Previous Players of the month:
Chris Tok
Jersey # 7
Defense
Born: 03/19/73
Grand Rapids, MN
Height: 6’ 2”
Weight: 205
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 1991
Pittsburgh Penguins
10th Round
214th overall
Career Stats:
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM
1991-92 U. of Wisconsin NCAA 19 0 2 2 8
1992-93 U. of Wisconsin NCAA 41 3 1 15 68
1993-94 U. of Wisconsin NCAA 41 2 5 7 97
1994-95 U. of Wisconsin NCAA 43 5 7 12 129
1995-96 Jacksonville LK ECHL 8 1 3 4 21
1995-96 Fort-Wayne Komets IHL 60 2 4 6 120
1996-97 Fort-Wayne Komets IHL 19 1 3 4 35
1996-97 Manitoba Moose IHL 48 0 4 4 74
1997-98 Manitoba Moose IHL 10 0 1 1 21
1997-98 Cin. Mighty Ducks AHL 48 3 9 12 58
1998-99 Ljubljana Slovania - - N/A - -
1999-00 MO River Otters UHL 37 2 12 14 55
* Stats current through 2/21/00
Courtesy of the Internet Hockey Database
Trading Places
With what seems to be, between call-ups and injuries, an often-changing roster these days you may have noticed a couple of familiar faces changing roles. While Assistant Coach Scott Bell has been donning a uniform and taking to the ice, in his place behind the bench has been the soon-to-be 27 year old Otters defenseman Chris Tok.
Chris started “knocking the puck around” at the age of two with his Grandma on his frozen drive way back home in Minnesota. Even though Chris played a few sports growing up hockey was his favorite.
Chris gives credit to his dad for being his biggest influence. “He coached me quite a bit and did a lot of things with me. I went with him a lot of times when he was refereeing during games, watching it, and he would tell me things on the ride home.” Chris says, “He taught me about a lot of other things in life too.” He adds with a smile.
Chris played in college for the University of Wisconsin, where he received a hockey scholarship. In the four years Chris played for the Badgers he accumulated 10 goals and 26 assists. He was also named to the WHCA All-Academic team in 1994 but highlight of Chris’s college career came with winning the WCHA Final Four in 1995.
Chris’s pro career began in 1995 with the Jacksonville Lizard Kings of the ECHL before moving up to the Fort Wayne Komets when they were in the IHL. After stints with the Komets, the Manitoba Moose and the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks last year Chris decided to take his game overseas to Ljubljana in Slovenia.
Although Chris still considers himself a stay-at-home defenseman he thinks that the year he spent in the less physical, more offensive minded European league helped to refine his offensive game. “When I was playing over here at first I didn’t really try to do anything offensively, then I go over there and they actually wanted me to do offensive things. I started rushing up the ice with the puck and playing more offense and I think I carried that over a little bit coming back.”
After receiving a call from Scott Bell early in the summer, Chris decided to come back and play here for the River Otters. In his 37 games Chris collected 14 points until being placed on the 14 Day Injured Reserve list on back on January 25th with a torn MCL. Now, with Scott Bell out there playing for the Otters, Chris has found himself filling in for the Assistant Coach.
Chris says that job behind the bench doesn’t differ much from his role as team captain and mainly consists of teaching and helping motivate the players but he does admit he was a bit nervous during his first night as a coach. Now, with Chris about ready to play again, it looks as though his coaching career will be cut short, at least for the time being. However, I am sure that we will all be glad to see him back on the ice.