The career of Toledo Walleye defenseman Shane Sims has taken him from hockey crazy Buffalo over to Europe and even to the highest heights of the NHL.
Sims, who is Toledo’s top scoring defenseman this season, grew up in East Amherst, N.Y. just outside of Buffalo.
Sims, 26, was drafted by the New York Islanders in the fifth round in 2006. He played four years at Ohio State University before playing overseas in Denmark and Austria.
Sims said the highlight of his career was when he made his NHL debut on April 9, 2011 when he appeared in the season finale for the Islanders.
“It’s a pretty crazy story,” Sims said. “I had just finished my senior year at Ohio State. It turns out the Islanders needed a defenseman and wanted to give me a shot. It was a whirlwind.”
Sims got the call from his agent on a Thursday, boarded a plane for New York on Friday, and traveled with the team by bus to Philadelphia. He suited up Saturday night for the Islanders against the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center.
“I was beyond excited,” Sims said. “I remember every minute of the entire three days. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. I just remember soaking it all in, playing in front of so many people.”
Sims, who is now in his fourth full pro season, has tallied 24 points with seven goals in 48 games for the Walleye.
The Islanders opted not to re-sign Sims and he played in just the one NHL game. The defenseman continued his career with Gwinnett in the ECHL. He tallied 18 points, including 13 assists, as a rookie.
He then spent the past two seasons playing in Denmark and then Austria. Last year, Sims appeared in 47 games with HC Innsbruck in Austria.
“I consider myself lucky,” Sims said. “Both were very good situations. I had a great time. In Denmark, the people are very nice. The culture was very laid back and I was treated very well.”
The next season he lived in the picturesque town of Innsbruck, Austria.
“It’s a gorgeous city,” Sims said. “ I was able to travel all over Austria. I took in all the culture I could. The food was great. Everything was enjoyable.”
Sims also said he is really enjoying playing for a Toledo team that appears primed for a playoff run.
Sims said first-year Walleye coach Derek Lalonde saw him play with his junior team in Des Moines, Iowa.
Lalonde said he brought in Sims for his experience.
“His strengths fit our style of play,” Lalonde said. “He is good in transition.”
The Walleye (36-13-5) are in second place in the ECHL North Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference.
“This is definitely one of the best teams I’ve played on from top to bottom,” Sims said. “Everyone on this team can play. The chemistry also is one of the best parts of it. That is as important as anything.”
The team parted ways with a key cog on Monday when leading scorer Anthony Luciani was traded to Gwinnett for defenseman Joe Stejskal. Luciani led the Walleye with 58 points in 52 games this year. Luciani was then traded to Greenville on Tuesday.
“Luch was a good player on our team,” Sims said. “He was very good offensively for us. I didn’t see it coming. But in this profession and in this league, you realize anyone can be moved around. But [Lalonde] knows what he is doing and we trust him. I wish Luch well.”
Aside from Stejskal, the team welcomed another veteran defenseman back into the fold on Tuesday. Defenseman Jared Nightingale returned from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League. Nightingale had a goal and two assists in 13 games with the Walleye this season. He has played for four different teams in the AHL this year.
“Having a veteran guy around like Nightingale helps out a lot,” Sims said. “That will make us better defensively.”
Sims appeared in 152 games at Ohio State over four years. He had 16 goals, 55 assists, and 133 penalty minutes.
Sims is enjoying the most productive season of his career. He said he considers himself an offensive-minded, puck-moving defenseman.
“I like to shoot the puck,” he said. “Any chance I get I’m not afraid to take it. Overall the year has been going very well.”
Toledo enters a busy stretch with five games over the next seven days. The Walleye play at Fort Wayne on Friday before hosting Indy on Saturday.
“The entire month is busy. We play 16 games,” Sims said. “It will be some tough weeks. It’s a grind but at the same time we’re focused on playing well and getting to the highest point possible.”
Sims said he has thought about life after hockey. He has formed a company with two of his friends that is aimed at eliminating chewing tobacco usage, particularly among athletes. The business, which is called Herd Sports Chew, offers an alternative product to chewing tobacco.
“It has no tobacco or nicotine,” Sims said. “It’s the same concept as chewing. You put it in your lip or cheek. It gives you the pleasure of having something in your mouth. But it’s all natural and supplement based, so you can digest it and you don’t have to spit.”
Sims, who said he chewed tobacco beginning when he played junior hockey, said one of his partners is a medicinal chemist at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo.
“We had this idea and it’s finally coming together,” he said. “We have a website [herdchew.com]. I think it has a lot of potential.”
ON THE HOOK with Shane Sims
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