Salute To Service game special for Reign’s Luke Rowe, who took a different path to the AHL

Defenseman Luke Rowe is different from any other player who has ever put on an Ontario Reign sweater.

He’s doing something only a handful of hockey players have ever done, play professionally after attending a United States Service Academy.

Rowe attended the Air Force Academy from 2019-24, suiting up for the Falcons during four NCAA seasons. Air Force, along with Army, are the only two institutions in the US that field Division I men’s hockey teams while also commissioning graduates as officers in the military.

Now as a member of the Reign, the blueliner is taking advantage of a policy that was enacted in 2019, endorsed by the secretary of defense that made it possible for exceptionally talented athletes who have graduated from a military service academy to pursue employment as professional sports athletes following graduation.

To do so, athletes need a contract or a binding commitment from a sports team, like the AHL deal Rowe signed with the Reign last February. He initially signed with Ontario for what was left of the 2023-24 campaign but agreed to an extension for the 2024-25 year and has appeared in 15 total games thus far, scoring a goal and three assists.

A native of Succasunna, N.J., Rowe played junior hockey close to home for the New Jersey Rockets and Boston Jr. Bruins programs and knew he wanted to continue his career at the NCAA level.

“I definitely had some room to develop,” Rowe said of his thought process as he was preparing to complete high school. “I was talking to schools and just hopeful that I could get somewhere.”

During that time his older brother was attending Florida State and visiting the big school in Tallahassee was an eye-opener for him.

“I saw the person that it could make you become and maybe the lack thereof in the sense that you just have so much free time,” Rowe said. “It’s your first time away from home and a lot of kids make mistakes and I didn’t really want that. It was too loose for me; I wanted more regiment.”

He reached out to Air Force and attended a prospect camp when he was 17.

“I fell in love with the place; it was awesome,” Rowe said of his first time in Colorado Springs. “You hear all the honor and legacy and tradition behind it, and you get the opportunity to serve your country at the end and it was just a slam dunk for me. Not to mention the friendships that everyone talks about and the bonds that you make and the person that you become on the other end.”

When Rowe decided to head west and play on the blue line at Air Force, he also committed to serve as a commissioned military officer immediately upon graduation. The policy for professional athletes didn’t exist yet.

“I committed there fully knowing that my hockey career would come to an end after four years and I’d go, and I’d serve,” Rowe said. I was happy to do it and I still am, I’m excited to serve, but when that changed I thought ‘Alright, maybe there is potential here’”.

Then before his senior season, which was his third as the team’s captain, Rowe attended an NHL Development Camp with the New Jersey Devils. The experience got him thinking that a professional hockey career was something he could pursue.

He proceeded to have his best offensive year, scoring 29 points in 35 games with six goals and 23 assists. At the time of his signing, his point total ranked ninth-best among all NCAA defenders, and his assists were 10th, as well as the second-most on his team.

Even though this new policy is in place, it hasn’t been often that Air Force grads have either been offered a contract or made the choice to pursue one. The last Air Force hockey player to sign with a professional team was forward Brady Tomlak, who played two seasons in the ECHL from 2020-22. Goaltender Billy Christopoulos is another recent grad who finished his college career in 2019 before playing 12 AHL games and 80 ECHL contests during a three-year pro career.

Another netminder, Shane Starrett, signed a two-year NHL entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers in 2017. Starrett is still active with the ECHL’s Maine Mariners this year. No Air Force player has ever made it to the National Hockey League.

Rowe’s day-to-day routine at the academy consisted of a 6:15 a.m. wakeup call before class began at 7:15. During his senior year, he added an additional role as a squadron commander, which included a morning accountability formation to keep leaders informed on important updates three times per week.

Members of the hockey team are in class until lunch before they’re released for athletic duties. Rowe said he’d be in class until 11:23 a.m., then would form up and march to lunch, with everyone getting around 20 minutes to eat family-style. Afterward there might be a briefing for all the cadets with a speaker of the day, and then the hockey team practices, has a workout with weightlifting, medical treatment if necessary and a team video session which Rowe said would end close to 7 p.m. Then he’d still have to eat dinner and work on homework before getting to bed and preparing for the next day.

“You try to get in bed as early as you can, but it didn’t happen too much where I was in bed before midnight,” Rowe said with a smirk after recounting what his typical day would be like.

Whether it’s a result of having gone through the training for a military position, or just his natural energy and enthusiasm, the way Rowe approaches each day at the rink is unlike anyone else. That fervor is also apparent to his defensive coach, Chris Hajt.

“Well, he definitely has a routine,” Hajt said. He’s so prepared for everything he does. He has his way of getting ready for games or preparing his daily routine in the gym or on the ice, and he’s willing to take direction and listen. Not that the other guys aren’t, but you can tell he’s so dialed in on it and very intense.”

Whenever Rowe’s time as a professional hockey player comes to an end, he’ll head to San Antonio, Tex. and begin training to serve as a drone pilot. His focus and intensity Hajt talked about was heightened at the academy.

“They’re just firing a fire hose at you, and you have a dixie cup,” Rowe said. “And you’ve just got to catch the important stuff in that cup. You’re not going to get it all, you’re not going to succeed in everything, but that’s what they want you to learn is that you have to prioritize. It’s all about time management. Not doing everything 50% but doing important stuff 100%, making sure that’s signed sealed and delivered. It’s proper, it’s professional, it’s accurate and then just trying to get everything done and knowing that you’re going to fail.”

Hajt added that he can almost see the wheels turning in Rowe’s head when he’s explaining a concept to him or going over video from a previous game. And immediately he’s thinking about how he can implement improvements to his preparation and then use them in a game.

“He’s been through some real-life scenarios and been able to experience different things that all of us haven’t done,” Hajt said. “He wants to have a plan. He wants to know the answers. He wants to be able to look at things and analyze it and then put it to put it to use.”

The Reign are getting set to recognize military members in the Inland Empire community on Friday night, both active duty and veterans, during their annual Salute To Service game when they take on the Texas Stars. With Rowe as a member of the roster, this year’s game has a little extra around it.

“It definitely brings even more awareness, having him on the team,” Hajt said. “We’re so thankful for our military, our veterans and everyone who is currently serving.”

Using some tips from Rowe in the design process, the Reign will wear specialty jerseys on Friday that have a nod to the Air Force. A fitting way to honor one of the rookies who’s still committed to serving our country whenever his time in hockey comes to an end.

“There’s a fairly large military community out here and people are so supportive,” Rowe said. “It’s funny because they come and show gratitude to watch you play hockey but your gratitude to them, you can’t even verbalize it. I’m excited and it’s an honor for me to share that and express my gratitude to the people who are serving, who have served, and who have sacrificed.”