By Peter Zona
Special to GoHolyCross.com

Holy Cross has a rich history of producing professional athletes. In addition to high-profile names such as Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn, Bill Osmanski and Paul Harney, the College has produced hundreds of professional athletes across many of its sports programs. Of particular note, since Jim Stewart '79 made his debut with the Boston Bruins in 1979, the men's ice hockey program has seen 48 of its players go on to play professional hockey, with 39 of these players making it since the program moved up to Division I for the 1998-1999 season. During the past year, there were 12 former Crusaders playing in various professional hockey leagues. These athletes included Patrick Rissmiller '02, James Sixsmith '07, Everett Sheen '11, Matt Clune '12, Matt Gordon '12, Kyle Fletcher '13, Brandon Nunn '13, Rob Linsmayer '13, Erik Vos '13, Evan Zych '13, Shayne Stockton '14 and Adam Schmidt '14.

While collegiate and professional hockey are different in many ways, playing for Holy Cross greatly prepared these athletes for their future experiences. Rissmiller, who played in the NHL for six seasons, credited learning discipline, responsibility and accountability to his time on Mount St. James. "In college, you are on your own so you have to make sure you are disciplined in getting to class on time, getting the work done when you have the free time as well as disciplined in making sure you are doing the right things on the hockey front," said Rissmiller. "In professional hockey you have to be disciplined in making sure you are doing the necessary work to continue to improve and making the right choices on and off the ice. In pro hockey, if you are not doing well enough, they can get rid of you, so you have to make sure you are doing all the right things on a daily basis." Vos, who spent this past season in the Netherlands, added that, "As an import player, teams demand high-performance from these designated players as there are limitations on the amount of import players the teams may carry. Having played in high-stake games throughout my time at Holy Cross helped me adjust to the high demands of playing as an import player."

Additionally, Sixsmith, the Holy Cross Division I career points record-holder and an eight-year pro, expressed how Holy Cross got him ready for life as a professional. "There is no question the thing I learned most as a student-athlete was the value of a team. Individuals working together to make a whole, greater than the sum of all the parts. This brings me into my most memorable memory of my time at Holy Cross, our win against Minnesota in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. We won because we were a better team. We were inferior on paper and didn't match up with them player for player, but we were better. I've been able to use that to continue my career because I was taught how to be an unselfish, team player at Holy Cross. Organizations have signed me because they know I can play, but more importantly, I'm a guy who can be part of a team. Everyone at that level can play, it's intangibles that separate players a lot of times."

By spending this past season in the Netherlands, Vos enjoyed having the opportunity to experience different cultures. He said, "I was able to travel throughout Europe on weekends when my team didn't play. Having the chance to tour beautiful, historic cities on weekends away from hockey capped off an unforgettable seven months." Zych expressed similar sentiments. "Playing professional hockey internationally is an amazing way to see the world. In the past calendar year I've been able to visit or live in Kansas City, Mississippi, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, New Zealand and Iceland." Finally, Rissmiller had a good experience this past season in Italy where his team, the Ritten Renon, won the Italy-A League championship.

In addition to their international experiences, many of these athletes also expressed an appreciation of simply having the opportunity to continue to play hockey. Fletcher said that, "Professional hockey is a great experience, something I would have definitely regretted not doing." Linsmayer added, "My favorite thing about playing pro hockey is being able to make a living, albeit a modest one, at something you love to do. If you love your job you never have to work a day in your life." Zych agreed with Linsmayer by expressing, "My favorite thing about pro hockey is that I get paid for doing something that I love. Yes, that's cliché but not many people are able to financially support themselves doing what they love."

Rissmiller, who played in 30 NHL playoff games with the San Jose Sharks, has had a particularly special experience. "Certainly, my first NHL game with the San Jose Sharks was a thrill. Also, my first NHL goal is another one. The playoffs in the NHL were awesome with so much pressure and intensity and I loved playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Those are some of my favorite moments of my career." 

Speaking to some of the major differences between collegiate and professional ice hockey, Fletcher explained the differences in the team dynamic. "In the pros, you have much more free time to be on your own and do your own thing. In college, the team was much more cohesive in that we spend so much time together and have much more in common (classes, practices, living, homework, every single meal, etc.). I think this is because in college we are all roughly the same age. In the pros, some guys are married and have kids. In the pros, there is no Kimball table to sit at and eat every meal together." Zych expressed some of the pressure that goes with professional sports. "The biggest difference between college and pro is that in pro it is a business. It's not like college where if you don't perform well you simply don't play, in the pros you get traded or cut." Nunn added, "Playing professionally is a full-time job, and there are not many days off during the long, strenuous season. My team only had a five-day break in the middle of the season." Finally, Linsmayer pointed out, "One of the adjustments I had to make was my on ice awareness of opposing players. In college it's a physical game but it's not quite as vicious. If you're not careful in pro hockey you'll have an elbow in your face and a few less teeth to worry about very quickly."

