After nearly a decade in the American Hockey League — a professional minor league of hockey — former Northern Michigan University standout Dominik Shine finally got the call he had been waiting for on Jan. 27, the night he made his NHL debut with the Detroit Red Wings in a home game against the Los Angeles Kings.

The Kings, coincidentally, are coached by NMU alumnus Jim Hiller, who was a member of Northern’s 1991 national championship team.

Shine, who suited up for Wildcats from 2013-17, joined Marquette-area media on a virtual call arranged by NMU Sports Information to reflect on his journey, his time in Marquette, and what it meant to finally step onto NHL ice.

For the 31-year-old Shine, the road to the NHL was anything but easy.

Northern Michigan University hockey player Dominik Shine skates in games during his time as a Wildcat from 2013-17. His uniform with the “A” insignia denotes he was an assistant captain, a position he held in his junior and senior years. (Photo courtesy NMU)

Nine seasons in the AHL — all with the Grand Rapids Griffins on the western side of the state — can test even the most determined player, and Shine admitted there were times he thought the opportunity might not ever come.

“I thought I was done completely,” Shine said. “You play eight seasons in the AHL, and you come to a point where as an American Hockey League player you need think about your next step, you know your next job, your next career.

“I kind of felt like I was never going to get a chance to play to play in the NHL, even for just the game, but to get that call that day, they meant the world to myself, you know, my wife, my kid, obviously, and my parents, too, because they supported me the whole way and believed in me.”

That all changed on that fateful day in late January when the Red Wings signed him to a two-year, two-way deal. Just days later, he picked up his first NHL point, assisting on a Dylan Larkin goal against the Calgary Flames.

“It was pretty nice,” Shine said. “It was a really nice pass by (Christian) Fisher. So just got a little unfortunate and caused a little havoc. And, you know, he knows how to bury the puck. So that was pretty cool.”

Northern Michigan University hockey player Dominik Shine skates in games during his time as a Wildcat from 2013-17. His uniform with the “A” insignia denotes he was an assistant captain, a position he held in his junior and senior years. (Photo courtesy NMU)

Shine credits much of his development, both as a player and as a person, to his time at NMU and life in the Upper Peninsula.

“I absolutely loved being a student at Northern and living up there in the U.P.,” he said. “In a way it can kind of humble you, you know? You go through those hard winters, and it’s not easy, not for everyone. But there’s a good strong sense of community up there.

“It just makes you a better person, it makes you appreciate the little things.”

Shine also spoke highly of his former coaching staff, including head coach Walt Kyle and assistant coaches John Kyle, Rob Lehtinen and Joe Shawhan, the latter who has been head coach at Michigan Tech since 2017.

“Walt was always pretty straightforward with me,” Shine recalled. “He told me what he thought of me as a player, what he thought I could be. He really helped me get to where I needed to be by my senior year.

Detroit Red Wings forward Dominik Shine skates with the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period of an NHL preseason game on Oct. 4, 2023, against the Penguins in Pittsburgh. (USA Today photo by Charles LeClaire)

“When I got called up, he was actually one of the first guys to call me.”

Shine grew up in Pinckney, about 60 miles west of Detroit, and so was always a Red Wings’ fan.

Skating alongside elite players like Larkin and fellow Red Wings Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat was both surreal and motivating for Shine.

“They’re great players, extremely skilled,” Shine said. “Going in you kind of have to play a role, just like, just like any, any level. So, it’s just a matter of getting in there and playing your game and playing with confidence, but it was obviously really cool to be around those guys.”

Shine also got a glimpse of the NHL lifestyle, from private flights to top-tier facilities.

The Detroit Red Wings' Dylan Larkin, left, celebrates a goal he scored with teammate Dominik Shine during the first period of a game against the Flames in Calgary, Alberta, on Feb. 1. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

“You get treated so well up there,” he said. “I was on the plane and, Marco Kasper, I know him pretty well we played together last year, he said it’s kind of nice, flying around private. And I was like, Yeah, I don’t really want to get used to it, but I definitely want to, want to keep doing it.”

While Shine’s time in the NHL was brief before being reassigned to Grand Rapids, one moment will stick with him forever. Sharing his debut with his young son at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

“There was a moment in warmups where I went over to say ‘hi’ to him, and we just fist-bumped,” Shine said. “He knew it was me, and he was all fired up and smiling. That’s something I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.”

Though back in Grand Rapids for now, Shine isn’t taking anything for granted.

“Like I’ve always said, just keep your head down and work,” Shine said.

Shine joins a long list of NMU hockey alumni who have reached the NHL, and he looks forward to seeing his name among them at the Berry Events Center.

“It means a lot,” he said. “I remember being there, seeing those guys who have played in the NHL.

“Even guys who only played a handful of games, it’s still extremely hard to do. That was something I always strived for … to be able to accomplish that feels really good, when I get back up there and see that, I think it’ll be … pretty special.”

His advice for young players?

“Find who you are as a player and become as good as you can at that,” he said. “The more you can round yourself out and be able to do a little bit of everything. I think any team will want you.

“Control what you can control, and just work hard.”

Caden Sierra can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 551. His email address is csierra@nmu.edu.