INVERMERE, B.C. – Robert Ty (R.T.) Rice walked onto the UPEI campus two years ago with little fanfare.
The strapping young man from Invermere, B.C., with Island roots made the Panthers men’s hockey team as a walk-on and after two seasons has left the program with a pro contract.
But Rice is also proud of what he accomplished in the classroom.
See Rice has dyslexia, and school was always tough for him.
“If you would have said to me when I was in high school that I was going to go to university and do two years of it, pass all my courses, I (probably) would have laughed at you,” he said.
“Luckily, I had a lot of good teammates and a lot of guys who were supportive and helped me out through the years.”
Rice said growing up was tough, wondering why he wasn’t learning as quickly as his peers or the off-the-cuff joke from a friend.
“It definitely took a toll. It wasn't easy,” he acknowledged. “It’s just something that made me stronger as a person.”
It’s that internal strength that pushed Rice to bet on himself two years ago.
He had done a year of college in Alberta and was looking to play against better competition. His uncle, Jason Rice, approached Panthers head coach Forbes MacPherson to see if there might an opportunity.
No promises were given, but the door was open to try out.
Rice quickly turned heads with punishing, bone-crunching hits and tenacious play and was rewarded with a jersey. The six-foot-three, 215-pound right-winger scored six goals and recorded six assists for 12 points in 25 games while amassing 85 penalty minutes.
It earned him a spot at the Vancouver Canucks development camp between his first and second years at UPEI.
After his second season at UPEI, Rice said he asked his agent to see if there might a pro opportunity for him. He signed with the Colorado Avalanche’s ECHL team, the Utah Grizzlies, and leaves Sept. 5 for the Avalanche’s rookie camp that includes a rookie tournament in Las Vegas. The 29-player roster also includes former Charlottetown Islanders defenceman Nicolas Meloche.
“It’s just one step closer to my dream,” Rice said. “Like any young kid growing up, my dream was to play in the NHL. Also, another dream would be playing hockey as a career and making a living out of it.”
Rice said the pro opportunity wouldn’t have been possible without crossing the country and playing for the Panthers. He’s grateful for all those who helped make it a reality.
He said there’s mixed feeling about leaving UPEI. He will miss going to class, hanging out with his teammates and playing hockey.
“I’m going to miss UPEI,” he said, but “when the opportunity comes I kind of have to answer the bell.”
The winger, who turns 24 in November, said as he saw more and more teenagers turning pro, he felt the clocking was ticking on him.
“I’m starting to get to that age now where it’s kind of like, I’ve got to push for it,” he said.
“The hard work, I guess, is finally paying off. It’s been quite the ride, being cut from (five or six) teams growing up,” he added. “Finally, it’s all coming together.”
