Mike Lankshear
Encyclopedia
Mike Lankshear is a Canadian
professional ice hockey
player, currently playing for the Dundas Real McCoys
in the MLH
. Lankshear began his career playing junior hockey at OPJHL level for his home town team, the Burlington Cougars
.
Lankshear would initially play at senior level in the OHL
for the Guelph Storm
and would immediately prove himself up to the task. In his first season, he played 63 regular season games grabbing 28 points and 73 penalty minutes. His rough, physical style of hockey would get him noticed by scouts and he was taken 66th overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs
.
Lankshear would fail to make an appearance for the Leafs though, and would remain with the Storm for the 1996/97 season. He was again a solid player for them, playing in both the regular and post season, totalling 70 appearances. Lankshear would remain in the OHL
for the 1997/98 season, but would split it between the Windsor Spitfires
and the Owen Sound Platers
. After his mid-season acquisition for the Platers, he established himself in the first team and after featuring in the post season, was re-signed for the 1998/99 term, a season which would be the highest finish in Platers' franchise history.
Despite this, Lankshear failed to remain for the full term, and moved mid-season to the ill fated Arkansas GlacierCats
organization. Lankshear played for the rest of the season for the Glaciercats, before signing for the ECHL
team, the Baton Rouge Kingfish
. The ECHL would be the highest standard hockey Lankshear had professionally played, but despite this he flourished and featured in more than 60 games in his first ECHL season.
He again did not settle though, and found himself returning to the WPHL
, with the Odessa Jackalopes
, a team affiliated with the NHL
Edmonton Oilers
. A further move would come at the end of the season, and Lankshear would be a Pensacola Ice Pilots
player for the start of the 2000/01 ECHL term. Yet another mid-season move would arise for Lankshear, this time to the locally popular Roanoke Express
.
A drastic move would signal the start of the 2002/03 season, with Lankshear deciding to ply his trade in Europe with the Newcastle Vipers
, then of the BNL
following the collapse of the ISL
. Lankshear struggled to establish himself and made just over 30 appearances for the Vipers before returning to Canada to sign for Sherbrooke Saint-Francois
, then of the short lived QSMHL.
A second venture into Europe would follow the season after, and Lankshear signed for the Manchester Phoenix
, then playing their inaugural season both as a franchise after the collapse of the Manchester Storm
and also as part of the newly formed EIHL. Lankshear was a first team player for the Phoenix up until the franchise had to be suspended in 2004 due to off ice financial problems. This would prove to be Lankshear's last time playing hockey outside of North America to date.
Lankshear would struggle to find consistency and spent the 2004/05 season playing for three different teams - the now defunct Aylmer Blues of the QHASR, the Kansas City Outlaws
, then of the UHL
and a second spell with Sherbrooke Saint-Francois.
His physical presence and rough style would help Lankshear as he moved into the self-titled 'roughest hockey league in the world', the LNAH. Here he would play for the Laval Chiefs
, two time champions of the league. The rather different style of hockey must have suited Lankshear as he chose to stay for the 2006/07 season, signing for the Saint-Hyacinthe Top Design
.
Lankshear would move again for the 2007/08 season, choosing to return to his home province and play for the Dundas Real McCoys
of the MLH
, the highest level of senior hockey in Ontario.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player, currently playing for the Dundas Real McCoys
Dundas Real McCoys
The Dundas Real McCoys are a Senior "AAA" ice hockey team based out of Dundas, Ontario. They play in the Ontario Hockey Association's Major League Hockey.-History:...
in the MLH
Major League Hockey
Allan Cup Hockey is the top tier Canadian Senior ice hockey league in the province of Ontario. As a member of the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada, the league contends for the famed Allan Cup. The league came to its latest incarnation when it lost several teams leaving it with two...
