Toledo Walleye rookie Dajon Mingo could always fly on the ice but when he first laced up his skates it wasn’t to play hockey.

“I grew up a figure skater,” said Mingo, Toledo’s versatile speedster who constantly has a smile on his face. “I just loved skating.”

Mingo took his first strides on a pair of figure skates at age 5 after watching his sisters compete in the sport.

“I wanted to try it out and I was very good right away. I put on a pair of skates and went right at it. I had no fear,” Mingo said. “I did that for about two years.”

Mingo, a 25-year-old Canton, Mich., native then joined his first hockey team at 7. The charismatic player, who played at Bowling Green State University, was always one of the fastest on the team.

“My skating is very good. Everyone likes my speed. My family told me to use it to my advantage,” Mingo said.

It was that speed as well as his ability to play as a forward and as defenseman that attracted Walleye coach Derek Lalonde. The team signed Mingo in mid-December.

“He can flat-out skate,” Lalonde said. “That translates well to this level. He can recover quickly. He’s done a wonderful job at both defense and forward.”

Mingo, who is 5-foot-9 and 172 pounds, said his background in figure skating provided a good base.

“I knew how to skate backward because of figure skating,” he said.

A neighbor gave Mingo his first pair of hockey skates, but the transition was not smooth.

“It was really hard,” Mingo said. “I was falling all over the place. A figure skate has a flat blade and it’s easier to glide on. Hockey skates have more of a U-shape. I was very surprised because I thought I would put them on and it would be easy. I couldn’t turn at first. It took me about a month to learn how to skate and hold the stick. But then it took a lot longer to get the puck off the ice and pass it and shoot it.”

Mingo said he also loved soccer, but chose hockey in high school. He played two years of junior hockey as a forward.

Mingo has been a forward for the majority of his hockey career. But he also played as a defenseman at BGSU. He tallied 12 goals and 32 assists in 107 games with the Falcons.

Lalonde has used Mingo at both positions. He earned an assist in his first pro game just four days after taking his last exam at Bowling Green. He said the highlight of his career thus far was netting his first pro goal on Feb. 13 in a 6-1 win over Brampton.

“I didn’t know how to celebrate and I didn’t know what to do,” Mingo said.

He now has three goals and three assists in 15 games.

“My confidence is way up,” Mingo said. “I was really nervous at first. I was passing right away and doing everything quick. Now I can hold on to the puck longer and I have more patience. It’s all coming to me and now it’s easier. I’m a lot more comfortable after being here for two months.”

Mingo was thrown right into the fire when he decided to turn pro.

“I finished my last exam on a Wednesday and I got a call from Toledo on a Friday,” he said. “They had me come down on Saturday for a morning skate. I signed the papers.”

He didn’t skate in Toledo’s home game that night on Dec. 19 but he was inserted into the lineup the next day at Indy.

“I didn’t think it would happen that quickly,” Mingo said. “I had to learn the system in one day. At BG we used the Washington Capitals system and now here we used the Red Wings system. Coach told me to just go out and play. It was tough because in my head I just didn’t want to get out of position. I didn’t want to mess up. But in the second period I got my first point and it felt like I had scored. The nerves went away and I just played.”

Mingo, who was redshirted at BG and was in his fifth season, said he decided to leave the program because he needed a change.

“I was going to classes but I wasn’t sure why I was there,” he said. “I wasn’t having as much fun in practice. I’m usually a happy-go-lucky guy. I’m still trying to figure it out. It was my fifth year and usually guys are out after four. Coach [Chris Bergeron] wanted me to stay but he understood.

“I plan to go back and finish school. I only have three more classes to take.”

Mingo, who majored in human development and family studies, played forward as freshman and had 22 points. He played defense as a junior and this year as a senior.

“The transition wasn’t too bad,” he said. “But I like playing forward better.”

Mingo said he will play anywhere for the Walleye (32-14-5), who increased their lead atop the ECHL North Division with two consecutive wins last weekend. Toledo plays three straight at home this weekend.

Mingo, who uses a play on his first name “Hold the Mustard” as his user name on Twitter, said he also brings energy and a love of the game to the team.

“I like talking on the bench, getting my linemates going,” Mingo said. “I’m just a very positive person. I’m playing the game I love. Why be angry? I’m a nice person. I’m happy all the time.”