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The Saint Mary’s University grad also is living the dream, but he doesn’t know exactly when the ride will end.
Reszka took the ice Saturday for the final time this season in the Amarillo (Texas) Gorillas’ season finale against New Mexico in the Central Hockey League. What he’ll do now,
however, is yet to be decided.
“I haven’t got that far, but I think I’d like to continue and keep playing a little bit longer,” Reszka said. “I’m just living in the moment right now.”
At the moment, Reszka is getting paid to play the game he grew up playing for fun. Not much else has changed — except for the level of competition.
Reszka, a defenseman, never missed a game in his four-year career at SMU from 2002-06, playing in 100 straight games.
As a sophomore, the two-time team captain was named an American Hockey Coaches Association All-America honorable mention and led the Cardinals (13-11-2, 8-7-1) to the conference tournament. SMU has yet to finish above .500 or reach the MIAC playoffs since. As a junior, Reszka was named an all-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honorable mention before being named to the all-conference first team as a senior.
Reszka finished his SMU career with 17 goals, 37 assists and 54 points. But despite all the collegiate success and accolades, he wasn’t ready to hang up the skates.
“When I got done (at SMU), I had a meeting with Coach (Don) Olson and we talked about whether it was possible (to play professionally),” Reszka said. “It’s kind of tough coming out of Division III to make it because you’re not really noticed.”
After a tryout, the Quad City Mallards of the United Hockey League took notice.
Reszka signed but was released about a month later.
“It was my rookie year, so I wasn’t used to the pro game,” he said. “For the most part, I probably wasn’t ready for it. It was a big transition for me, and being a rookie, you’re kind of an expendable resource. If you don’t produce right away, they don’t have any qualms with getting rid of you.
“It was a learning experience.”
Shortly thereafter, Reszka signed with the Fayetteville FireAntz of the Southern Professional Hockey League, a “low-level” league considered a step down from the “mid-level” UHL. About a month later, Reszka experienced another transition. He was traded to the Pee Dee Cyclones of Winston-Salem, N.C.
“I wasn’t playing as much as I would have liked in Fayetteville,” Reszka said. “The team I went to didn’t turn out to be as good, but I got more playing time and the chance to pick up on the pro game on my own and kind of learned from there. So it was kind of a blessing that I got traded.”
Reszka finished last year with the Cyclones but made the jump back to the CHL to play for Amarillo this season.
Reszka had four goals and 16 assists through 62 games as of Friday, including an assist on the game-winning goal in Amarillo’s 3-2 win over Austin in front of 2,098 fans in attendance at the Amarillo Civic Center on Thursday night. The Gorillas were eliminated from playoff contention earlier this week with an overtime loss — their 10th of the season — to Odessa (Tex.).
Saturday’s matchup with New Mexico was the second game of a home-and-away series played on back-to-back nights. After their final home game of the season Friday — a 6-1 loss — the Gorillas boarded their team bus to make the four-and-a-half hour drive to Rio Rancho, N.M. The trip is easily one of the shortest Reszka and his teammates have made this season.
“The worst part is sometimes the travel can get to you,” Reszka said. “I think our shortest trip is four (hours) and our longest that we’ve done this year was probably 12 or 13. Living out of hotels can get old pretty quick.”
In Amarillo, Reszka lives in an apartment fully furnished and paid for by the team.
He said the paid-for living arrangements are a blessing, since his salary “isn’t as much as you would think.”
Every team in the CHL has a weekly salary cap of $10,000 to be distributed among its players, and Reszka said contracts exceeding one year are rare.
When the playoffs are finished, each team is allowed to “protect” five players. Those who are unprotected become free agents.
While he plays the waiting game, Reszka said he’s going to return to Winona for the offseason to work, train and see his girlfriend, Steph, who’s in graduate school for forensic psychology in the Twin Cities.
“Luckily, she’s been pretty understanding,” said Reszka, who earned a degree in biology at SMU. “She came down three times this year, so I give her a lot of credit for making the sacrifice. It’s a big commitment on her part; she hasn’t complained.”
Neither has Reszka, who has sacrificed a lot to keep playing hockey.
“The best part is still being able to play a kids’ game and get paid for it — even if you don’t make that much,” he said. “My odds of going to the NHL have kind of passed me by. It’s the love of the game.”
