2008 Woodie Awards
After a solid senior season, Whitmore going pro
By: Ethan Magoc
Issue date: 4/3/08 Section: Sports
For those in and around the Falcon hockey program who could not get enough of Derek Whitmore, they might be seeing more of him very soon - on national television.
The Rochester, NY native recently signed a two-year contract with the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. A week ago he reported to the Sabres' American Hockey League affiliate, the Rochester Americans, where he has played in two games thus far.
His stay in the AHL is likely to be short-lived, however, as that season will conclude in two weeks.
At that point, he plans to live up to the true meaning of the phrase student-athlete. The four-year Falcon player will rush back to BGSU to try to finish out his degree in exercise science.
"I'll be back in the classroom on April 14, one day after our last game," Whitmore said. "I'm going to work my tail off once I get back, and hopefully some of my teachers are understanding of what I had to do.
"My goal is to make up what I missed during those last two weeks before finals because I would hate to throw away four years of academics just for this pro tryout."
The Americans currently sit in last place in the North Division, a spot that Whitmore unfortunately became familiar with during his middle years with BG when they languished in the depths of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.
"I give Derek a lot of credit for the way he plays and the way he leads a team," said Western Michigan coach Jim Culhane after Whitmore torched his team for his third hat-trick of the season on Jan. 18.
"From the outside looking in, I think he deserves a lot of credit for the way he's handled himself in circumstances here that he probably didn't want as a player," Culhane said, referring to BG's 20-52-4 record during Whitmore's sophomore and junior seasons.
A modestly sized forward who stands at 5 feet 10 inches and weighs less than 190 pounds, the 23-year-old managed to pop in 46 total goals and record 20 assists during his junior and senior years. He also played in all but one of the Falcons' 77 total games during the last two years and blocked 21 shots in 2007-08.
The Rochester, NY native recently signed a two-year contract with the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. A week ago he reported to the Sabres' American Hockey League affiliate, the Rochester Americans, where he has played in two games thus far.
His stay in the AHL is likely to be short-lived, however, as that season will conclude in two weeks.
At that point, he plans to live up to the true meaning of the phrase student-athlete. The four-year Falcon player will rush back to BGSU to try to finish out his degree in exercise science.
"I'll be back in the classroom on April 14, one day after our last game," Whitmore said. "I'm going to work my tail off once I get back, and hopefully some of my teachers are understanding of what I had to do.
"My goal is to make up what I missed during those last two weeks before finals because I would hate to throw away four years of academics just for this pro tryout."
The Americans currently sit in last place in the North Division, a spot that Whitmore unfortunately became familiar with during his middle years with BG when they languished in the depths of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.
"I give Derek a lot of credit for the way he plays and the way he leads a team," said Western Michigan coach Jim Culhane after Whitmore torched his team for his third hat-trick of the season on Jan. 18.
"From the outside looking in, I think he deserves a lot of credit for the way he's handled himself in circumstances here that he probably didn't want as a player," Culhane said, referring to BG's 20-52-4 record during Whitmore's sophomore and junior seasons.
A modestly sized forward who stands at 5 feet 10 inches and weighs less than 190 pounds, the 23-year-old managed to pop in 46 total goals and record 20 assists during his junior and senior years. He also played in all but one of the Falcons' 77 total games during the last two years and blocked 21 shots in 2007-08.
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