Whale of a challenge

by Jeff Meade, Monroe Evening News

PLYMOUTH - As a rookie and the youngest player on the Plymouth Whalers, Monroe's R.J. Mahalak knew hockey wouldn't be all fun this year.

But the youngster more than held his own this season doing battle against players up to five years older, many of them already under contract to NHL teams.

"I was 15 when the year started, going against guys 20 years old," Mahalak said. "It was a huge step."

The son of Ralph and Joan Mahalak is a 6-1, 198-pound left wing who had two goals and five assists in 58 games with the Ontario Hockey League team.

R.J. was drafted in the fourth round by the Whalers last year. He had to leave home and transfer from Class C St. Mary Catholic Central to Plymouth High, which has nearly 2,000 students.

"It was tough transferring from a small school and different league into this type of hockey and school, but I would say the transition went really well," Mahalak said. "Lots of the kids (at school) know who you are because you play for the Whalers. That's kind of a way to break the ice."

Making the move easier was Mahalak's billet family - Tom and Margaret Predhomme - and the fact that he loves Plymouth. They live just off Main St., only five blocks from downtown. Their son, Jesse, does videotaping for the team.

"They're a great family," Mahalak said. "They take care of you like you're one of their own. They cook for you. They make you clean up your room. I'll stay here for the remainder of the school year."

He receives a small salary and loses his college eligibility but will be eligible for the NHL Draft in 2010. Jared Boll of the Columbus Blue Jackets played with the Whalers through last year and stayed with the Predhomme family.

Mahalak had rookie duties this season such as picking up the pucks, cleaning out the locker room and loading and unloading the team bus.

"I'm glad that's over," he said. "The worst was when we played in Sault Ste. Marie on Sunday nights. The games were at 7:30, we had a 5 1/2-hour bus ride home and then you had to unload the bus. I got home at 4 a.m. and I was up at 6 for school. I tried to stay awake (at school). If you missed school the next day, you got in trouble with Coach (former Red Wing Greg Stefan)."

The OHL is for elite players age 15 to 21 and is considered just two rungs below the NHL. The Whalers are the first American team to play in the league. Their home games are played at Compuware Arena located just off Beck Rd. near M-14.

"Playing with the Whalers, it was kind of easier to make friends," Mahalak said. "I used to play with (teammate) Tyler G. Brown in minor hockey. It was just great meeting all the guys from Canada.

"The biggest adjustment was just the caliber of play, going against guys who are already drafted by NHL teams or are going to get drafted. It's a big adjustment going from playing a regular shift to maybe playing two or three shifts the whole game. You earn your ice time."

Plymouth's roster also includes goalie Jeremy Smith of Brownstown Township who attended Woodhaven schools. He was drafted by Nashville in the second round of the NHL Draft and signed a contract with the Predators March 5.

Pete Krupski, who lives in Rockwood, is director of communications for the Whalers and has broadcast the games on radio since the team's inception. The games can be heard on the Internet at www.plymouthwhalers.com.

"It's an NHL show here, just on a smaller level," Krupski said. "Seven of our players from last year signed NHL contracts. One (Boll) is with the Columbus Blue Jackets now."

Mahalak said his parents were able to attend all the home games and some away games. They also were kept busy traveling to Culver Academy in Indiana where his brother, Matt, and sister, Anna, are involved in sports.

The OHL was allowed to draft players born in 1991 for this season. With a Dec. 23 birthday, R.J. found himself the third youngest player in the league. But the late birthday will benefit him during his draft year.

"I would like to be drafted by an NHL team in 2010, which is when I'll be eligible," said Mahalak, who expects to play five years with the Whalers. "Most of the kids I'll be drafted with aren't even in the league yet."

He will remain in Plymouth through the end of the school year, then plans to spend time working out at his cottage in the Irish Hills this summer.

"My body is beat up right now," he said. "I'm looking forward to just getting a week off. That was the thing that struck me the most - the physicality of the game and just how big the guys are that you're going against."