While these athletes have been very busy with their professional careers, they have continued to find time to follow the Holy Cross team. Nunn said, "I followed Holy Cross very closely this season. After how much of your heart and soul that you invest into the Holy Cross hockey program and the unbreakable friendships you have forged with your teammates, it is pretty hard not to be checking in on them every step of their journey." Additionally, Fletcher said, "I actively followed the HC team, especially during the playoffs."

Overall, these Holy Cross graduates have been quite satisfied with their involvement in the professional ranks. They have enjoyed their experiences and have realized the differences between playing in college and at the professional level and how Holy Cross prepared them to face these differences. With 12 athletes involved in professional hockey this past season, it is certainly safe to say that Holy Cross has been very successful at developing its athletes.

Here is a look at the careers of the active professionals from the 2013-2014 season:

Patrick Rissmiller (Class of 2002, 12 Professional Seasons)

The Holy Cross Hall of Famer made his professional debut with the Cleveland Barons of the AHL in 2002-2003, before making his NHL debut with the San Jose Sharks during the 2003-2004 season.  Rissmiller has spent parts of six seasons in the NHL playing with four different teams, the San Jose Sharks, New York Rangers, Atlanta Thrashers and Florida Panthers. In total, he has played 222 games in the NHL, tallying 18 goals and 28 assists for 46 points. Additionally, he has seen some time in the NHL playoffs where he has played 30 games and recorded three goals and four assists. This past season, Rissmiller played for the Ritten Renon of Italy Elite A. The team won the Italian championship.

James Sixsmith (Class of 2007, Eight Professional Seasons)

Sixsmith, who holds the Holy Cross Division I career record with 152 points scored, signed with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. He went on to play for four seasons in the AHL, upon completing his senior season, putting up career numbers of 10 goals and 13 assists through 88 games. In recent years, Sixsmith has played in European Leagues in Germany, Austria and Norway. He has 155 goals and 222 assists for 377 career professional points.

Everett Sheen (Class of 2011, Three Professional Seasons)

Sheen has spent time with the Providence Bruins of the AHL as well as with the Reading Royals and Ontario Reign of the ECHL. Across these leagues, he has played 217 games with 31 goals and 51 assists for 82 points.

Matt Clune (Class of 2012, Three Professional Seasons)

Clune has played in the ECHL for the Stockton Thunder, Ontario Reign and Gwinnett Gladiators. In total, he has played in 134 games with three goals and 25 assists for 28 points.

Matt Gordon (Class of 2012, Two Professional Seasons)

Gordon has played 42 games for the Mississippi Surge of the SPHL where he has tallied 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points.

Kyle Fletcher (Class of 2013, Two Professional Seasons)

Fletcher has played professional hockey for the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL, the Mississippi Surge of the SPHL and the Denver Cutthroats of the CHL. In total, he has played 73 games tallying 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points.

Brandon Nunn (Class of 2013, Two Professional Seasons)

After making an appearance with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL, Nunn has played in the Germany – Oberliga in Europe. In Germany, he has played 40 games with 16 goals and 29 assists for 45 points.

Rob Linsmayer (Class of 2013, Two Professional Seasons)

Since graduating, Linsmayer has played for the Idaho Steelheads and the San Francisco Bulls of the ECHL. He has totaled 68 games in which he has recorded 19 goals and 16 assists for 35 points.

Erik Vos (Class of 2013, One Professional Season)

Vos has played for the Dordrecht Lions in the Netherlands. This past season, he played in 36 games and tallied 26 goals with 36 assists for 62 points.

Evan Zych (Class of 2013, Two Professional Seasons)

Zych has played for the Missouri Mavericks of the CHL, the Mississippi Surge of the SPHL and the Dordrecht Lions in the Netherlands with Vos. Across these leagues, he has played in 43 games with five goals and 17 assists for 22 points. He is currently playing in New Zealand for the Canterbury Red Devils. He has played in six games and tallied two goals and five assists for seven points.

Shayne Stockton (Class of 2014, One Professional Season)

Stockton recently made his professional debut with the Columbus Cottonmouths of the SPHL, appearing in nine games and tallying two goals and two assists for four points.

Adam Schmidt (Class of 2014, One Professional Season)

The Holy Cross all-time games played leader made his debut with the Worcester Sharks of the AHL at the conclusion of this past season. He played in 14 games during which he recorded one goal and two assists for three points.

Emily Correia contributed to this story.

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