip in offensively more like he had in high school was exciting for Markham.

“It makes the season a lot more fun for sure,” he said. “It was a blast. Getting the score in front of the fans in Watertown made it even more fun.”

In November, the Shamrocks traded for Carter Sproule, who found nearly instant chemistry with Markham, and the pair exploded offensively from there. Sproule, who led the Shamrocks with 48 points in 56 games, put up 12 goals and 40 points in 39 games after arriving in Watertown.

“So around, I think it was maybe December, November, we traded for a guy named Carter Sproule from Oklahoma, and he played with me the whole year,” said Markham. “He and I clicked right away. So, that trade really helped our team, and helped him and I as well.”

The chemistry between the two reminded Markham of playing alongside his best friend, Gaborik Carlson, growing up.

“It was huge,” Markham said. “Being able to know that there’s another guy out there that knows where you are at all times, and gets what you are trying to do with the puck every time you get it, it makes the game so much easier. Being on the same page with somebody truly helps yourself play as well.”

Markham knew he was capable of scoring in the NAHL, but getting the chance to prove that in Watertown did wonders for him.

“It was huge, because I believed in myself, and I knew I was capable of scoring goals at that level, and just putting in the work,” he said. “Last year, I didn’t get a bunch of opportunities, so being in Watertown, I got a good amount of opportunities, and I just made good on my opportunities.”

Markham plans to major in finance at Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He admits that it took a little time to settle on the Pointers, but he is excited to see how things go.

“Around probably February or March, they started talking to me,” he said. “It took time, definitely. I was debating pretty heavily with a couple different options, so it took a little bit, but once I decided, I felt very confident in my decision.”

The Pointers are coming off a season where they went 19-6-2 overall and 10-3-2 in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play, losing out to Wisconsin-Eau Claire in three games in the WIAC semifinals.

Watertown forward Camden Markham prepares to shoot the puck during a game this season at Prairie Lakes Ice Arena in Watertown, South Dakota. (Photo provided)