Two Saginaw products are off to solid starts in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

The first is Kyle Schempp, who has gotten off to a strong start for Ferris State University’s hockey team.

During the first nine games, Schempp, a freshman forward, had five goals and four assists.

The Saginaw native played last season for Sioux Falls in the United States Hockey League, and in 64 games, he scored 14 goals and 27 assists. The previous season, he played for the Traverse City North Stars in 59 games and had 13 goals and 22 assists. He was with the Detroit Compuware Ambassadors the previous three seasons.

“He’s been a really solid addition to the team,” said coach Bob Daniels. “We’re lucky this year a lot of our freshmen have stepped in to make contributions, and Kyle has been one of them. Not only has he been able to chip in offensively and score some goals, but he’s been able to play well defensively. He transitions to college hockey very well.

“This doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but he’s done a very good job for us on the penalty kill. We’ve been able to utilize Kyle in all facets of the game – 5 on 5, power play, penalty kills. He’s transitioned very well to college hockey. He plays more like a seasoned veteran. At this point, right now, he’s exceeded our expectations. We had high hopes for Kyle coming in. We thought he’d be able to step in and contribute. But it’s been better than what you have a right to expect from any freshman. He’s been a really good addition to our team.”

Schempp has enjoyed the start of his collegiate career. “I’m getting that confidence, which I feel is huge for playing,” he said. “I feel comfortable as a freshman playing and being in certain roles. Anytime you get that, you’ll produce and get confidence, which will help the team out.”

Schempp pointed to the second Ferris game in a sweep at Alabama-Huntsville as one of the major season highlights. “We went down by a goal, and I scored the game-tying goal,” he said. “That really gave me confidence and helped us push out the win.”

Schempp realizes his college days have only just begun. “Every day you get put in a new situation where you do certain things and something new, you take it in,” he said. “I like to be a coachable player. Anytime I get the opportunity to learn something new, I take that in and contribute that to my game.”

As a forward, “I think I have good hockey sense,” he said. “I feel that I’m smart on the ice, and I can protect the puck well, and see the ice well and find players. That’s my strength.”

The USHL helped him prepare for the collegiate level in the speed of the game, Schempp indicated.

“It’s the strength that’s the biggest step. Everyone is stronger on their feet and strong with the puck, which makes it that much harder to play against,” Schempp said.

Schempp decided to attend Ferris two years ago while he was still playing in Traverse City. “When I came here to visit, I just felt it fit my style,” he said. “My style of play is a hard-nosed, always working, aggressive style. I love the small-town community here in Big Rapids. I love the coaching staff. I feel they do a good job of coaching the players and helping them move on to professional hockey.”

Schempp says that pro hockey is “what every kid dreams of growing up. This is just another step to that goal. If it comes down the road, which hopefully it does, I’ll definitely be ready to jump on that train.”

Playing in Detroit was a boost to Schempp’s career. “I learned what junior hockey was and what I wanted to do with hockey,” he said. “When I was a little younger, I was more of a goal scorer. In the last couple of years, I’ve kind of turned into a playmaker. My vision helps me with that.”

“One thing that separates him from a lot of freshmen is that he’s physically very strong,” Daniels said. “From a physical standpoint, you can’t tell him apart from our upperclassmen. The second thing is that he has good instincts on the ice. While he’s able to generate offense, he doesn’t do it by cheating the defensive part of the game. He is as strong in our end as he is in the offensive zone.”

Ferris is making its debut this season in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

“I have the feeling we have the potential to be very good,” Schempp said.

The second Saginaw native is Chris Leibinger, a 5’9″, 175-pound freshman defenseman at Michigan Technological University.

Michigan Tech coach Mel Pearson, a former assistant at University of Michigan, has been impressed with Leibinger. “We had a situation where we had three upperclassmen defensemen that had major injuries, so Chris filled right in and he’s done very well,” Pearson said. “He’s played every game and scored a big goal for us. He’s been terrific so far.”

Pearson has known Leibinger for several years. “When I was at the University of Michigan, I saw him play and was always impressed with his poise and patience with the puck and his hockey IQ,” Pearson said. “He has a real good feel and sense to the game. Those are the main things he brings, and he’s a competitor.”

 “It was good to see him at the next level,” Pearson said. “When I got here, we started recruiting him.”

Pearson has been impressed with how Leibinger has played in road games. “He was thrown into the fire and came out of it very well,” Pearson said. “I don’t want to build him up too much. We knew we liked what we were getting, but you never know. Everyone handles that next jump differently. For some, they don’t miss a beat. For others, it takes a little bit of time for one reason or another. He’s been very good.”

Pearson is looking for Leibinger to get stronger. “Every day we spend time on quickness and agility skating,” Pearson said. “That will really help him. We want him to be a more powerful skater. He has the work ethic to want to do it, too, which is great.”