NEW ULM — The success of any team whether it be football basketball or hockey depends a lot on the quality and character of the players.

For the New Ulm Steel, who play at Granite City on Friday before hosting the Lumberjacks at 7 p.m. Saturday night at the New Ulm Civic Center, one of their players who has displayed both quality and character both on and off of the ice is defenseman Trevor Woytcke from Mound.

The 6-foot-5, 205 pound Woytcke is described by head coach Andrew Kolb as a great kid.

“Everybody who sees him and gets to know him realizes that,” Kolb said. “I know that a couple billet [host] families were fighting over him on who he was going to live with. He is very popular and likable. Billet families wanted him.”

And Woytcke has been acknowledged for his volunteer work in the community of New Ulm by the NA3HL.

“Last year he won the Community Service Player of the Year in our league,” Kolb said. “The league has 48 teams and over 1,000 players so that was a tremendous honor for him. He is the type of kid that will never say no when asked to help with a community project.”

Kolb said that whenever there is a community service event in New Ulm, himself or General Manager Bryant Black will send out group text to the players.

“He is always the first one to respond and to go,” Kolb said. “He is a third-year player and he always steps up and delivers for us. We can always depend on him.”

Woytcke also is a volunteer assistant coach for the New Ulm High School boys’ hockey team.

“He also helps out with the younger players when we have Skills Night at the Civic Center. Everyone knows him — all the little kids know him and all of the billet families know him. He is very active in the community here in New Ulm.”

Kolb said that Woytcke is also a captain on the Steel team.

“Everyone respects him and listens to him,” Kolb said. “He is not vocal or loud but he is honest.”

This Steel are in first place in the West Division. New Ulm has 49 points and Granite City has 48 points. This will be the last regular season meetings between the two teams until the playoffs.

“This is a pivotal weekend in our season,” Kolb said. “There are four big points on the line.”