Moving on ...
Justin Lemcke, Connor Walters and Ryan Moore are heading down different paths, but they all lead back to hockey
At the start of this season, the Hamilton Bulldogs will say goodbye to an unusually large class of graduating players.
But who, exactly, is moving on is still unclear. With three exceptions.
After five years in the Ontario Hockey League, Justin Lemcke, Connor Walters and Ryan Moore are leaving the black and gold behind.
Together, the trio played in 839 regular-season games, including 354 for the Bulldogs.
And while they won’t be in Hamilton this fall, they will still be lacing up the skates — with one going to school and two turning pro.
Here’s a look at what’s in store:
Justin Lemcke
The first captain in Bulldogs history and the winner of last year’s Mickey Renaud Trophy had a few different options after the team’s OHL championship run last spring, including an opportunity to head stateside to play NCAA lacrosse.
Ultimately, the 21-year-old signed a one-year deal with the Wichita Thunder, the ECHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers.
“I just kind of felt that I’m at the best I’ve been hockeywise,” said the Whitby-born defenceman.
“With the shortened summer from being on the ice a lot at the end of the year it is probably the best chance I’ll have ... I think this is just the right time for me to give it a shot.”
Playing in the minor leagues wasn’t Lemcke’s plan. As recently as March, he was talking about post-secondary programs and paring down a list of potential schools. But Hamilton’s success opened some doors.
“I really was thinking school was what I would be doing,” he said, adding that school could still be in his future.
For now, though, he’s looking forward to a new challenge, a move to Kansas and “being out there on my own playing pro hockey.”
Connor Walters
A lot of people leave home to go to school. Walters did the opposite.
After staying with billet families in Owen Sound and Hamilton for half a decade, the Welland native — he’s 21 — has moved back in with Mom and Dad to attend nearby Brock University.
On top of taking some general first-year courses, he’s expected to be a regular on the Brock Badgers blue line.
“I think it will be great for me,” he said.
“And it will be good to have some home-cooked meals.”
That doesn’t mean Walters doesn’t see a future for himself in hockey.
While school has always been his priority (and he was eager to take advantage of his OHL scholarship package), he’s hopeful that a stint with the Badgers will lead to something more.
“Hopefully, after my four years, I’ll get a chance to play pro,” he said.
“I would love to do that, too.” Walters will be reunited with two former Attack teammates on the St. Catharines campus — Justin Brack and Tyler McArthur — and playing for longtime OHL bench boss Marty Williamson, who enters his second season as Badgers head coach.
Ryan Moore
Moore is going from one titlewinning team to another.
In July, the 21-year-old from Troy, Mich., was one of six players, including fellow OHL grads Emerson Clark and Stefan Leblanc,
to sign with the Calder Cup champion Toronto Marlies. The deal will keep the forward with the team for the next two seasons.
Moore, who had a couple of offers to mull over following the Bulldogs’ appearance at the Memorial Cup, said the Marlies’ focus on player development had a hand in his decision.
“They have a great track record of getting guys to the NHL and that’s my goal at the end of the day,” he added.
A lifelong Red Wings fan who grew up just a 20-minute drive from Joe Louis Arena, Moore admitted the organization’s rich hockey history actually sweetened the deal.
Moore will also be hitting the
books in September. Digitally, at least.
He plans to continue taking online courses at Central Michigan University, where he is working toward a business degree, while suiting up with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate.