An unwavering passion and perseverance in hockey has led an Okotoks Oiler alumnus on a quixotic journey from the Ivy League to a desert locale.
Kyle Schussler has found a home as a freshman blueliner with the Arizona Sundogs of the Central Hockey League (CHL) on the heels of four years with Dartmouth College in the NCAA. “Getting your degree and everything it was a tough decision to decide whether to continue playing hockey or not,” said Schussler, in a phone conversation from the Sundogs’ home of Prescott Valley, AZ. “It would have been hard finishing my career having so few games played. I wanted to have at least another season of being involved and really being a part of everything.
And I think it’s worked out great so far.”
Schussler, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double-major in history and art, was limited to just nine games in his four years as a student-athlete on the Dartmouth Big Green.
“Without a doubt it was extremely challenging,” he said. “It comes with the territory and it doesn’t always go your way, but the school was fantastic. And in hockey it worked out, I’m playing right now which is important to me. I’m happy with how it worked out it’s just something I had to deal with for those four years.”
The 24-year-old notched his first-goal with the New Hampshire school in his Senior season — in a dramatic playoff game with rival Cornell University, no less.
“That was a pretty special moment,” Schussler said. “And it meant a lot to my teammates too because I was able to get into the lineup at the end.”
Schussler’s spot on the Arizona club came with an assist from his former blueline partner in Okotoks, Jesse Perrin, the ex-captain of the Oilers and current member of the Evansville Icemen of the East Coast Hockey League.
Perrin plied his trade with the Sundogs last season and put in the good word with the Arizona brass for his former Oiler teammate
“That was huge for me, Jesse really came through and I’m in debt to him,” said Schussler, who was an Oiler from 2006-08. “I flew down for training camp and it was nice to be on the radar a little bit because of Jesse and I did well at camp and stuck around.”
For Schussler, the move to small-town Arizona paid off as he is getting playing time with the Sundogs.
He registered three goals and five points in 16 games prior to being sidelined with an injured foot that is expected to heel within the next couple weeks.
“It’s been great and it’s definitely different from college where you only play a 30-game season,” Schussler said. “It’s nice just to be able to get in the lineup and play so much as a team.”
The Winnipeg native is once again a fresh-faced rookie in an unfamiliar town in a new league — something Schussler experienced in his rookie season with the Oilers in 2006-07.
“I think partially because of the lockout that helps with more people watching and seeing a little bit of the lower levels,” Schussler said. “The town itself is great, the people are extremely friendly and we get supported fairly well.”
The CHL is a mid-level professional hockey league founded in 1992 with long standing ties in the United States. The league features recent college graduates and veterans of the circuit in their 30s, a dichotomy in age Schussler was unaccustomed to in the collegiate ranks.
“We have a lot of veteran guys in the lineup, lots of guys with families and wives and kids so that’s definitely different than college,” Schussler said. “I feel like there is a lot more composure at this level and guys are really aware of where they should be on the ice.
“It’s a jump, but it’s something a lot of college guys do and is a good experience, for sure.”
Schussler — part of an athletic family featuring older sister Brittany, a Canadian Olympian in long-track speed skating and younger brother Trent, the captain of the Okotoks Midget AA Oilers — is looking to ride his Arizona experience for as far as it will take him on the ice.
“Just to keep being a consistent player and seeing how much I can contribute to the team,” he said. “Hopefully, I can work my way up and see where things lead. It’s been a great experience so far and I’m really glad I’m here right now.”
