Wes Myron has left the Boston University Terriers and signed his first professional contract, joining the Vancouver Canucks’ East Coast Hockey League affiliate in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The former Victoria Grizzlies forward cited lack of ice time for leaving the NCAA Division I school almost two weeks ago in favour of starting his pro hockey career.
“It was strictly hockey,” said Myron, who joined the Kalamazoo Wings for three road games before heading back to Michigan with the club. “School was great, my grades were great. The town of Boston is amazing, it’s a good sports city.
“The atmosphere for hockey was good, but I was getting eight minutes a game for one game or two games on a weekend.
“You work hard all week and practices were great, but for eight minutes or 16 minutes a weekend, it wasn’t much experience. With having my shoulder surgery last year, I wanted to get more games under my belt. I’ll probably get a full college schedule in just by being in Kalamazoo for two months.”
The 20-year-old — who had 17 goals and 25 assists in just 26 games last season with the Grizzlies before having shoulder surgery — was a sixth-round draft pick (177th overall) of the Canucks last summer.
He was held pointless in his first three outings with the K-Wings in Elmira, Trenton and Reading, but collected two goals and four assists in his last three games. At BU, Myron had two goals and an assist in 21 games in limited playing time.
“On-ice it’s more structured,” Myron said of the difference. “High-strung, fast-paced hockey, with a lot of structure where guys play their positions well. It’s a lot different from what I was seeing.
“The guys are stronger and older. You have to make decisions quicker, but I wouldn’t say the speed of the game is different. It almost becomes easier because the game almost slows down for you a bit when you’re playing positional hockey.”
Myron had contemplated the move for more than a month before he took the plunge.
“It’s exciting,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of support from family back home. It’s good to get out here and get my feet wet and see what I have to do, getting ready for camp next year for the full year. I should get used to things.
“I’ll get two months in and get used to how things work so there are no unknowns where I can hit it hard and strive to make the highest level,” he said of next year’s Canucks camp.
“I was taken out of the lineup once or twice. It just felt right. I’m just happy it all worked out. I have no regrets and I’m in a great position here with a great coaching staff and great teammates.”
Having talked over the situation with his parents, Barry and Rozy, and his adviser, he opted to join the K-Wings who are 26-22-4-1 in the ECHL.
“Once I decided to go pro, they [the Canucks] set me up in Kalamazoo and got me here quickly so I didn’t take too much time off,” Myron said. “For me, I wanted to get the experience and play more games. I haven’t played a lot of hockey in the last year.”
With Kalamazoo, he was immediately thrown into the mix.
“It felt comfortable,” he said. “We had three games on the road, so I got to know the guys right away.”
Injuries allowed him to bounce among the lineup and there’s been plenty of ice time.
“I’m not demanding anything, but I’m always going to be striving for more and wanting more,” he said.
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