Tigers’ Jace Coyle preparing for shot at pros
Dallas Stars contract a long way from one-time collegiate aspirations
Courtesy of Matt Coxford – Cranbrook Daily Townsman
Cranbrook, BC – When Cranbrook’s Jace Coyle was 16, he didn’t imagine a career in professional hockey for himself.
But that’s changed, and the 20-year-old has been spending all summer trying to prove the Dallas Stars made the right decision by signing him to a three-year contract back on Canada Day.
“I was actually planning on going a whole different route,” said Coyle, of a path that started with the junior B Fernie Ghostriders.
“I went to (junior A) Salmon Arm and almost made it as a 16-year-old and got sent back to junior B. After a couple of months I got listed with Spokane and that’s how I ended up coming to the Western Hockey League.
“It kind of changed my mind from trying to get a scholarship to possibly being able to get a contract or getting drafted out of the Western league.”
Coyle won a Memorial Cup as a rookie with the Spokane Chiefs in 2008, and was traded that summer to the Medicine Hat Tigers. Last season he posted personal bests in all offensive categories with 10 goals, 26 assists and a plus-14 rating.
He is eligible to return to the WHL for the upcoming season, but naturally he’s going to try to stick in the Stars’ system.
“I’d love to be able to stay and play in Austin with their farm team but to me it wouldn’t be a huge step back if I came back to Medicine Hat,” he said. “I’d actually be excited at the opportunity. I think we’re going to have a strong team this year. We picked up some exciting players throughout the summer. If we have a few key guys back this year like Wacey (Hamilton), myself and Emerson (Etem) I think we’ll be a pretty good team.”
