Former North York Rangers star Corey Kalk (photo credit – Mark Washburn/Dartmouth Athletics), now with the Dartmouth University Big Green, was named the ECAC Player of the Week for his efforts this past weekend.
Born on August 10, 1994, the native of Thornhill, Ontario began playing hockey between the age of two and three, although would initially play competitive soccer prior to hockey as Kalk’s grandfather had been an elite-level professional soccer player in South Africa. Growing up, he would play soccer and rugby, but hockey would ultimately become his first sport by the time he reached the midget ranks.
Attending King City Secondary School and then Country Day School, Kalk achieved success in all his athletic endeavours, twice being named the Athlete of the Week by the King City Weekly Sentinel in 2010 and 2012.
The speedy forward, already with people questioning his future due to his smallish stature, also faced some adversity when hit with a serious injury as a minor bantam. Kalk would miss the 2007-08 season with a broken ankle, but would return as strong as ever, and ready to prove himself to the naysayers the following year, joining the Toronto Red Wings Bantam ‘AAA’ program. He would then join the Don Mills Flyers for his minor midget season and finish out his minor hockey career with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens organization in 2010-11. During that time, Kalk would also win a silver medal, recording three goals and eight points, as a member of Team Canada Red (17-and-under category) at the 2009 World Jewish Hockey Tournament in Metulla, Israel.
With his education instilled as a number one priority, ahead of hockey, since a very young age, Kalk entered his first season of junior hockey with the North York Rangers last season. Once again he was bitten by the injury bug, suffering an early season wrist injury that would see him miss the first part of the schedule, however, he again returned more determined than ever and would record 14 goals and 31 points in 42 regular season games played for the Rangers, finishing fifth in goals and sixth in overall scoring on the club.
Kalk would spend the off-season working to improve his game and conditioning, and entered the 2012-13 season as one of the Rangers’ leaders on-and-off the ice. Reunited with longtime soccer teammate John Carpino, who joined North York from the now-defunct Vaughan Vipers, the two combined to become one of the most dangerous combinations in the OJHL, finishing fourth and seventh respectively in the overall scoring race. Kalk would also receive an invite to Team Canada East’s Final Selection camp and was a member of the OJHL South Division All-Star Team that competed at the 2012 Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge held in Wellington, Ontario. Along with earning the Gongshow Gear South-West Conference Player-of-the-Month for December, Kalk would be voted as the runner-up to Carpino for the OJHL Most Improved Player Award and was named to the 2nd All-Star Team.
Last season, the veteran’s offensive output would decline slightly, but he would earn a spot on Team Canada East, wearing an ‘A’ throughout the 2013 World Junior ‘A’ Challenge that was held in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. He also would join the All-Stars once again, this time helping lead the OJHL South-West Conference All-Star Team to a runner-up finish at the 2013 Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge that was held in Terrebonne, Quebec.
Below is the official press release from the Dartmouth Athletics website (www.dartmouthsports.com):
Dartmouth sophomore Corey Kalk has been named the ECAC Hockey Men’s Player of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday evening.
Kalk picks up his first league accolade after a four-point effort against Colgate in his only game of the weekend. The Maple, Ontario, native scored twice and assisted on two other goals in the Big Green’s 5-2 home win against the Raiders on Friday.
Kalk missed Saturday’s game against Cornell — a 1-0 loss — due to injury.
His four points were tied for the most by any conference player over the course of the week, while his plus-3 rating was the second-best mark amongst all ECAC Hockey players.
In all, 55 players from across the league registered multiple points last weekend with Kalk the only player to do so playing in just one game.
The sophomore wing’s two goals and four points against the Raiders set new career highs, while his two assists tied his previous career best set last season against Sacred Heart.
This is the fourth time this season a Dartmouth player has earned the honor as Troy Crema won it back on Nov. 10 and Jack Barre is a two-time recipient (Jan. 19 and Feb. 2).
Kalk and his Big Green teammates will wrap up the 2015-16 regular season this weekend at St. Lawrence and Clarkson with several huge postseason implications on the line for the upcoming ECAC Hockey Championship.
