By Sam Laskaris /
Though he’s been overlooked often, Ryan Hamilton has never stopped dreaming.
And now he’s just one step away from fulfilling a boyhood dream of suiting up for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The 24-year-old left winger is in his fourth pro season. He’s a member of the Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs’ American Hockey League affiliate.
Hamilton had spent his first two-and-a-half pro seasons with the AHL’s Houston Aeros. He joined the Marlies via a trade midway through the 2008/09 campaign.
“I didn’t see it coming but it was exciting when I was traded here,” said Hamilton, adding he was a Leafs’ fan growing up.
Though he was born in Oshawa, Hamilton spent most of the first 10 years of his life living in Ingersoll, Ont. His family then moved to British Columbia but they returned to Ontario, settling in Whitby when he was a teen.
Hamilton managed to make it to the pro ranks even though he was never drafted, even by a Junior team.
Despite being undrafted, Hamilton did play 13 games with the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors as a 16-year-old. He also had a brief stint with the Warriors the following season before returning to Ontario where he suited up for the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts.
Though he shone at times during his four-year stint with the Colts, Hamilton was bypassed during the NHL Draft.
“I’m not too sure why,” said the 6-2, 219-pound left winger. “But I know I had an injury-plagued Junior career.”
Hamilton had a broken sternum and a broken ankle during his sophomore season with the Colts. And the following year he missed almost half the season with a bout of mononucleosis.
It wasn’t until his overage year in Barrie that Hamilton really made people take notice. He scored 72 points, including 46 goals, in 63 regular season games. And he added 17 points in 14 playoff matches. Afterwards, the Minnesota Wild signed him to a contract and assigned him to their Houston farm team. As for this season, Hamilton is off to a decent start with the Marlies. He earned four points in his first five games.
“Consistently, he’s one of the hard-working players on our team,” said Marlies assistant coach Gord Dineen. “You know what you’re going to get from him every day.”
Though Hamilton was never drafted, Dineen said the Marlies’ forward is another example of a player who could still eventually graduate to the NHL.
“Some guys are late developers,” Dineen said. “To me, being drafted is just a starting point. It gets your foot in the door. He’s got his foot in the door now. And he’s the kind of guy who can push that door down.”
Playing pro hockey in his home province has another advantage for Hamilton. He usually has 10-15 family members and friends show up for Marlies’ home games.
But he’s been fortunate thus far and has not had to foot any large bills to cover tickets.
“The Marlies have been really good about it and have been getting me free tickets,” he said.
“Knock on wood, hopefully they’ll keep doing that.”
Hamilton though does not want to stay with the Marlies too long - he’d obviously prefer to be called up by the Maple Leafs.
“That’s my goal,” he said. “I want to be up there. I want to be an NHL player.” |