This will be the first summer in four years Les Lancaster isn't taking summer classes. He has another project for the offseason: planning for his future.
 
Lancaster transferred to Denver last summer after receiving his undergraduate degree in three years from Mercyhurst University. Now, at 24, the Ypsilanti, Michigan native evaluates his future with a degree in criminal justice, the first year of his two-year international studies graduate program and four years of college hockey experience.  
 
"I'm definitely looking to keep playing, I'm just being patient right now and considering all my options," Lancaster said. "I think I've made up my mind though, after hockey's done I'll most likely be going into a military branch and looking to become a pilot."
 
Lancaster has always wanted to be a pilot. He had an uncle in the Marines and other family members in the Army. He's maintained his childhood interest through years of hockey and believes that when he's finally done playing, his experience balancing school and sport will help him in the early stages of training. That belief heightened after a strenuous year of grad school at the University of Denver. 
 
"A lot of people in my program were a lot older than I was and had a lot of working experience whether that be working in a military branch, for the government or in the private sector," Lancaster said. "They had a lot of experience that I didn't, so I struggled at times with the material or understanding some details that they were… sometimes I just had to buckle down and get to work on my own, you know, just myself."
                                                                                                                                                      
All this came during an untraditional year on the ice as well. As the third-eldest member of the Pioneers and one of only three seniors, Lancaster was in a natural leadership position for a group of 19 freshmen & sophomores. The caveat was that he, in many respects, was as new as them.
 
"The situation itself was very uncomfortable," Lancaster said. "It definitely wasn't easy at times, I was still a new guy this year so I had a lot to learn still. Luckily we had a great leadership group at the top and they led the way for all of us."
 
After a year of being challenged in the classroom and the locker room, Lancaster looks toward the next step in his career with a higher threshold for discomfort. He knows his ultimate plan and he's not putting pressure on himself. He plans to spend his summers in Denver while he continues to play. Once he's done, he'll decide the best route for finishing his graduate program and pursuing a career as a pilot in the military. Lancaster has a moment to breathe. His days of summer classes are over and college hockey has left him in a pretty good spot.

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