Kyle Hope playing for Windsor Lancers
Before he enrolled at the University of Windsor to study business, Kyle Hope did a cost-benefit analysis.
He weighed the benefit of his pro hockey contract against the cost of tearing it up.
The 21-year-old forward from Blenheim had already signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets’ affiliate in the American Hockey League, but five years of a free education were too good to turn down.
That’s why Hope was in the Windsor Lancers’ lineup Wednesday for a 4-2 win over the Guelph Gryphons in the OUA season opener.
Two weeks earlier, he skated for the Blue Jackets at the NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, Mich.
“I played pretty well and we won the tournament in Traverse, so it was a great experience,” he said. “But looking at the roster and looking at contracts and who they had, ice time in the AHL would be limited or I’d be up and down in the East Coast (league) and AHL.
“My gut was just telling me education would be a good decision for me. I couldn’t turn down five years of free schooling.”
Hope gets one year of education for each of his five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League.
He heard from more than 20 Canadian universities from coast to coast after his OHL career ended last spring.
Many stopped calling after Hope signed a one-year contract in July with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons, but he stayed in touch with a few.
He liked the Lancers’ program and head coach Kevin Hamlin. He also liked how Hamlin didn’t pressure him to make a decision.
The former Chatham-Kent Cyclone is excited to join the defending Ontario University Athletics champions.
“It’s a great opportunity,” he said, “and you can’t turn down a chance to play close to home, either.”
Hope understands some people will think he’s crazy for saying no to the AHL. But he can always take another shot at pro hockey in a few years.
“I’m definitely not walking away from a pro hockey career or anything like that,” he said. “It’s just doing what I feel is best for my future.
“It’s more and more common now that guys are coming from colleges in Canada and getting contracts in Europe and the AHL.”
The six-foot-one, 190-pound Hope had a career-high 48 points and 99 penalty minutes last season with the Owen Sound Attack.
Hamlin sees him fitting in well with the Lancers.
“My goal for this year’s recruiting class was to get bigger but not compromise our skill level,” Hamlin wrote to The Daily News. “He fits this to a tee. Most importantly, he is a character guy and is a welcomed addition to our team.”
Hope said the Lancers want him to supply scoring and be a physical presence. Fighting is punished more severely in the OUA than the OHL, so he can’t drop his gloves as often, but he can still dish out hard hits.
The level of hockey is still high. He’ll be facing off against 24- and 25-year-olds while trying to win a national championship.
“People think pro hockey is the best, but that opportunity will come again if I have a good career here, which I think I will,” Hope said.
– Mark Malone, Chatham Daily News
