DOMINIC
OSMAN
Lake Superior State
Sr. | F | Dearborn, Mich.
Osman's numbers spiked up as a junior after back
surgery in 2004 nearly cost him his hockey career.
Key Statistics: Osman
tied for second place among Lakers with nine goals last
season. He also had nine assists, ranking him fourth
on the team with 18 points. His output was strikingly
similar two years earlier, as a freshman, when he posted
10 goals and nine assists to lead the squad in scoring
under former coach Frank Anzalone’s rigid offensive
system. Osman’s sophomore season was a different
story, however, as he produced only two points in 12
games before undergoing season-ending back surgery.
What He Does: Although
second-year coach Jim Roque is trying to bring some
flair to the Soo, Osman is typical of an Anzalone-generation
Laker forward. He’s a gritty, hard-working skater
who won’t wow anybody with his measurables but
still can be productive. He has a nice shot, which he
plans to unleash from all areas of the ice this year,
and he has a knack for hustling his way into the right
spots at the right times.
The Bigger Picture: Osman’s
aforementioned back surgery nearly ended his hockey
career two years ago. He had been playing with back
pain for nearly half of a decade, but never thought
it was serious. Then, while in Omaha to play the Mavericks
in December 2004, his back gave out and he collapsed
in his hotel room. Unable to move his legs while in
the Nebraska hospital, he was airlifted back to Michigan
for surgery on two herniated discs that had partially
broken into his spinal column. Doctors told him his
hockey days might be over, but the surgery went so well
that he was able to touch his toes for the first time
in years shortly thereafter. He was back skating within
three weeks, although he couldn’t play full-contact
hockey until last September. “It feels good,”
Osman said recently. “I hope it stays that way.”
Osman, who talks like a team captain
even though Roque hasn’t awarded any letters yet:
“I’m just planning to help the
team be the best it can. I know that if I play my game
and play it well, I’ll help the guy next to me,
and he’ll help the guy next to him, and on down
the line. I really think we’re coming back up.
It’s pretty exciting to be in this stage of Laker
hockey history.”
Osman's numbers spiked up as a junior after back
surgery in 2004 nearly cost him his hockey career.