Episode 76: Luke Esposito. Luke comes from quite the bloodline of hockey players. His grandfather Doug Messier played in the WHL-Sr, uncle Paul Messier had a long pro career that included 6 seasons here in Mannheim and of course, his other uncle Mark Messier, whose career and Hall of Fame NHL resume speaks for itself. I first saw Luke play last season when he was in Augsburg and I really liked his game. An undersized player with lots of skill, but he also plays the game the right way and isn’t afraid to play hard/with grit. We talked about his upbringing in USA and his journey through high school hockey. Luke would play 1 season in the BCHL before earning the chance to attend D1 Harvard University. Harvard is a prestigious school known for its academics and I was interested to talk to Luke about how he juggled both hockey and academics. We also talked about the strong teams he was apart of at Harvard that included 2 ECAC Championships, multiple players going on to have NHL careers and former prohockeypod guest and Luke’s roommate, Tyler Moy. After graduating Harvard, Luke would begin his NA pro grind where he played 6 seasons in the AHL for Grand Rapids and Bakersfield. Luke went into detail about the things he learned in the AHL and taking on different roles on teams. We discussed how most teams in the AHL have many guys who could play top 6 roles but aren’t giving the chance for multiple reasons, so like Luke, they have to find a way to contribute and help the team each night. After his 6th season in NA, Luke would venture over to Germany and join Augsburg in the DEL. He proved he could put up points in Germany and be an impact player, which earned him a contract here in Mannheim. We also talked a bit about Luke’s love for the sport of golf and why he is so interested in it. Hope you enjoy!

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