Remember Rob Schremp? Won a Memorial Cup with London, picked 25th overall in 2004, had crazy shootout moves?
Anyway, he’s trying to get back in the league, and his quest will begin with a tryout for Florida’s AHL affiliate in Portland.
“It’s my dream to play in the NHL, to just play in North America,’' Schremp told the Miami Herald this week, having spent the last four years playing in Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Belarus and Austria. “I think playing Europe makes you gain a little appreciation of what’s back here, what you maybe took for granted when you were here.
“It would be an honor to be able to come back, be with my buddies again. It’s my goal and I’m pushing hard for it.’'
Now 29, Schremp faces long odds to crack an NHL roster. His last action came with Atlanta during the ’10-11 campaign and he’s bounced around plenty since then, suiting up for six different teams.
That said, he will be someone to keep an eye on.
Nobody has ever denied Schremp’s offensive talent and ability. Prior to joining the Thrashers in ’10-11, he scored 22 points in 45 games for the Isles, and could parlay a strong showing with Portland into an invite to Florida’s main camp.