The Lake Superior State University Lakers compete in NCAA Division I’s Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). A three-time national champion program, hockey at Lake Superior State dates back to 1966. The Lakers last appeared in college hockey’s postseason during the 2021 campaign, when the team stamped their ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a CCHA Tournament championship.
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Lake Superior State is in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The Lakers play their home games at Taffy Abel Arena, a 4,000-seat venue named for a hometown hero and former NHLer who appeared in 333 games for the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks between 1926 and 1934. Abel was part of the 1924 United States team that captured a silver medal at the Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix, France.
A program with a reputation for producing professional caliber players, the Lake Superior State men’s hockey team has been led by head coach Damon Whitten since 2014. Whitten’s coaching staff includes two longtime NHL players, Mike York and Dwayne Roloson. York, a former left-winger, appeared in 579 NHL games for parts of 11 seasons. A goaltender for parts of 14 seasons, Roloson posted 227 career victories.
Between 1974 and 2012, 10 former Lakers appeared in over 100 NHL games; their careers are highlighted by Stanley Cup Championships, Olympic medals, and many individual awards and honors.
Brian Rolston
Brian Rolston appeared in 1,256 NHL games between 1994 and 2012, recording an impressive 761 points (342 goals and 419 assists) for five teams. The center won a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 1995. That season, he had 18 points (seven goals and 11 assists) in 40 appearances. Rolston also found success in international competition, winning a silver medal with the United States at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. During the 2007-08 campaign, he wore the “C” for the Minnesota Wild, collecting 59 points in 81 games.
During his time with Lake Superior State, Rolston appeared in 82 games over two seasons. Between 1991 and 1993, the Michigan native scored 53 goals and 64 assists. Rolston captured an NCAA Tournament championship with the Lakers in 1992 and was a member of the runner-up squad, falling to Maine in the NCAA Final in 1993.
Doug Weight
One of Lake Superior State’s most notable alumni is former NHL star Doug Weight. An offensive standout with the Lakers, the forward had 144 points in 88 games. After spending two seasons with the Lakers, the center broke into the NHL with the team that drafted him in 1990. During his 1991-92 rookie season with the Rangers, the Michigan native appeared in 53 games, scoring eight goals and 22 assists. His offensive breakout came during the 1993-94 campaign when, as alternate captain, he recorded 74 points in 84 games for the Edmonton Oilers. He held leadership positions on 15 more NHL rosters during his career.
During his 19-season NHL career, Weight played for six teams. He captured the 2006 Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes. In 2011, after his final season of professional hockey with the Islanders, Weight was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his outstanding leadership qualities, on and off the ice, and significant humanitarian contributions to the community. In international play, Weight represented the United States, capturing a silver medal during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Following his retirement, Weight joined the coaching and executive ranks. From 2011 to 2019, he served as an assistant general manager, assistant coach, head coach, and senior advisor with the New York Islanders. Following his tenure with the Islanders, he joined the San Jose Sharks as a senior advisor. Weight was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.
Jim Dowd
Jim Dowd is arguably the best player to come out of the Garden State. A native of Brick Township, New Jersey, the center appeared in 728 games for 10 teams over parts of 17 seasons in the NHL. A major career accomplishment came when he captured the Stanley Cup with the Devils in 1995, appearing in 11 playoff games. During his long career, Dowd served as the alternate captain for Minnesota’s 2001-02 and 2003-04 squads.
At Lake Superior State, he appeared in 181 games between 1987 and 1991. During his first season, he was a member of the 1988 NCAA Tournament championship team. His final two seasons with the Lakers were marked with offensive surges. During the 1989-90 campaign, he had 92 points (25 goals and 67 assists) in 46 games. The following season, while wearing the alternate captain’s “A,” he recorded 78 points (24 goals and 54 assists).
Bates Battaglia
Selected 132nd overall in the sixth round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Bates Battaglia played in three seasons for Lake Superior State. The left-winger was a member of the 1995 CCHA Conference Tournament championship team. During his final season with the Lakers, the Illinois native served as the alternate captain, recording 39 points (12 goals and 27 assists) in 38 games.
Battaglia played parts of nine seasons in the NHL between the 1997-98 and 2007-08 campaigns. During his career, the forward played 580 games for the Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Battaglia was a key contributor on a Hurricanes team that made a memorable run to the 2002 Stanley Cup Final, ultimately falling to the Detroit Red Wings in five games. That season, he had 46 points (21 goals and 25 assists) in 82 regular-season games. He added another five goals and nine assists in 23 postseason games. Battaglia retired after the 2011-12 season, having played 25 games in Sweden.
Chris Dahlquist
Chris Dahlquist played four seasons at Lake Superior State between 1981 and 1985. During his final two seasons with the university, the Minnesota native wore the “A” and “C” for the Lakers. During his college career, the defenseman had 68 points in 158 games.
During parts of 11 NHL seasons, Dahlquist appeared in 532 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota North Stars, Calgary Flames, and Ottawa Senators. He was a member of the 1990-91 North Stars that won the Clarence S. Campbell Conference before falling to Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup Final (4-2). The blueliner had seven points and 20 penalty minutes in 23 games. Dahlquist retired from professional hockey after spending the 1996-97 campaign in the International Hockey League (IHL) with the Las Vegas Thunder.
