Philadelphia signs Icedog captain

For many Boston University graduates, Sunday’s commencement marked the end of college playtime and the entrance into the so-called “real world.”

But for BU senior hockey captain Freddy Meyer, it means he gets to keep on playing.

While most college athletes do not go on to play professional sports, Meyer — an undrafted free agent — signed a two-year deal with the National Hockey League’s Philadelphia Flyers last week.

“It’s every kid’s dream when you start out playing sports to have a chance to play pro hockey,” Meyer said. “This year, I still wasn’t sure I was going to be able to sign with a team, but luckily it worked out that way.”

While the NHL drafts players coming out of high school or as underclassmen, Meyer went unnoticed, a fact many attribute to his diminutive physical stature.

But Meyer turned heads by capping off a successful college career by wearing the ‘C’ as the captain of the Icedogs, and leading the Terriers to their 25th Beanpot, the Hockey East Championship Game and the doorstep of the Frozen Four.

In the process, Meyer was named to both the All-Hockey East and All-American first-teams.

So, the Flyers decided to take a chance on the five-foot ten-inch, 192-pound defensemen, despite their reputation for preferring size on the blueline. As for the Flyers’ other preference – a big-hitting, hard-nosed hockey team – Meyer fits in much better, a reason why Philadelphia may have shown interest.

Meyer will most likely start out next season across the street from Philadelphia’s First Union Center with the Flyers’ minor-league affiliate – the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League. Nonetheless, Meyer said he is optimistic about moving up, especially with the Flyers’ lack of depth at the defenseman position.

“I assume I will be starting with the Phantoms,” he said. “But obviously I’ll be hoping to get up to the Flyers.”

Rookie camp begins in August, when Meyer will see changes on his trip from Babcock Street to the City of Brotherly Love. The defenseman will go from being one of the best players in Hockey East to another rookie battling to prove himself at the next level.

“It’s a big difference in styles of games,” Meyer said. “It’s a different experience.”

He’ll also find a pretty nice paycheck waiting for him. Terms of the contract are unavailable, but the NHL league minimum salary is $150,000 per year, a nice alternative to what many of his classmates might find when looking for a job in the current struggling economy.

Still, Meyer said moving from Walter Brown Arena to the Phantoms’ First Union Spectrum will be bittersweet.

“I’m not sure yet what I’m going to miss; probably just the unity of a college hockey team,” Meyer said. “But as soon as you’re a little kid and you play for a year or two, you always have the dream to make it to [the NHL].”