Trio of life-changing decisions put Colin Theisen in position to play in NHL

Colin Theisen faced a life-changing decision.

And then another.

And another.

The 2015 St. Mary Catholic Central graduate had a whirlwind year. He wrapped up his fourth year playing ice hockey at Notre Dame, was nominated for college's hockey's most prestigious award in a record-breaking season at Arizona State, and then made an eye-popping professional debut in the American Hockey League.

Theisen was named an assistant captain in his final season at Notre Dame. In his four years with the Fighting Irish, Theisen had 33 goals and 40 assists in 144 games.

He celebrated with a goal in his final game with Notre Dame on March 14, 2021 and faced a tough decision about his future.

"I loved all the guys there (at Notre Dame)," Theisen said. "It was a weird year with COVID playing half the games and getting tested every single day. We were granted an extra fifth year (of college eligibility) and I decided to take that.

"You only get so long to play hockey."

Theisen considered returning to Notre Dame his final season but instead decided to chase a fresh start and a master's degree at another school.

That put the 24-year-old forward into the transfer portal and back on the recruiting trail.

"It was definitely stressful," he admitted. "It was near the end of my time at Notre Dame, so I was still in classes and trying to focus on exams while answering calls all day. I just tried to take it day by day, wrote down the pros and cons of each school and ended up on my decision."

Theisen considered North Dakota State, Minnesota State Mankato, St. Cloud, and Northeastern before choosing somewhere a little warmer — Arizona State University.

"It was kind of a long process," Theisen said. "I fell in love with their staff and everything they have in place."

And Theisen was intrigued by the role he could play with the Sun Devils.

At Notre Dame, Theisen played within the confines of a more defensive-minded system that focused on controlling the neutral zone and limiting opposing scoring chances. At Arizona State, Theisen was set free offensively.

"Coming out of juniors, it was a big part of my game to shoot the puck and score goals and be an offensive threat on the ice," Theisen said. "At Notre Dame, we had some of that, but we played a more defensive style than a lot of colleges. ASU plays a very offensive style and it fit my game more. I had more freedom and opportunity to play the way I like to play."

Theisen flourished in his new role.

He jumped from playing around 15 minutes per game at Notre Dame to averaging 25 minutes of ice time with the Sun Devils. In 35 games this past season, Theisen had 42 total points with 19 goals and 23 assists.

That set a single-season program record for points at ASU.

The record was a surprise for Theisen.

"It was weird how it happened," he recalled. "Before our last game, somebody in the organization texted and told me that I needed a single point for the program record. I didn't really think about it all season and then that last game I got two points and I got it.

"A lot of it goes to my teammates who helped me get it. It's not an individual record. It definitely a team one."

Theisen's deference to his teammates is no surprise. Soon after joining the Sun Devils, Theisen was awarded the captain's C. It was not a responsibility he took lightly.

"I tried to take it and lead the guys with help from the other team leaders," he said. "It was a strange situation, but I enjoyed it. ... I tried to be a leader to a lot of the freshman. I tried to show them the ropes of college hockey and they got a lot of experience and learned from it. It's always good to help those younger guys and let them lean on you."

Theisen was honored in multiple ways at the end of the Sun Devils' season.

With 179 career games under his belt, Theisen became one of just 28 NCAA Division I college hockey players in history to play 175 or more games.

He was a top-10 finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, which is an acronym for "Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School" and is given out to senior-eligible hockey players who show success and dedication both on the ice and in the classroom.

Most notably, Theisen was nominated for college hockey's highest honor — the Hobey Baker Award.

"That was awesome," Theisen said of the Hobey Baker nomination. "Not a lot of guys get that. It's again really hats off to my teammates and everybody surrounding me every day, especially the coaching staff for giving me the opportunity."

All of the accolades opened up new doors.

With his final season of college in the books, Theisen started getting serious interest from teams in the American Hockey League. As an undrafted free agent, Theisen and his agent had their choice of teams. And for the third time in a year, Theisen was faced with a big decision.

"It was a hectic process," he said. "There were a handful of teams I was deciding on. The first couple years playing pro, it's not about the money. It's about getting the opportunity, getting your foot in the door, and learning from the older guys."

Theisen felt his best opportunity would be to stay in Arizona.

He signed a contract with the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners in late March 2022. The Roadrunners are the minor-league affiliate of the NHL's Arizona Coyotes.

"I chose Tucson and the Arizona organization because it had the most opportunity," Theisen said. "The Coyotes are going through a bit of a rebuild right now at every level. There's definitely an opportunity there and I took full advantage of it."

Theisen's transition to the professional game was seamless.

He joined the team at the end of March and played 16 total games with Tucson. He scored his first professional points in his second game, recording a goal and an assist against the Henderson Silver Knights in Las Vegas.

"That was definitely something to remember and cherish," he said. "Hopefully I'll get more on my resume."

Theisen finished an impressive short stint in the AHL with 5 goals and 6 assists for a total of 11 points before Tucson's season came to an end.

"A lot of people think the speed is the biggest difference (in the pros), but in my opinion, the individual speed wasn't a big difference at all," Theisen said. "The biggest difference was the little details: where guys' sticks are and their position on the ice. Everybody is smart in the pros, especially the older guys. Everybody is in the right spots at the right time."

With the roles reversed from his final season in college, Theisen is now hoping to gain experience and soak in as much knowledge as he can from the veterans in Tucson.

"You have to have a chip on your shoulder, get your foot in the door and make a good first impression," he said. "I was only there for 16 games, but fortunately I was able to play in all of them. I just tried to learn from the older guys and get all the ins and outs of being a pro."

Theisen is back home in Michigan now and will return to Scottsdale, Ariz. in late July for the start of training camp with the Coyotes.

But first he has one more big decision. Thankfully, it's an easy one.

Theisen and his fiancé, Alexa Perna of Monroe, plan to get married this summer in Michigan.

"Hopefully in the next couple year I'll get to the make the jump to the NHL," Theisen said. "That's the goal I strive for."

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Trio of life-changing decisions put Colin Theisen in position to play in NHL