Kyle Lysaght is a 6’0″, 190-lb forward from Roswell, GA. He comes to Huntsville having played two seasons with the Oakville Blades in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, where he appeared in a total of 142 games. He hit the ice in 46 contests in 2010-11, scoring 35-23–58 points. Lysaght picked up his game in the playoffs, leading the Blades to the championship series on scoring of 8-16–24 in 23 games. Lysaght attended the Kent School in Connecticut prior to playing in Oakville.
As with our other interviews, my questions will be in bold-face type.
When did you first start playing hockey? Who in your family played and was involved in you taking up the game? Have you always played your position, or have you played elsewhere on the ice? What was your favorite team and player growing up?
I first started playing around age five in New Jersey. My Dad was the one responsible for making me a hockey player. He grew up playing in New York and then played four years of club hockey for Georgia Tech. I am pretty sure he used to play in the VBC against UAH back in the day. I have bounced around everywhere on the ice, but I am a forward and like to play left wing. My favorite team then and now is the New York Rangers, and my favorite player growing up was Pavel Bure.
Why do you want to play college hockey as your junior career came to an end? What schools recruited you other than UAH? Why did you choose UAH?
It’s been my goal in life, since I can remember, to play College hockey. I chose UAH for its location and its opportunity. With my family living in Georgia, UAH was a real good chance for me to have the chance to work on my relationship with my family. I have been gone for a while, and it was time to make things right. Also there is opportunity to play and contribute as a freshman which is hard to find.
What do you think are your strengths and weaknesses on the ice? What is your favorite game situation?
My strengths as a player are my shot and puck possession. My weaknesses are skating and my play in the defensive zone. I worked on my d-zone my two years in Oakville—it was a focus point during my time there. My skating is unorthodox—you can always improve your skating—so it is always a good one to list as a weakness. My favorite game situation is left point on the power play umbrella—or really anywhere I have the puck and a chance to shoot.
When you’re not playing hockey, what are your favorite sports? If we come across you away from the rink, what are you going to be doing?
I really enjoy golfing and fishing. If you see me outside the rink, I will probably be fishing or stressing out about some school work that has to get done.
What do you want out of your UAH experience? What do you expect to learn here to make you a more well-rounded person?
I just want four years that I can look back on and talk about with pride. I want to be part of the UAH hockey family. I hope that my UAH experience will help me figure out who I am, what I want in life, and how I am going to achieve it. I expect to learn and perfect time management. These upcoming months in my first year will be the test.