Squamish athlete Jarid Lukosevicius has signed with the Detroit Red Wings' farm team, putting him closer than ever to getting a break in the NHL.
Lukosevicius will be lacing up his skates for the Grand Rapids Griffins.
"I'm elated," said Todd Lukosevicius, Jarid's father. "I'm happy that it is, but I'm also sad that the college career is ended. It was an exciting four years.
He said the news was especially noteworthy given that Jarid had to face difficult odds this past season playing with his university team, the Denver Pioneers.
After an exodus of several players and a new coach, many onlookers branded the 2018 to 2019 season as a "rebuilding year" for Denver.
Expectations were not high.
But then Jarid, his father said, found a way to turn a supposed write-off year into a shot at the Frozen Four.
"Jarid came up with a motto and says, ‘I'm going to prove them all wrong,'" Todd said.
While the Pioneers eventually fell to UMass, finishing a university career with a Frozen Four run is a high note to end on.
After his time hitting the ice for Denver, Jarid will finish his four-year career Pioneers with 105 points, a plus-47 rating and 75 penalty minutes in 158 games from 2015 to 2019.
One highlight was back in 2017 when he secured the game-winning goal of the NCAA championship game at 3-2 against the University of Minnesota Duluth.
But while Jarid has found success on the ice, his father says perhaps one of the biggest high points is his son's win in the classroom.
"Most important, he just got a degree in finance from one of the great schools of the United States all on scholarship," Todd said. "That's my proudest moment, now, I guess. Now he has his degree in his back pocket [and making] some good coin playing hockey, now."