. Lankshear began his career playing junior hockey at OPJHL level for his home town team, the Burlington Cougars
Burlington Cougars
The Burlington Cougars are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Burlington, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of Central Division Hockey.-History:Founded in the early 1950s, the Burlington Mohawks found their footing in the Central Junior B Hockey League...
.
Lankshear would initially play at senior level in the OHL
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....
for the Guelph Storm
Guelph Storm
The Guelph Storm is a major junior ice hockey team based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. They have played in the OHL since the 1991–92 season. The team plays home games at the Sleeman Centre.-History:...
and would immediately prove himself up to the task. In his first season, he played 63 regular season games grabbing 28 points and 73 penalty minutes. His rough, physical style of hockey would get him noticed by scouts and he was taken 66th overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
.
Lankshear would fail to make an appearance for the Leafs though, and would remain with the Storm for the 1996/97 season. He was again a solid player for them, playing in both the regular and post season, totalling 70 appearances. Lankshear would remain in the OHL
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....
for the 1997/98 season, but would split it between the Windsor Spitfires
Windsor Spitfires
The Windsor Spitfires are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team is based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The franchise was granted for the 1975–76 season and revived a previous OHA Jr. A Spitfires team which moved to become the Hamilton Tiger Cubs in 1953.-History:The...
and the Owen Sound Platers
Owen Sound Platers
Owen Sound Platers was a name used for a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League from 1989 to 2000, in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. In 2000, after the team was sold, new ownership renamed the team the Owen Sound Attack.-History:...
. After his mid-season acquisition for the Platers, he established himself in the first team and after featuring in the post season, was re-signed for the 1998/99 term, a season which would be the highest finish in Platers' franchise history.
Despite this, Lankshear failed to remain for the full term, and moved mid-season to the ill fated Arkansas GlacierCats
Arkansas GlacierCats
The Arkansas GlacierCats were a short-lived minor-league hockey team located in Little Rock, Arkansas.The Arkansas GlacierCats were a Western Professional Hockey League franchise in Little Rock, Arkansas. The team was owned by Ed Novess and Dan Hart of Austin, Texas and they played in the WPHL...
organization. Lankshear played for the rest of the season for the Glaciercats, before signing for the ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
team, the Baton Rouge Kingfish
Baton Rouge Kingfish
The Baton Rouge Kingfish were a minor professional ice hockey team in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as a member of the East Coast Hockey League. The franchise arrived in Baton Rouge in 1996 after relocating from Erie, Pennsylvania, where they had played as the Erie Panthers since 1988 as one of the...
. The ECHL would be the highest standard hockey Lankshear had professionally played, but despite this he flourished and featured in more than 60 games in his first ECHL season.
He again did not settle though, and found himself returning to the WPHL
Western Professional Hockey League
The Western Professional Hockey League is a defunct minor professional ice hockey league.It operated in the United States from 1996 to 2001, with teams in the southern United States, mainly Texas. The league started with six teams in the 1996-1997 season and grew to 18 teams in 1999-2000...
, with the Odessa Jackalopes
Odessa Jackalopes
The Odessa Jackalopes were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Odessa, Texas. The team played in the Central Hockey League , and was an affiliate of the New York Islanders...
, a team affiliated with the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
. A further move would come at the end of the season, and Lankshear would be a Pensacola Ice Pilots
Pensacola Ice Pilots
The Pensacola Ice Pilots were a minor league ice hockey team located in Pensacola, Florida. The team was previously affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders , and the Chicago Blackhawks. They have also had a working agreement with the Houston Aeros of the...
player for the start of the 2000/01 ECHL term. Yet another mid-season move would arise for Lankshear, this time to the locally popular Roanoke Express
Roanoke Express
The Roanoke Express were a team in the ECHL from 1993 until 2004. Home games were played at the Roanoke Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia.-History:...
.
A drastic move would signal the start of the 2002/03 season, with Lankshear deciding to ply his trade in Europe with the Newcastle Vipers
Newcastle Vipers
The Newcastle Vipers were an ice hockey club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Former members of the Elite Ice Hockey League, the club previously held membership in the British National League.- History :...
