Wakely commits to University of Massachusetts Lowell hockey team
By Sam Laskaris
CURVE LAKE FIRST NATION – Now that he has used up his junior eligibility, Dalyn Wakely is still hoping to become a professional hockey player as soon as possible; however, he’s going to have to wait a bit longer for that opportunity now.
The 21-year-old Curve Lake First Nation member had been selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the sixth round of the 2024 National Hockey League Entry Draft.
Wakely spent this past season with the Barrie Colts, members of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), having joined the Colts last October via a trade with the North Bay Battalion, the OHL squad he had played for the previous three years.
Wakely was hoping he would be offered a contract by the Oilers’ organization following the completion of his junior career this spring, but the Oilers’ brass informed him they would be retaining his pro playing rights for another year and wanted to see how much he would develop by playing U.S. collegiate hockey this coming season.
To that end, Wakely has committed to attend the University of Massachusetts Lowell for the 2025-26 season.
“I was looking to sign a [pro] deal,” Wakely said. “When they didn’t really feel like they were ready for me to sign yet, with the Oilers, then they just wanted me to look at school.”
Previously, those who had played Major Junior hockey were not eligible to later sign on with NCAA teams in the United States, but that rule was changed last fall. And now, Wakely is looking forward to beginning his life as a collegiate student/athlete.
He graduated high school in 2022, and has since been taking various online university courses, mostly business-related, through Athabasca University in Alberta.
Wakely is expected to study business administration at the Massachusetts school. He said there will be a bit of an adjustment for him going to school again while continuing to further his hockey career.
“I think it’ll definitely be a different day-to-day kind of lifestyle,” he said. “But I’m excited. I think I’ve always really enjoyed school and done well. So, it’s not something I’m nervous for. I’m definitely excited to kind of have the opportunity to play some high-level hockey and get an education at the same time.”
Wakely is eligible to play four seasons of collegiate hockey, but at this point, he’s not certain just how long he will be at the U.S. school.
Ideally, he’d prefer to spend one year at the university and then ink a pro deal with the Oilers’ organization. If the Edmonton club does not sign him to a contract after next season, he would become a free agent and could be scooped up by any other pro squad.
“I’d like to be one and done,” Wakely said. “But we’ll see. At the end of the day, if I’m there one year or four years, I’m getting an education.”
Wakely said it will basically be up to him to impress the Oilers’ reps this coming season so that they offer him a contract.
Since he was drafted by the Edmonton club last year, he will attend the Oilers’ developmental camp later this month.
He’s hoping to soon get some more information from the Oilers about what parts of his game they would like him to work on.
“I’m sure we’re going to have some more talks as we gear up towards the season,” he said. “I think down the stretch there, they just wanted to see a little bit more of me using my size and just kind of, I guess, dominating the game a little bit more frequently. And, down the stretch, I really thought I did that, especially in playoffs.”
Wakely collected 58 points (23 goals and 35 assists) in 55 regular-season matches with the Colts this past season. He added 24 points, including seven goals, in 16 playoff contests.