Dartmouth captain Scott Fleming '11 is still waiting to hear about his future in professional hockey, Dartmouth head coach Bob Gaudet said, and "another guy or two" may also receive an offer.
Stejskal was the first to cement a professional contract, signing up with the Montreal Canadiens just three days after the Big Green's ECAC consolation game victory. He has since reported to the Hamilton Bulldogs, Montreal's AHL affiliate, where he is rejoined with former teammate J.T. Wyman '08.
"We had just fallen short of making the NCAAs when I had found out I would be signing a contract, so it was a quick turnaround," Stejskal said. "I was disappointed that we didn't make NCAAs, but signing offered an opportunity to continue playing."
The Habs drafted Stejskal, a hard-hitting blueliner, as their sixth pick in the 2007 NHL entry draft, and has since attended the team's development camp since 2007 and their main training camp for the past two years. This served as an early opportunity to get on the radar of professional scouts, Dartmouth head coach Bob Gaudet said.
"Stejskal has been to training camp with Montreal, so he was quite well-known there," he said. "[The signing] was something you could almost predict."
Still, Stejskal said he was elated when he first heard the news of his signing.
"I was very excited," he said. "It didn't set in for a while though, I almost didn't believe it."
The defenseman potted 11 goals and notched 16 assists over his collegiate career, while spending 125 total minutes in the penalty box over a span of 93 games.
The Big Green's other seniors also received a great deal of national exposure, as Dartmouth was highly ranked throughout the 2010-2011 season and finished the year just outside the country's top 20.
After topping off its success with a third-place finish in the ECAC tournament, the Big Green players received a deservedly high level of interest from professional teams, Gaudet said.
Estoclet has already played three games as a forward for the Providence Bruins, the AHL affiliate of the Boston Bruins. Currently with the team on a try-out agreement, the forward has yet to score a point.
Over the course of his Dartmouth career, Estoclet tallied 104 total points and finished the season at 19th place on the Big Green's all-time assist list.
Stephens and Smith are new additions to the ECHL, teaming up with the Florida Everblades and the Las Vegas Wranglers, respectively, for the last few games of the 2010-2011 season.
Smith, who sat out most of his junior campaign due to injury, scored 19 goals for Dartmouth over his 94 career games.
Having played in 128 games including all 32 of his freshman season Stephens leaves his mark on the Big Green at No. 7 on the all-time game appearances list. He also contributed a total of 81 points during his time at Dartmouth.
The transition to the professional level means "bigger, stronger, faster players" and significantly more travel, Stejskal said in an email to The Dartmouth.
Despite the steep learning curve, forward Smith has already scored his first professional point, leading the Wranglers to a 5-2 win over the Bakersfield Condors on Wednesday evening.
Changes in pace and physicality are not the only issues, however, for a budding professional player to overcome. While Dartmouth's tight-knit team spends much of its down-time together, this element of constant camaraderie is somewhat different in the professional leagues, Stephens said in an email to The Dartmouth.
"It's just a different experience as far as the team' concept," he said. "In school, we eat pre-game together, stretch pre-game together ... but here I had to cook my own pre-game meal. It's very much a transition to self-preparedness."
The strong bond between teammates forged at Dartmouth persists outside of Hanover. Stejskal related the appreciation he felt when Connor Goggin '12 and Mark Goggin '12 two of his Big Green teammates came to cheer him on in his professional debut in Chicago.
Having anticipated the possibility of professional careers, all of the players signed so far planned their D-Plans accordingly so that they could immediately report to their new clubs.
"I'm really pleased that these guys have gone through and finished their education," Gaudet said. "They're not leaving early they've done their job academically and they've done their job as hockey players."
Stephens said playing hockey at a professional level had been a dream of his since childhood.
"It's been my goal since I was a little kid, and it's pretty amazing to realize the goal, at least at the minor league level," he said. "My plan and goal is to make it to the NHL, and I'm hoping that my experience here in Florida will help get me there."
Stejskal also had big league aspirations as a child.
"Growing up it was always a dream, but in high school and college it became more of a possibility and a goal that I began to strive for," he said.
These graduating seniors are joining a larger contingency of talented Dartmouth alumni who have gone on to play professional hockey, including several who currently play with great success in the NHL, including winger Lee Stempniak '05 of the Phoenix Coyotes and defenseman Ben Lovejoy '06 of the Pittsburg Penguins.
The AHL and the ECHL will serve as good stepping-stones to possible NHL careers, Gaudet said.
"Typically that's where guys start, improve or develop," he said. "[The seniors] are in a really good position to make their way."
Smith and Estoclet did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
