MANITOBANS IN THE AHL AND ECHL
ry of when we won the championships there, so that was really cool.”
When his time in Selkirk ended, he committed to a Division 3 school
in Minnesota. However, just a couple months before the season was
to begin, American International – A Division 1 program in the Atlan-
tic Hockey Association – came calling. Pleskach quickly decided to
sign with the AIC Yellow Jackets.
His decision paid off immediately. Pleskach led the Yellow Jackets
in scoring each of his four seasons.
“Having the chance to play D-1 hockey with AIC was unreal,” he
reflected. “It was pretty much a full scholarship, and I knew that I
was
going
to
get to play a lot
there and have
the best possible
competition. That
was really what I
wanted – the best
possible
hockey
experience,
and
that’s what I went
for.”
And, oh yeah,
while at AIC, Ples-
kach finished off a
degree in finance
and
economics
– something that
he is quite pas-
sionate about. In
fact, he intends to
make the best of
his degree once his
time in hockey has
come to an end.
“After college, I
went to an Ameri-
can League camp
in Norfolk, but
got sent down to
Greenville
right
away,”
Pleskach
said. “Turns out I
didn’t even make
the
Greenville
team, so I was look-
ing for a job for a
few weeks actually.
I went and stayed with a friend in New York City and I got a job there
for a few weeks. But luckily for me, an old linemate of mine who was
currently playing for Tulsa called me up and said that they needed a
guy like me on their team, and asked if I was willing to come down to
play for the Oilers.”
Pleskach has spent the past four years playing for Tulsa, racking
up 204 points in 255 games. But it wasn’t until late this past season
that Tulsa’s AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, came knocking.
“Near the end of the year the Moose started losing guys, and the
Jets started calling a bunch of guys up,” Pleskach said. “I wasn’t re-
ally expecting to get the call as I am already 28-years-old, and there
are a bunch of younger guys in Tulsa. As the story goes, we were
out on the road and came back to Tulsa late that night. And the next
morning I was planning to just sleep in a bit, but I woke up to the
sound of my assistant coach knocking on my door. I will always re-
member him saying, “You have a flight in an hour, you better pack
your stuff and get going to Winnipeg!””.
The next 24 hours was an experience that will live on forever in the
heart and mind of the well-travelled Manitoban.
“I tried to soak it all in because it happened so fast,” he said. “I
flew right in, landed at 4:30 p.m., got picked up, and walked right in
with my equipment in time for the game. It was really neat walking
downtown Winnipeg on route to the MTS Centre. I knew a bunch of
guys on the Moose team that had been back home in Tulsa, so sur-
prisingly I was pretty
comfortable that way.
It was surreal. I’m still
sort of soaking it in to
be honest.”
And not only was it
a meaningful opportu-
nity for Pleskach him-
self, but also for the
many family members
in attendance – includ-
ing Adam’s brothers
and nieces – whom he
never imagined would
get the chance to see
him play pro hockey.
“My brothers are all
Jets fans, and one of
them is even a season
ticket holder,” he said.
“So it was pretty cool
when they announced
that Tulsa was going
to be Manitoba’s af-
filiate. Again, I never
really expected to get
the call to Manitoba,
but I just kept work-
ing hard. It was just
fitting to see my par-
ents, brothers, sister-
in-laws and nieces
at the game; it was
really something spe-
cial. I didn’t think they
would ever get to see
me play (pro) hockey,
but getting up there to play in that loud building was really cool.”
Now happily married and in the process of moving in to a brand
new house in Tulsa, Pleskach finds himself with a lot of options.
Although he knows that making it as a professional hockey player
would be the ultimate dream, the reality at this point is pretty slim.
And, of course, he is no longer making decisions solely for himself
these days. His family has given him a new outlook on life.
“My love for the game will never diminish,” he said. “Even when I’m
40-years-old I’m going to hope. There would have to be a very spe-
cially opportunity come up for me to quit the game, especially with
the way it ended this season, coming up to Winnipeg to play a game.
“Don’t get me wrong, I will always keep hoping. But I’ll be 29 next
season and while I’m not ruling myself out, I’ll need to make the best
decision for my family.” n
I tried to soak it all in because it
happened so fast. I flew right in, landed at
4:30 p.m., got picked up, and walked right in
with my equipment in time for the game. It was
really neat walking downtown Winnipeg on
route to the MTS Centre
104 GAME ON
2017 CHAMPIONS EDITION