University of Massachusets Athletics

NHL dream still lives for Mike Kostka

NHL dream still lives for Mike Kostka

By John Sinnett on June 24, 2011 10:39 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Former UMass standout blueliner and captain Mike Kostka is featured in the Durham Region. The story looks at his hockey career so far and that despite putting up solid numbers for a defenseman, his pro career has taken several twists and turns.

OSHAWA -- The dream of playing in the NHL one day still lives on for Mike Kostka.  

Even if the process trying to get there has been a bit of a nightmare.  

The Oshawa resident is coming off his best season as a pro, leading the Rochester Americans in scoring, the first time in the 55-year history of the franchise that a defenceman has held that honour. He also led the AHL in power-play goals for a defenceman with 11.  

But he's wondering where his next stop will be. Without a contract and deemed an unrestricted free agent, he is facing an uncertain time. But it's a position he's been in before, not drafted into the OHL after playing minor hockey in the Ajax-Pickering Raiders system as well as junior with the Ajax Axemen, and he was passed over in the NHL draft after four years on scholarship at the University of Massachusetts.  

He faced this same situation last summer before finally signing a one-way contract with Rochester. It's the nature of the business for a minor leaguer trying to make his way to the top.

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