Curtis Wilgosh '99 will be remembered by many who met him during his years at Dartmouth as affable, gregarious and big (6'2", 200 lbs.). But most of all, people will remember his presence on ice.
As a center for the Dartmouth men's hockey team, the Saskatchewan native played in 110 games, while netting 28 goals, 42 assists and 70 points. He was also an assistant captain during his senior year.
But the great thing about Wilgosh is that he keeps growing.
This year, in his first season in minor league hockey, Wilgosh has been lighting more lamps.
Wilgosh currently plays for the East Coast Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins affiliate Wheeling (West Virginia) Nailers, and as of Feb. 13, he has played in 48 games while leading his team with 37 points.
Wilgosh has scored 18 goals and 19 assists along with a zero plus-minus rating for the last-place team in the Northwest Division of the ECHL. A few weeks ago, he also represented the North Conference in the ECHL all-star game.
Wilgosh's classmates Ryan Chaytors '99 and Dave Risk '99 also play in the ECHL. Chaytors plays for the Johnston Chiefs in Pennsylvania and has collected 10 goals and six assists. Risk, a defenseman for the Trenton Titans in New Jersey, has played in 46 games with eight goals and eight assists.
Wilgosh recently spoke with The Dartmouth about his experience.
Q: How is the ECHL? How is it different from college hockey?
A: The East Coast Hockey League is one of the largest developmental leagues in professional sports. The league has a lot of good hockey players.
It is common for each team to have a few high NHL draft picks. The others players consist of quality college players and undrafted junior hockey players.
The ECHL differs from college hockey in one simple aspect. In the ECHL, the regular season is more than twice as long as the college hockey season. For this reason, the game is more controlled and slower paced. Since the schedule is such a grind [with travel and so many games], players with the most natural talent, the best conditioning and the greatest understanding of the game tend to succeed in most games.
College hockey is more of a sprint while professional hockey is a marathon.
Q: Why do you think you are playing so well?
A: I think my success has come from the way I approach games. Preparation for a game does not begin the day of the game. A long-term approach is needed. I treat hockey as a year-round job and I consider my body an important asset. As a result, I train hard [and] eat well during the season and in the off-season.
Q: Do you think playing for the Dartmouth hockey team prepared you to be successful in the ECHL?
A: Yes. The Dartmouth hockey program taught me how to mentally and physically prepare for games.
Proper nutrition, adequate rest and a constant commitment to better oneself each day were preached by Coach [Bob] Gaudet ['81] and Coach [Jay] Butler on the ice and in the weight room. This training paradigm is no secret, but a lot of discipline is needed to act upon it. I am grateful to the coaches for introducing this system to me.
Q: What's your dream as a hockey player? To go to the NHL?
A: I would like to continue to improve as a hockey player. Once this stops, serious hockey will end. If my improvement allows me to achieve my very attainable dream of signing a contract with a NHL club, I would be ecstatic.
This year, I wanted to test the waters of professional hockey to see where I belong in the hockey world. I can say with confidence, now that over half the year is finished, I belong at a higher level.
Right now, I have to decide how many years I want to invest in hockey.
Along with attaining the highest level possible, I want to attend [Business] school to obtain an MBA after hockey is finished.
