Another former Dauphin King is taking his talents to the next level.
20-year-old Landon Lushanko recently committed to the University of Wisconsin-Stout Blue Devils hockey team.
"I'm really excited," said Lushanko. "Playing in Dauphin was a great experience, and I had a lot of fun. Now playing college hockey will be a ton of fun. I'll get the chance to play in front of students, and play at the next level. I'm more than excited, it should be a good opportunity."
The Blue Devils are a part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the Wisconsin Intercollege Athletic Conference (WIAC).
Lushanko was limited to 31 games this past season with the Kings due to various injuries, but when he was in the lineup, he was always an impact player with a lot of speed and ability to create space for himself.
"The biggest part of my game is my skating," said Lushanko. "I need to try and use that as much as I can next year. It's going to be really fast paced hockey, and should be a really good challenge."
After going back to Wisconsin in early March, Lushanko has been resting up but will start ramping up workouts soon in preparation for next season.
"I'm always pretty injury prone, so it was important that I got some rest," said Lushanko. "Now, I'll start training here, and I'll skate all summer to get ready."
Being a freshman will pose its challenges for Landon, but he plans to work extra hard to get over the hump.
"I just need to try and help my team win games," said Lushanko. "It's going to be hard to be a big stud out there, but I'm going to shoot for it. I'll try and have a solid year, and go from there."
Lushanko and the rest of the Blue Devils kick off their season on October 13th against Saint Mary's University.
