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Tampa Bay Lightning right wing and former University of Vermont Catamount Martin St. Louis electrified college hockey in the ’90s with an 85-point junior season and three consecutive Hobey Baker Award nominations.
All while standing just 5 feet 8 inches out of his skates.
University of Maine freshman left wing Adam Shemansky stands an inch shorter than St. Louis and cites the Tampa Bay assistant-captain as his biggest idol. Shemansky, who was one of four skaters to join the Black Bears from the Eastern Junior Hockey League’s New Hampshire Junior Monarchs this fall, leads the Black Bears in goals after 10 games and trails only sophomore right wing Gustav Nyquist for the team point’s lead.
“His success is not an accident,” UMaine coach Tim Whitehead said. “He’s trained for this, he’s prepared for it and we’ve given him an opportunity to play.”
To account for the size advantage in a game as physical as hockey, St. Louis prides himself on “Hockey sense” and decision-making. These are the attributes Shemansky strives to emulate most. Whitehead felt Shemansky would be well suited on the Black Bears’ power-play unit, and with his four goals on the man advantage, UMaine has the third-ranked power play in the Hockey East Conference.
“That’s where he really shines, because of his hockey sense and his skill, and his ability to make plays in traffic,” Whitehead said. “He has scored some great 5-on-5 goals, too.”
Whitehead anticipates as Shemansky improves his defensive play and breakout skating speed he may be used to kill penalties as well.
Shemansky has heard the doubters all of his life. He thinks even if his success continues at UMaine, there will be some that call it a fluke. For Shemansky, it is motivation to keep working. After all, UMaine fans remember a 5-foot-5-inch sparkplug named Cal Ingraham, whose 85-point season helped the Black Bears win their first National Championship in 1993.
“I really appreciate the coaching staff giving me a chance,” Shemansky said. “Hopefully I keep going with it and don’t give them any reason to stop playing me.”
Whitehead admitted that even after recruiting Shemansky he was surprised at how immediate the adjustment to the college level has been. When the Robbinsville, N.J., native arrived on campus, Whitehead quickly understood what was behind Shemansky’s reserved demeanor.
“He’s a guy that has overachieved all his life,” Whitehead said. “I’m confident he will continue to succeed here at Maine because we believe in him.”
Whitehead’s confidence was evident in the opening night lineup card that listed Shemansky’s name. Shemansky took advantage of the opportunity as he always has by scoring UMaine’s first goal of the season against Union College.
“I was pretty happy to be in the lineup opening night,” Shemansky said. “There was probably a few doubts about that at first. To get that goal was pretty huge for me.”
Two weeks later when the Black Bears traveled to the University of Massachusetts, Shemansky realized how fragile his career is. UMass defenseman Martin Nolet checked Shemansky headfirst into the boards, and Shemansky had to be removed from the ice on a stretcher.
“It was pretty startling when it happened,” Shemansky said.
It was another obstacle Shemansky knew he could overcome. The next night when UMaine traveled to the University of New Hampshire, he was back in the lineup.
“My main focus was to get back in the lineup, because I fought so hard to get into it in the first place,” Shemansky said.
Shemansky’s roommate, freshman goalie Shawn Sirman, started the game in net and wasn’t surprised to see Shemansky bounce back so quickly.
“It just shows how hard he works and how bad he wants to play the game,” Sirman said.
Shemansky’s first collegiate hockey recognition came on Nov. 2, after UMaine upset No. 10 Vermont with one of Shemansky’s two goals on the night being the game winner. Shemansky was named the Pro Ambitions Hockey East Co-Rookie of The Week.
Shemansky’s elusiveness makes him a constant scoring threat at the net-front. Most of his goals have come on re-directs or converting rebounded shots. Shemansky is surprised, though, at how frequently goals are coming as he sees himself more as a playmaker than a scorer.
“I’ll take anything I can get,” Shemansky said.
Last weekend at Northeastern University, Shemansky was reunited with former Junior Monarchs linemates Kyle Beattie and Matt Mangene, both freshmen. On the weekend, Shemansky scored his sixth goal, Beattie registered his first collegiate point with an assist,and Mangene had a three-assist game in UMaine’s 6-2 win. Shemansky feels the familiarity of the line enables the anticipation of each other’s location on the ice.
“It’s almost like we have a fourth guy out there, because we know exactly where each other is on the ice,” Shemansky said.
Beattie could see Shemansky’s immediate impact on the team coming. The trio, along with defenseman Mike Cornell, helped the Junior Monarchs win their third straight National Championship, with Shemansky being the National Tournament’s top scorer.
“He makes the people around him better, and he’s just a really skilled hockey player,” Beattie said. “He kind of just goes about his business and does what he needs to do to achieve success.”
The Black Bears feature a smaller, faster group of forwards than past teams that played more physically. Shemansky senses the game of hockey is evolving and is glad his abilities are valued.
“The game has changed,” Shemansky said. “It’s a lot more special teams and power play. We feel our team is well suited for the game right now.”
Like any Division I athlete, Shemansky has aspirations to compete at the next level, but he is being patient and confronting each obstacle that arises. Perhaps St. Louis and Ingraham-like numbers are too lofty to expect this soon, but Shemansky is not one to back down from a challenge.
