Falling into the world of ice skates and hockey pucks, Tyler Weiss has been across the world and all over the country just to find his home at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Weiss began his hockey career at the age of five and has traveled to over 30 states and two countries to play the game. As a 16-year-old in the United States Hockey League, Weiss knew that he had found his calling in the realm of ice.
The USHL had given him the opportunity to travel to states outside of his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina so that he could get noticed by an organization of the National Hockey League. He did just that.
Around the time of his second season in the USHL, Weiss had been invited to play for the Youth Olympic hockey team at 17-years-old. His trip to Norway where he earned a gold medal in the Youth Olympics was where the Colorado Avalanche solidified their position on him.
“They told me they loved the way I played the game, but they had an issue with my size,” Weiss said.
The 5-foot-10 forward weighed 140 pounds at the time of the Youth Olympics. Scouts had noted how he was too small to make it to the NHL unless he bulked up at a college. Weiss knew his dream of becoming a pro wouldn’t happen without a pit stop at a university that could get the job done.
The road to becoming a draft pick was complicated. Weiss planned to play at Boston University. This was one of the first schools to offer him, and they had given him a deadline on whether he wanted to commit to their school or not. As a 17-year-old with a professional team at his heels, he gave in before realizing the program did not have enough room to bring him in for the 2018-2019 season.
He was told that he’d have to play another year in the USHL before he could attend Boston University, but that conflicted with the statements that the Avalanche had given him.
“The Avalanche told me that going to college was going to be the best thing for me because the game is faster and a lot less physical,” Weiss said.
Weiss began the hunt for the perfect college, again.
After a visit with the head coach of the UNO Mavericks, Mike Gabinet, Weiss knew that Omaha was the place for him.
“I picked Omaha because they’re in the best and toughest hockey conference that there is to offer,” said Weiss. “Other than that, I love that it’s fairly close to home and the coaching staff.”
Weiss noted that the coaching staff had been there for him when he was going through family troubles, and he loved that they always kept tabs on him no matter where he was in the country.
Baxter Arena was another reason why he found Omaha to be a perfect fit.
“It’s definitely one of the best rinks in the conference,” said Weiss.
After arriving in Omaha, he found that the only downfall is the weather being different from that of his hometown.
“The weather here is a lot more depressing than Raleigh,” said Weiss. “It’s super dark here, but when the sun is out I have no complaints.”
Weiss was excited about the opportunity to play in Omaha because he could focus on putting on muscle while strengthening his game. Omaha also offered him the chance to play in the best college hockey conference, National Collegiate Hockey Conference, and remain a draft pick.
“College hockey is a stepping stone, where you develop for the team that drafted you,” Weiss said. “And I’m so glad I picked Omaha to help me out.”
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