Sandy Moger
As captain of the Lakers during the 1991-92 campaign, Sandy Moger suited up for the team for four seasons between 1988 and 1992. During his fourth and final season, the right-winger had 51 points (26 goals and 25 assists) in 42 games. His efforts during the 1991-92 season were rewarded with All-CCHA Second Team honors.
Drafted in the ninth round of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, Moger debuted for the Boston Bruins during the 1994-95 season when he recorded eight points in 18 games. This was the beginning of a 15-year professional career that included 236 NHL games with the Bruins and Los Angeles Kings. Smoger’s best season in the NHL came in 1995-96 when the British Columbia native had 29 points in 80 games.
Dan Keczmer
Having made his professional debut with the North Stars during the 1990-91 campaign, Dan Keczmer went on to appear in 235 NHL games before hanging up his skates after the 1999-2000 season. Drafted by the North Stars in 1986, the blueliner played four seasons at Lake Superior State between 1986 and 1990.
The Michigan native was a member of the 1988 Lakers’ NCAA Tournament championship team. His best season was in 1989-90 when he recorded 36 points (13 goals and 23 assists) and 48 penalty minutes in 43 appearances. For his outstanding efforts, he was named the CCHA’s Best Defensive Defenseman and selected to the CCHA’s Second All-Star Team.
Keczmer’s professional career spanned 10 seasons with stops in the NHL, IHL, and American Hockey League (AHL). At the big league level, along with the North Stars, he appeared in games with the Hartford Whalers, Flames, Dallas Stars, and Nashville Predators. During his time in the NHL, he scored eight goals and 38 assists. The defenseman also appeared in 12 playoff games with the Flames (10) and Stars (two).
John Grahame
Goaltender John Grahame played for Lake Superior State in parts of three seasons between 1994 and 1997. A member of the 1995 Lakers’ CCHA Conference Tournament championship team, he was selected 229th overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Bruins. The Colorado native is the only former Lakers goaltender to play more than 50 games in the NHL and win the Stanley Cup. Over parts of eight seasons in the NHL, Grahame appeared in 224 games for the Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Hurricanes.
On the way to a Stanley Cup championship with the Lightning in 2003-04, he backed up Nikolai Khabibulin in goal. That season, he appeared in 29 games, recording 18 wins with a 2.06 goals-against average (GAA) and .913 save percentage (SV%). Following his retirement, Grahame served as a goaltending coach from the Sioux City Musketeers of the junior-level United States Hockey League (USHL) for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, a team he played for nearly a decade earlier.
Rob Valicevic
A member of the 1992 and 1994 NCAA National Tournament championship Lakers’ squads, Rob Valicevic played in 161 games for Lake Superior State between 1991 and 1995. His best season in college came in 1992-93 when he scored 41 points in 43 games. Drafted by the Islanders in 1991, the right-wing made his professional debut during the 1995-96 season, suiting up for games with the ECHL’s Louisiana IceGators and AHL’s Springfield Falcons.
Valicevic appeared in 193 games with the NHL’s Predators, Kings, Mighty Ducks, and Stars over parts of six seasons. The Michigan native ended his professional career in Europe after appearing in 24 games in Austria with EC KAC.
John Flesch
John Flesch appeared in 124 games for the North Stars, Penguins, and Colorado Rockies during parts of four NHL seasons. Flesch’s best season came in 1974-75 when he scored 23 points (eight goals and 15 assists) in 57 games for the North Stars. The left-winger spent the bulk of his professional career in the IHL.
The native of Sudbury, Ontario, played just one season with Lake Superior State, the 1972-73 campaign, before turning professional. His 60 points (28 goals and 32 assists) were enough to receive NCAA (NAIA) All-American honors that season. In 1973, he was drafted in both the NHL and World Hockey Association (WHA) Amateur Drafts, going 69th overall to the NHL’s Atlanta Flames and 72nd overall to the WHA’s Minnesota Fighting Saints. He made his pro debut during the 1973-74 campaign with the Central Hockey League’s (CHL) Omaha Knights and played professionally until his second season (1985-86) with the IHL’s Kalamazoo Wings.
Active Lakers
This list of former Lakers with 100 or more NHL games appears to be locked in for now. Although no former Lakers are currently in the NHL, three alumni of the university are still active in the professional ranks. Forward Buddy Robinson played for Lake Superior State between 2011 and 2013. Having appeared in 62 NHL games, the right-winger is currently under contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Kevin Czuczman played for the Lakers from 2011 to 2014. The 33-year-old blueliner, who appeared in 15 NHL games, is under contract with the Czech professional team HC Litvínov.
Steven Oleksy played three seasons with Lake Superior State between 2006 and 2009. Since turning professional in 2009, the blueliner has appeared in professional games in the ECHL, IHL, AHL, NHL, and in Austria. He appeared in 63 NHL games with the Penguins and Capitals. Although he is not retired from professional hockey, the 38-year-old Oleksy last played in the ECHL for the Orlando Solar Bears during the 2022-23 season.
