LEWISTON – There are just three Lewiston Maineiacs players that will undoubtedly play in a different league next year, but the question remains as to where.
Sheldon Wenzel, Nick Cowan and Bobby Gates all came to camp in 2003 as unheralded invitees. Wenzel and Cowan, being from the West, had not caught on with a Western Hockey League team, and gates, being an American, had just finished one year with the Junior Bruins and was ready to try something new.
All three played a second year with the club this season, and all as 20-year-olds, so the question then begs, “Now what?”
“I’ll take a couple of weeks off and then start training again,” said Wenzel. “I have some letters from some East Coast (Hockey League) teams. I talked, just talked, to a couple of other teams a little higher up than East Coast, but we’ll see what happens.”
“I either can go East Coast (Hockey League) or university,” added Cowan. “I don’t have an agent, so I have to start looking, calling people up and kind of selling myself, we’ll see what happens.”
“I’ll take a couple of weeks off and then start training again,” continued Gates. “I talked to my agent a couple of days ago, and this summer I’ll know if it’s the East Coast Hockey League or the UHL or university. Hopefully I’ll be playing somewhere, and keep everyone updated.”
Gates called his experience with the team “eye-opening,” and Cowan and Wenzel were thankful for the opportunity they got.
“I just came here trying to make the team, and I did make the team, so then I just wanted to make an impression,” said Wenzel. “I wanted to stay as a 20-year-old and they liked me, so I just kept playing.”
“It was great,” added Cowan. “For a 20-year-old year, I had a great time. It was awesome, so much fun. The city embraced us. It was good.”
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