Jon Barkman, former player of the year in Canadian Interuniversity Sport, spent last season with the Miesbach TEV in the German OBL League.
He racked up 27 goals and 34 assists for 61 points in 17 games.
Next season he is going to play for Eppan, an Italy A-1 Division team.
“It’s been awesome,” Barkman, 27, says of playing in Europe. “It’s been good to see a different part of the world.
“Culture is a large part of it, but not the best part. The best part is to still play at a competitive level and get paid to do something you love to do.”
Jody Lehman, a goalie with the Huskies for one year, went on to play five seasons of minor pro in the Central Hockey League, East Coast Hockey League and American Hockey League, then headed to Europe for five seasons.
“Absolutely, it’s a good experience,” says Lehman, 32. “You can only play in the Coast for so long. You can’t really get ahead, so you look where the best options are. I had the opportunity to go to Coventry.
“I went there for three years and did my schooling. (My first year) we ended up winning the league in the playoffs. My last season there, during the NHL lockout, we had Wade Belak from my hometown (Battlefords) and my best friend Adam Calder.
“We ended up winning the Grand Slam: The Challenge Cup, the league and the playoffs. “It was a pretty special year.” Lehman has since returned home and last summer in Meota married an English woman he had met in Coventry.
Cam Bristow, 34, of Saskatoon played for Frisk-Asker in Norway and the BISL’s Ayr Scottish Eagles before returning to North America to wind up his career.
Sheldon Moser, 33, of Mendham played a handful of seasons in Europe in Salzburg, Austria and Appiano, Italy. He is now retired from hockey. Scott Cannam, 34, is playing in the U.K. Bryce Thoma, 25, who spent last season with the ECHL’s Las Vegas Wranglers, plans to play pro in England.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment