Ty Conklin, American ice hockey player
Ty Curtis Conklin (born March 30, 1976) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. Throughout his National Hockey League (NHL) career, he played for the Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues and two stints with the Detroit Red Wings.
Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Conklin grew up in Eagle River, Alaska, and was an early recruit of the now-famed Minnesota hockey prep school Shattuck-St. Mary's. He later played under Don Granato for the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) before attending the University of New Hampshire and playing for the Wildcats under long-tenured coach Dick Umile.
A self-described "late-bloomer" and "shorter kid" at age 18, while spending his draft-eligible years (to age 20) remaining off the radar of professional scouts – first as a post-graduate at Shattuck, and then in his first year in Green Bay – Conklin went unclaimed by any team in the NHL's Entry Draft.
Subsequently, he went on to earn numerous goaltending awards and accolades in both the USHL and NCAA, however Conklin claims he never thought of becoming a professional until his junior year (his second playing) at University of New Hampshire.