Adirondack Thunder's Shawn Weller will go out on his own terms, embracing the role of a leader and hometown hero ahead of his final season of pro hockey.
Shawn Weller has come to peace with a decision that looms like an albatross over every pro athlete.
Weller, a South Glens Falls, New York native and veteran of the sport for nearly two decades, announced that the 2023-24 season will be his last as a professional hockey player.
“I think for me it was kind of a decision that I'm happy I get to make on my own,” Weller shared in a sit-down with The Hockey News.
“A lot of guys have to go out on somebody else's terms or injuries or something like that. I was lucky enough to play for a long time professionally and to be able to end it in my hometown where I grew up and learned how to skate, is, in my opinion, pretty cool.”
Weller is modest and realistic about who he is as a player at this stage of his career. Father time pulls no punches and does no jobs, and the body of a lifelong athlete is a ticking time bomb to the strains of aging.
“I don't have a ton left in the tank to keep myself training and in shape. I'm 37 now. I'm kind of running out of juice, so I knew my body was kind of telling me that I think I have one year left to give it one good go. And then after that, my time is up. Like you said, a little bit bittersweet, but happy I was able to make the decision on my own.”
Entering his third season with his hometown Adirondack Thunder, the 37-year-old recorded 27 points (14 goals, 13 assists) in 51 games last season, serving as the team’s assistant captain.
Weller joined the Thunder during the 2021-22 season in a trade with the Kansas City Mavericks, marking his first opportunity to play for his hometown club.
“I grew up watching the Adirondack Red Wings here when I was a kid. You know, they came to my school to read and stuff like that. I got to go to all the games and ask for pucks and sticks, and I'm just trying to be that guy now that some of the local kids can see a local face that maybe they're growing up and watching and I can kind of relate to that being from here,” he shared proudly.
“If I can put a smile on a kid's face by giving them a puck saying hi or showing up at school, I try to do as much as I can in the community now and stay involved here because it means a lot to me being from here. That's probably my biggest role now, doing what I can for the fans and the people in the community and just being a good guy in the locker room, taking care of the young guys, and trying to show them the ropes.”
A third-round pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2004, Weller began his professional career with the American Hockey League’s Binghamton Senators after playing three years at Clarkson University. In 294 regular-season AHL games with Binghamton, St. John's, Texas, Manitoba, and Abbotsford, Weller had 87 points (44 goals, 43 assists).
Before returning to the United States, Weller spent seven years playing overseas in Germany’s DEL2 and tallied 346 points (124 goals, 222 assists) in 298 games, where he captured a championship with the Bietigheim Steelers and was named the playoff MVP.
A veteran of 191 games in the ECHL with Elmira, Bakersfield, South Carolina, Stockton, Kansas City, and Adirondack, Weller has amassed 127 points (50 goals, 77 assists), and has earned a reputation as a power play specialist and pesky net-front presence.
“I've always considered myself a two-way forward that could go to the hard areas. I can always do pretty well, so I can always move north and south pretty well. And I always prided myself on going to the net. I'm a big body, so I'm trying to make it tough on the goaltenders and be a good teammate,” he explains.
“I can't play with the same energy as I used to when I was 25 because I can't do it like I was 25. But I still try to bring that same energy. I still try to move as well as I can out there, get on the forecheck, create space for my linemates, and go to the net.”
Weller’s pedigree across multiple leagues and a variety of roles throughout lineups from Newfoundland to Germany has allowed him to soak in the eccentricities of the game.
He looks forward to mentoring the next wave of Thunder players, making the most of his final active days in the sport.
“I can't move or make some of the plays I used to make when I was 25. But at 37, I still have the brain. I can still see the ice. I've always been a guy that prided myself on being a good locker room guy and great teammate, and I'm still able to do that no matter how old I am, right? So try to be a good glue guy in the locker room for all the younger guys, show them some stuff I learned along the way, and keep things loose in the room. Just be a good dude.”
And when the end finally does come, Shawn Weller will be ready.
“Like I said in the beginning, I'm super happy that I got to make this decision on my own. I'm sure when I skate out for the first time it's going to be like, okay, this is the last first time out. And then, yeah, after that's over, I'm sure it'll just be a normal year until we start dwindling towards the end,” he says, reflectively.
“But I'm happy with the decision I've made, I'm happy where I'm at. And I don't think there will be any sour memories after it's all over, to be honest. I think it'll all be happy memories, I'm sure. My mom will have more tears for me, that's for sure.”