R.J. Umberger was ready to retire, now he's trying kick start an NHL comeback

CEDAR PARK, Texas — R.J. Umberger had accepted he was going to retire.

Fresh off a buyout from the Philadelphia Flyers the veteran forward didn’t have any job prospects last season. He had just 11 points in 39 games during the 2015-16 campaign and it was looking like he’d played his final NHL game — all that was missing was a formal retirement announcement.

And Umberger was actually ok with that.

He moved back to the Columbus, Ohio area, stepped away from the game, and spent more time with his family.

“It was good for me to get physically and mentally healthy again,” Umberger said. “I was kind of ready to have a break and nothing really developed for last year, so I welcomed the break and was ready to retire.”

But then he started to get the itch again.

Last December his old Ohio State teammate, and a former AHL goalie, Dave Caruso asked Umberger to help him coach a 14-year-old travel team in the Columbus area. He enjoyed coaching and the team was getting better with Umberger helping out. It also gave Umberger a chance to get back on the ice on a consistent basis.

And that started to sow the seeds for a potential comeback.

After coaching youth hockey planted the seed, watching the 2017 NHL playoffs pushed the idea into full bloom.

“I was missing it too much,” Umberger said.

So Umberger reached out to Stars coach Ken Hitchcock back in May about a potential return to the NHL. Umberger played for Hitchcock in both Columbus and Philadelphia, and after a couple conversations the 35-year-old had a professional tryout contract signed for training camp with the Stars.

While the move was met with skepticism early, Umberger has a real chance to make the team out of training camp. Hitchcock has made it clear that a healthy Umberger would make the Stars better, while Stars general manager Jim Nill has echoed those statements and appears ready to give Umberger every opportunity in training camp and preseason.

So can Umberger take advantage of that opportunity? And what does it mean for the Stars?

For starters, Umberger says he’s in the best shape of his life since the lockout that wiped out half of the 2012-13 NHL season. He’s been working out on his own the past five months and focussed on his conditioning and quickness.

If Umberger is going to make an NHL comeback he’s going to have to prove he can keep up the Stars speed and that’s already being tested. On the first day of training camp Umberger was on a line with Jason Dickinson and Remi Elie, a pair of quicker prospects, and he was asked to keep up as Hitchcock ran an intense practice built to start sorting which players are in the running for the NHL roster.

So far the reviews are incomplete and Hitchcock acknowledged it will be easier to judge Umberger’s successes or shortcomings after a few more days of practice.

If Umberger passes the physical test he has an advantage as a past Hitchcock disciple. When healthy Umberger plays the style Hitchcock is looking for, and it’s actually been part of the groundwork for the player’s career.

“I don’t know if it was my style of hockey coming from college or I just learned it right away (as a pro),” Umberger said. “I’ve been wanting to always play his style, I think you’ve got to buy in right away to that.”

What does that mean?

“Puck possesion, that’s the No. 1 thing. You’ve got to have the puck in this game, good defense is going to let you have the puck,” Umberger said. “So defense you want to be quick, stop them up, and get it and have it. Hitch has always been a guy (where) you play in the tough areas, do the tough things, battle down low, cycle, be able to go the net. Those are all things I learned playing for Hitch.”

Simply buying into a style doesn’t magically change the contract situation or eliminate other players from consideration. Dallas has a bevy of young players that want the same NHL roster spot that Umberger is after, and if he makes the team it’ll likely force management to waive another player or get creative with other contracts.

But Umberger isn’t worried about that at the moment.

“If you prove you should be on team they’ll find room for you,” Umberger said. “And that’s my job to go out there and show them I still belong in this league.”