John Lundy P-J photo by Scott Reagle

Back in September, just days before the Jamestown Rebels were set to open their North American Hockey League season at a showcase in Blaine, Minnesota, John Lundy’s world changed.

The newly appointed captain of the franchise, whose goal is to play NCAA Division I hockey, learned that his scholarship offer to the University of Massachusetts was being pulled.

“UMass has had a ton of success and their stable of players got quite large. With the transfer portal being what it is and last year with COVID-19, players got an extra year so it’s really backed up,” Jamestown head coach Joe Coombs said Tuesday evening. “I’m really surprised that John at this point is uncommitted, but at the same time all he can do is continue to control what he can control.”

Lundy, who had already verbally committed to the Amherst-based school and the Minutemen hockey team, was undeterred.

“I knew I wasn’t playing to the best of my ability the year before,” he said Wednesday after practice at Northwest Arena. “I wasn’t expecting it, but it didn’t catch me as the biggest surprise. You always have to think about the business side of things.”

But the Brooklyn native decided to do the only thing he knew how to do: get back to work.

His dedication and commitment to his craft over the past seven months has paid off.

Just last week, Lundy scored his 32nd goal of the season — a Rebels franchise record — and helped Jamestown clinch a spot in the Robertson Cup playoffs.

“It might have had me gripping the stick a little tight. I realized at one point that you are not going to play your best if you are thinking about anything other than hockey,” Lundy said of a few early season disappointments. “Once I really started focusing on my game and what I could do to help out this team, my own game started to take off.”

The third-seeded Rebels beat the second-seeded Johnstown Tomahawks 2-1 in double-overtime in their best-of-five series opener Friday.

Lundy’s success comes to the surprise of few.

It’s what Coombs expected when he named the 5-foot-9, 163-pounder captain at the beginning of the season.

“I thought John was everything he was supposed to be. We named him captain because he is one of our best players and I thought it would be helpful for him to learn and take on some responsibility,” Coombs said. “He’s done all that. For the most part, he’s been our most consistent player.”

Despite Lundy playing just 41 games in the NAHL and scoring only 23 points between the Amarillo Bulls and Austin Bruins last season, Coombs had a feeling the former had what it takes to be successful in the league.

Lundy played his 15-year-old season with the New York Aviators 16U AAA team and then played his 16-year-old season for the North Jersey Avalanche 16U AAA squad.

“All of these kids are striving to climb the hockey ladder,” Coombs said. “I couldn’t be prouder of John and what he’s accomplished. He’s been absolutely fantastic.”

As a 17-year-old, Lundy played for the North Jersey 18U AAA team before stints with the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the British Columbia Hockey League and the Tri-City Storm of the United States Hockey League as an 18-year-old.

“I did some homework when I was coming in. I heard I was rooming with John Lundy,” said teammate Ethan Janda, who was acquired from the Chippewa Steel midseason and lives with Lundy and their MacCallum billet family. “I knew he was a good player just looking up his stats. He’s a great guy, too, funny to hang around. He’s a great leader. He deserves the world and the guys are trying to give it to him. I think it’s pretty great.”

Despite Lundy having limited success in other divisions of the NAHL last season, Coombs decided to make him a cornerstone of the organization this year as a 20-year-old.

He will age-out at the end of this season and, like many other uncommitted Rebels, is still waiting to see where his hockey journey will take him next fall.

“Recently, we lost a few guys (to injury) who are uncommitted ‘age-outs’ … and it’s been like ‘Hey, men, it’s either do or die,'” Janda said. “We can go home or play for guys like Jon Howe, Lundy and Ryan Waltman. … For me, at least, that’s the biggest thing.”

Regardless, Lundy is still focused on the task at hand right now, beating the Tomahawks to set up a date with East Division No. 1 New Jersey or No. 4 Northeast.

“I knew coming into this season that I had a goal. It’s still not achieved yet, but everybody on this team has been helping me out so much to try to achieve that,” Lundy said of a Division I scholarship offer. “Now is the biggest time of the year when a lot of eyes are on our games. This upcoming playoff series will be a huge platform for, not just me, but everybody else in that locker room. There is one guy with a scholarship right now who is healthy, so there are a lot of guys who all want the same goal.”

Based on how far Lundy and the Rebels have come this season, you’d be hard-pressed to count them out now.

“I think there will be later committments with colleges still sorting out who’s coming back and who’s turning pro,” Coombs said. “I certainly think John will land on his feet.

“He’s been fantastic,” Coombs added. “Somebody is going to get a really good player.”