Men’s Hockey News

Soul On Ice: The Podcast co-host hasn't given up hope of playing in NHL

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog for the past eight years. Douglas joined NHL.com in March 2019 and writes about people of color in the game. Today, he profiles Ryerson University player and Soul On Ice: The Podcast co-host Elijah Roberts.

Elijah Roberts has his eyes on the prize. But he also has a Plan B, just in case.

Roberts, a 21-year-old undrafted defenseman who was an overage player in the Ontario Hockey League last season, is still chasing his dream of playing in the NHL by taking a longer, less-traveled route. He's committed to play in 2020-21 for Ryerson University in Toronto, where he's enrolled in the sport media program.

He's already putting his hockey and budding media skills to use as co-host of Soul On Ice: The Podcast with award-winning filmmaker Kwame Damon Mason and Los Angeles Kings forward prospect Akil Thomas. The podcast recently joined the NHL stable of podcasts that includes NHL Fantasy On Ice, NHL Executive Suite, NHL Draft Class, NHL@TheRink and Puck Culture.

"It's still Plan A to play pro," said Roberts, who scored 108 points (23 goals, 85 assists) in 294 OHL games for Niagara and Kitchener. "My main goal is to come out of Ryerson, get a contract and hopefully still make the NHL."

Read More