Many of Dartmouth's student-athletes would attest that after college, full-time athletics is usually not a possible career option. Seldom do significant numbers of student-athletes on Big Green teams move on to professional sports teams for extended periods of time, especially not when compared with athletes from UCLA, Florida or Oklahoma.
But for a handful of men's hockey players in the Class of 2007, the road after college does not lead straight to a standard job working behind a desk. Instead, they have the chance to play hockey for a living.
For Atlanta Thrashers' draft-pick Grant Lewis '07, the summer after graduation will bring negotiations with his agent, tryouts and a contract deal with the NHL club.
Lewis, the highest-drafted player on the Big Green and in the ECACHL, started on the road to fulfilling his childhood dream of playing in the NHL when he was taken in the second round with the 40th overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. NHL rules give players a three-year window to become draft eligible based on players' birth years.
In the first year a prospective player is only draft-eligible if he opts into the draft, but in the last two years those players are automatically eligible. Lewis, a self-described offensive defenseman, decided to forgo his first year of draft eligibility, a common move by players who believe they can raise their stock with another year of junior or college-level hockey.
It paid off, as he earned All-Ivy and All-ECAC first team honors after his freshman campaign when he led Big Green defensemen in scoring with 25 points.
"I could have opted in after my senior year of high school," he said. "I talked to some teams, but decided to wait another year."
In August, Lewis and his agent will begin official negotiations with Atlanta, which holds Lewis' rights until August 15. At the end of contract talks, Lewis could either sign with the Thrashers or file as a free-agent, but Lewis says he plans on signing with Atlanta. Once a deal is worked out, it's time for tryouts.
Although Lewis will start out in Thrashers camp, he expects to be released to Atlanta's American Hockey League affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. Playing on the Wolves will give Lewis the opportunity to improve his game in preparation for a possible future jump to the high-caliber game in the NHL.
"Hopefully it will all go well this summer," he said. "I plan on starting out in the AHL, and hopefully get[ting] an opportunity to play in Atlanta. Most players stay in the AHL for a certain amount of time and hopefully make it in the end."
While Lewis will have to wait to lace up his skates, former linemate Ben Lovejoy '07 is already skating for a semi-professional team, the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL. He graduated after Winter term 2007.
Undrafted in college, Lovejoy got the ball rolling following the Big Green's 5-3 season-ending loss to St. Lawrence in the consolation game of the ECACHL tournament.
"I have an agent who right after we lost I signed with," he said. "He contacted a lot of general managers from the NHL and AHL and said I would be interested in signing. From there I got a couple of offers from AHL teams to finish the season with them. It worked out very well for me to go to a deal [with a team] that wanted me then and now."
Lovejoy said one of the benefits of becoming a free-agent was the freedom he had to talk to all different clubs. Lewis and forward Tanner Glass '07, a ninth-round draft-pick of the Florida Panthers, can only have contract negotiations with their respective teams.
Lovejoy is currently signed to an amateur tryout, or ATO contract, with Norfolk. He makes a salary of $350 per game and $60 per day for food, and the Admirals have put him up in a hotel for the rest of the season.
The Admirals, the Chicago Blackhawks' minor league affiliate, sit in third place of the East Division of the AHL and have clinched a playoff spot. Lovejoy will stay with the team throughout its playoff run, but if the team does not re-sign him to a longer-term contract at season's end, Lovejoy will look for another team via free agency.
Glass and blueliner Mike Hartwick '07 each enjoyed temporary stints on minor league clubs for the past several weeks.
After guiding the Big Green as the 2006-2007 captain, Glass joined the Rochester Americans in the AHL over spring break on an ATO contract. He played in four games, notching one assist with a plus/minus rating of +3. Rochester is an affiliate of the Panthers.
Hartwick caught some luck to land with the Wheeling (W.Va.) Nailers of the East Coast Hockey League, professional hockey's equivalent of Double A baseball. The Nailers are tied to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"My agent was in contact with a number of teams. [Former Yale player Chris Brooks] broke his hand, so this was a great opportunity to jump in to get a little bit of time and some experience before I jump into this full-time next year," Hartwick said.
Signed to a normal ECHL contract, the Nailers will release Hartwick to free agency, where the senior can look for a new club next season.
As of last Thursday, Hartwick planned on coming back to Dartmouth to finish up classes and graduate with the rest of the Class of 2007 in June. He said that he tried to find the books for his seminar in Wheeling, but the store did not have the books and the next closest bookstore was significantly further away.
"I'm a little behind with the work, but my professor said I'll have time to make it up," he said.
Other Dartmouth alums playing in the ECHL include Charlotte Checkers forward Mike Ouellette '06 and Johnston Chiefs center Eric Przepiorka '06.
For Lovejoy, Glass and Hartwick, the move to minor league hockey means adapting to new teammates, new environments and a new style of play.
Players on AHL and ECHL clubs range from college students to 30-year olds, and come from countries like the United States, Canada, the Czech Republic and Finland.
"It's kind of a different makeup," Lovejoy said. "They're five to six guys who are 28, 29, 30 years old who are married and have children, and they're a lot of guys that are my age or younger that finished college or never went."
Not only are the fans in West Virginia not as hockey-savvy as spectators in New England, Wheeling is a whole new experience for Hartwick, a New Hampshire native. The local bar, for example, is an old barn adorned with busts of deer and moose heads.
"I've enjoyed playing down here," he said. "The people are very nice and welcoming. It's definitely a little bit of a different fan than at Dartmouth, I don't know if they're as knowledgeable about the game. The area kind of reminds me of 'The Deer Hunter.' It's nice to be in a different place."
The pace of the game at the semi-pro tier is a step-up from the college game.
"It's a little bit of a different game," Hartwick said. "It's not the reckless abandon of college. That might be because you have a visor on instead of a cage [on your helmet]. It's slow-paced, but more precise. Guys can thread the needle and beat you all over ice. You're also playing against older men."
Despite differences in leagues, locations, teammates, coaching philosophies and contracts, there is one common denominator for these four former Dartmouth players. Right now hockey is the primary objective, not a typical post-college job in a corporate metropolis.
Lovejoy never had a one-track focus on professional hockey, but he knew he would not hesitate if he had an opportunity to play after college.
"When I first came to Dartmouth, it was to start over," he said. "I hadn't played all that well at Boston College and I wanted a fresh start. If hockey worked out, great. If not, I'd do something else. Dartmouth hockey was great for me. [Minor league hockey] was something I had in mind, but it wasn't play hockey or bust for me."
Hartwick does not have a firm backup plan outside of hockey at this point.
"I haven't looked into specific jobs. I haven't thought about it so much because I know the opportunity was there [to play hockey]," Hartwick said. "I could go into commercial real estate, maybe finance. I don't think I'm ready to jump into a full-time career. I still think of myself as a kid and don't want to give away my youth slaving behind a desk."
When Lewis got the call from the Thrashers following his stellar freshman year with the Big Green, he admits that his focus shifted more and more to an opportunity in the NHL.
"Originally my backup plan was to play hockey, I came to Dartmouth for the academics," he said. "After my freshmen year, hockey became first and academics unfortunately took a back seat."
"I've been trying to put all my eggs in this basket, so hopefully I can play in the NHL and make enough money to make a good life. There's always a backup plan, but I plan on playing hockey for the next three to six years, wherever that may be. After that if I'm not in the NHL, I may have to give it up. As of now, I haven't looked down the road at another job."
