Fifth forward recruit will be a Swiss Army knife for Flames
6/26/2021 12:00:00 AM | Men's D1 Hockey
Jacob Kalandyk, the fifth forward out of seven commitments to date in Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team's incoming recruiting class, will bring his diverse skillset to the Flames' front lines this fall.
"Were super excited to have Jacob on our team, someone who is very versatile, who can play different roles and do different things for us," Flames Head Coach Kirk Handy said. "He's a hard worker, a guy who's going to be almost like a Swiss Army knife kind of player."
Kalandyk, a 6-foot, 1-inch, 194-pound power forward, enjoyed a breakout season with the defending NA3HL Tier III Fraser Cup champion Texas Junior Brahmas in 2020-21. He scored 19 goals and distributed 18 assists in 39 regular-season games before adding four goals and four assists in seven playoff games, the last couple in the Fraser Cup near St. Louis the same week (April 15-19) and proximity where the Flames were playing in the ACHA National Championships.
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| Kalandyk looks to grow as a person and a player, spiritually, socially, and as a student of the game. |
"I was on the top line all year and played on the first power play and first (penalty kill) PK units," Kalandyk said. "Being in the right role and right environment and being a leader on the team pushed me even harder to lead the younger guys by example."
Kalandyk, 21, a projected business or finance major, hopes to have the same experience at Liberty, drawing from his 15 seasons of competitive hockey.
"As an older guy, I got put into a lot of tight situations, which helped me grow as a player and will help my career as I move onto Liberty," he said. "(The ACHA will) be a bit faster, but I'm a pretty strong skater with good hands and a good hockey IQ and I feel like with my hockey sense, I'll adapt pretty quickly. I think I can come in and play in any situation the coaches put me in and help the team win in any way possible."
Handy said Kalandyk has the right mindset and work ethic to make a smooth transition to the collegiate game and will be vying for a vacant spot on one of the top lines as a freshman.
"He's going to fit the culture we have here at Liberty," he said. "Coming in with a special group of five other freshmen, there will be great competition this fall after we lost a lot of forwards (to graduation) this year."
"It's always been a lifetime goal of mine to play college hockey," Kalandyk added. "After coming to Liberty, I saw that it was a perfect place for me to grow as a person and spiritually. I've been a believer my whole life, and grew up in a Christian family, so that was a big deciding factor for me."
Kalandyk has traveled quite a bit during his hockey career, spending two seasons with the Meijer AAA U16 and U18 teams in Michigan, two down in Texas, and one (in 2019-20) with the Leamington Flyers in Ontario.
"I got to experience a lot of different leagues and ways the game is played," he said. "Last season up in Canada helped develop the offensive side of my game. Now, I can shoot the puck from anywhere on the ice and I feel like I do really well at getting the puck and using my speed to get around a defender and my edgework to create space."
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| Kalandyk has traveled around North America in his Junior career, including spending a season in Ontario. |
Kalandyk will be the first Michigan native on a Liberty roster since 2014 after the Flames had four from the Great Lakes state during the 2012-13 season. He spent the past two summers in East Lansing, Mich., working on his skating and stick skills alongside Michigan State University graduate and Montreal Canadians defenseman Jeff Petry.
The first hockey player in his family, Kalandyk grew to love the sport by watching the Detroit Red Wings on television in the early 2000s, when they were a regular Stanley Cup championship contender.
"I started playing some street hockey and after that, when I was 4, my parents took me to a ‘Learn to Skate' (on-ice session)," Kalandyk said. "I hated it at first, but learned to love it two days later. I started playing (competitive games) when I was 6 and I just feel like there's no other sport like hockey. Just being out on the ice is one of the best feelings."
Kalandyk is looking forward to facing a number of high-caliber opponents throughout his rookie season with Liberty in the ACHA, with a full schedule on tap and plenty of support from the Flames' fans for the 20 games at the LaHaye Ice Center.
"It will be a good challenge and I am excited to come in and help in any way I can and hopefully have a really good season," Kalandyk said. "It'll be exciting to travel all over the place and nice being back at full capacity for most games. I think (the LIC) will be a really cool and fun environment to play in."
Having played a key role on a defending NA3HL championship team, he expects the Flames — who advanced to the ACHA "Frozen Four" for the first time since 2008 — to be tested regularly. He wants to help them be ready for whatever the competition brings, including a possible return trip to St. Louis for the 2022 ACHA National Championships.
"This past season (in Texas), we were the returning Fraser Cup champions and had a big target on our backs so we got everyone's best games," Kalandyk said. "Liberty's always a big target, and each game's going to be a challenge. No matter who we play, they're going to give us their best game when they play us. That's why hockey's a really fun sport, and a really competitive game, with each team giving it their all every night."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Video by Patrick Strawn/Club Sports Director of Video & Media
