It was roughly a month and a half ago, after Drew Shore and Nick Shore combined for the sweetest brother-to-brother goal in their two seasons together with the University of Denver hockey program, when Nick Shore was asked about the possibility of his older brother going pro after the 2011-12 season.
With Nick Shore, a sophomore, set to return and younger brother Quentin ready to join the Pioneers in the fall, Nick Shore indicated that a day didn't go by in which he didn't bend his older brother's ear about how unique it would be if the three Denver-area siblings could play together for one of NCAA hockey's most prestigious programs.
It was a tempting daydream, and one that very nearly kept the oldest Shore decked out in crimson and gold for one final season. Yet even that family bond could not prevent Drew Shore from pursuing his NHL dreams.
On Tuesday, Shore signed a contract with the Florida Panthers, the team that selected Shore in the second round (44th overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Shore was due to fly out of Denver Tuesday night to join the San Antonio Rampage, the Panthers' affiliate in the American Hockey League.
Shore likely will make his professional debut Wednesday night against the Hamilton Bulldogs.
"My brothers are going to continue to give me a little grief, but at the end of the day I know they're happy for me," Shore said. "They've seen how hard I've worked at my game. I moved away from home when I was in eighth grade because I wanted to play in the National Hockey League. As fun as it would be to play with my two brothers, my goal has always been to play in the NHL. I was ready to take the next step."
Drew Shore hardly is the first Pioneers player to leave early-he became the 15th underclassman to forgo eligibility by signing a pro contract during head coach George Gwozdecky's 18-season tenure-but few of those players boasted the sort of longstanding link with the DU program as Shore.
A product of the Pioneers' youth program, Shore grew up attending games at Magness Arena and was just 13-years old when he cheered DU to the first of its back-to-back national titles in 2004. Nick Shore will assume the role of older brother next season when Quentin Shore joins the program.
"It's a little bittersweet today," Gwozdecky said. "We're extremely proud and happy that Drew Shore has decided to take the next step in his dream of playing in the National Hockey League. Drew and his brothers have been associated with this hockey program long before them joining the actual Pioneer hockey team. It was a big, big effort on our part to make sure that Drew and his family remained a part of the Pioneer hockey family when the time to make that decision came for him.
"We are sad to know that he's moving on, and that he won't be with us next year. He won't be able to be with his two younger brothers, but certainly we understand the decision that he is ready to move on to his professional hockey career. He has had a huge impact on our program the last three years."
Drew Shore registered a career-best 53 points this season, sharing the team lead with 22 goals while leading the Pioneers with 31 assists. He completes his DU career with 118 points, good for a tie for 54th on the Pioneers' all-time scoring list, and he helped lead DU to the NCAA Tournament in each of his three seasons.
This week, Shore was named second team All-American by College Hockey News, adding to a list of individual accolades that includes two consecutive second team All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association honors and a pair of appearances on the All-WCHA Academic Team.
When asked about the highlights of his DU career, Shore quickly noted the slick no-look pass he fed to his brother for the winning goal in overtime that clinched a home sweep of Minnesota on Feb. 11. Yet Drew Shore already is trying to put those moments in his rearview mirror as he focuses on using the remainder of the spring to get his feet wet at the professional level.
"A lot of people say doing this gives you advantages going into training camp for next year," Shore said. "Obviously I want to make the Florida Panthers out of training camp next year, and this kind of gives me a little preview of the pro game, the pro lifestyle."
