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���He knows what you have to do to be successful on and off the ice in college,����� ���sophomore forward Nick Oddo Ohio State alumnus R.J. Umberger shows members of the current Buckeyes team the right away to do things on the ice while he stays in shape in preparation for an NHL season. Hockey by playing in the IIHF World Junior Championships in 2001 and ���02. From the outset Umberger made quite a splash in Columbus, being named the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of the Year in 2001, and finishing his junior season as a second team All-American and Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist. He finished his Buckeye career with 58 goals and 129 points in 112 career games. ���It���s a big boost to the morale to have him around,��� junior forward Alex Lippincott said. ���He shows where you can go from Ohio State onward. It���s everybody���s dream to play in the NHL.��� Umberger knows players are faced with difficult choices on their path to the pros, but he���s never regretted his decision to pursue the collegiate route. ���College hockey is just as good a route to produce players to the NHL,��� he said. ���You mature in college, you get older, you train a lot. When you go into the NHL it seems like you���re prepared.��� Umberger was drafted 16th overall, the highest pick ever for an OSU player, by Vancouver in 2001, but never played for the Canucks. After leaving Ohio State before his senior year he sat out the 2003-04 season, unable to reach an agreement with Vancouver. He was traded to the New York Rangers in March 2004 but signed with Philadelphia as a free agent three months later. After a season in the American Hockey League, he debuted with the Flyers on Oct. 30, 2005. He was dealt to Columbus prior to the 2008-09 season and has become a fixture in the lineup as well as an alternate captain. And while he has enjoyed a solid NHL career, Umberger knows there is life after hockey. And like it or not, the lockout has provided him with a head start on a possible post-playing career. ���I wanted to finish the degree as a goal I set for myself,��� Umberger said. ���I also want to have that option [with the degree] to be able to come and coach someday, and if it���s college hockey, come back and be involved with this program.��� Umberger is not traveling to away games and spends his time away from the rink staying in shape just in case the NHL season resumes. ���It���s still almost like summer training ��� five days in the gym and doing cardio outside of [practice],��� he said. Although he���s not around the team as much as the other coaches, his influence on the players is still evident. ���There���s nothing better than a guy who���s been in the same situation as us and has done everything correct,��� Gedig said. ���He took care of school and he���s playing in the NHL.���N Craig Merz is a freelance writer based in Columbus, Ohio. USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM January. 2013 27