This isn’t like back home. Carl Sneep found that out the first time he got the puck while wearing a Lincoln Stars uniform. Guys were on him before the Brainerd, Minn., native could say walleye.

“I found out you don’t have much time to make plays here,” says Sneep, whose Stars will host Des Moines tonight.

Forgive Sneep for any early missteps. The 18-year-old jumped into the fire, joining the Stars only eight games ago after his season at Brainerd High ended. At that point, Lincoln was already 47 games into its USHL season.

Joining a team so late must be tough, right?

Not really, Sneep says. “It just gave me the chance to get some more buddies.”

Sneep is not a bad guy to befriend. He just might be going places.

In Brainerd, he did about everything but be mayor. He pitched for the baseball team. He played tight end, linebacker and kicker for the football team. He scored six touchdowns. He won team MVP honors. He was up for homecoming king. He was a “celebrity” reader to local third-graders during “I Love To Read Month.”

Not to mention, he made a bunch of hockey scouts flock to his hometown and drool on their dress shirts.

At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, the defenseman already has a scholarship to Boston College and NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau has ranked him as the 33rd-best player available.

With that ranking came more attention than Sneep maybe wanted.

“At the beginning of the high school season I struggled with it a little bit,” he said. “But you just learn to ignore it.”

Stars coach Steve Johnson said interest like that is naturally going to follow a guy that big who moves that well on skates. He then added: “It certainly would have been nice to have him for a year.”

As it is, Sneep will only be in Lincoln through this season, then it’s off to Boston.

While he’s been more than an able body filling the position left open by Neil Sauter — who suffered a season-ending injury — Johnson says there’s “plenty of improvement for him yet.”

Sneep doesn’t disagree. He says he wants to be more physical. “I have to because next year is going to be even another step up.”

The Stars are 4-3-1 since he joined the club, but have won three of their last four.

“It seemed like we were on the slide when I got here,” Sneep says. “But now we’re getting it together.”

Briefly

— Tonight, Stars players will wear one-of-a-kind silver-and-blue jerseys that will be auctioned after the game to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Last year, a record total of $33,600 was raised.

The bidding will take place in the Ice Box’s concourse. Buyers will receive the autographed jersey, an 8x10 autographed picture of the player and a picture with the player.

— Forward J.J. Koehler has decided to play college hockey at Nebraska-Omaha. The assistant captain will join the Mavericks next season.

— The Stars (29-20-6) are in pretty good shape injury-wise aside from defenseman Eli Vlaisavljevich. He has missed the last two games from a strained shoulder and, as of Thursday afternoon, was still questionable for tonight.

Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7438 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.