, then of the BNL
British National League
The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the...
following the collapse of the ISL
Ice Hockey Superleague
The Ice Hockey Superleague was a professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2003. Formed in 1995, it replaced the Premier Division of the British Hockey League, it was the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom...
. Lankshear struggled to establish himself and made just over 30 appearances for the Vipers before returning to Canada to sign for Sherbrooke Saint-Francois
Sherbrooke Saint-Francois
The Sherbrooke Saint-François is a minor league professional ice hockey team based in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The team is part of the minor professional league Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey . The Saint-Francois plays at the Palais des Sports....
, then of the short lived QSMHL.
A second venture into Europe would follow the season after, and Lankshear signed for the Manchester Phoenix
Manchester Phoenix
Manchester Phoenix are a professional ice hockey team from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. The club was formed in 2003 as a result of the efforts of supporters group Friends of Manchester Ice Hockey to bring top-level ice hockey back to Manchester after Manchester Storm folded in...
, then playing their inaugural season both as a franchise after the collapse of the Manchester Storm
Manchester Storm
The Manchester Storm were an ice hockey team from Manchester, England. The team formed in 1995, playing their home games at the then newly built Nynex Arena . Storm won the British Hockey League Division One in their first season, watched by an average crowd of 6,342...
and also as part of the newly formed EIHL. Lankshear was a first team player for the Phoenix up until the franchise had to be suspended in 2004 due to off ice financial problems. This would prove to be Lankshear's last time playing hockey outside of North America to date.
Lankshear would struggle to find consistency and spent the 2004/05 season playing for three different teams - the now defunct Aylmer Blues of the QHASR, the Kansas City Outlaws
Kansas City Outlaws
The Kansas City Outlaws were a professional ice hockey team, a former member of the UHL. They played their home games at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, where the NHL's Kansas City Scouts played for two seasons during the 1970s, and later the International Hockey League's Kansas City Blades...
, then of the UHL
United Hockey League
The United Hockey League was a low-level professional ice hockey league , with teams in the United States...
and a second spell with Sherbrooke Saint-Francois.
His physical presence and rough style would help Lankshear as he moved into the self-titled 'roughest hockey league in the world', the LNAH. Here he would play for the Laval Chiefs
Laval Chiefs
The Laval Chiefs was a hockey team based in Laval, Quebec. The team is still part of the Ligue nord-américaine de hockey , though no longer in Laval. The Chiefs were previously part of the semi-professional QSPHL and QSMHL , LNAH . The Chiefs played at the Colisée de Laval...
, two time champions of the league. The rather different style of hockey must have suited Lankshear as he chose to stay for the 2006/07 season, signing for the Saint-Hyacinthe Top Design
Saint-Hyacinthe Top Design
The Saint-Hyancinthe Chiefs was a minor hockey team based in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, which is now defunct. The team was part of the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey . The Chiefs played at the Stade L.P...
.
Lankshear would move again for the 2007/08 season, choosing to return to his home province and play for the Dundas Real McCoys
Dundas Real McCoys
The Dundas Real McCoys are a Senior "AAA" ice hockey team based out of Dundas, Ontario. They play in the Ontario Hockey Association's Major League Hockey.-History:...
of the MLH
Major League Hockey
Allan Cup Hockey is the top tier Canadian Senior ice hockey league in the province of Ontario. As a member of the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada, the league contends for the famed Allan Cup. The league came to its latest incarnation when it lost several teams leaving it with two...
, the highest level of senior hockey in Ontario.
External links
- Mike Lankshear Personal Profile, Manchester Phoenix Official Website.
- Interview with Mike Lankshear, Manchester Phoenix Official Website, 06/01/05
- Dundas Real McCoys Roster, 2007/08 Season, Dundas Real McCoys Official Website.