He wore the ‘C’ for Duluth East boys hockey, then became a captain for United States Military Academy West Point hockey, and now Ricky Lyle Jr. is skating up to the pros.

On Monday the Duluth native signed his first professional contract with the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL.

In four seasons with the Army, the senior forward recorded 33 goals and 28 assists in 124 games played.

Playing for Duluth East from 2015-2019, Lyle scored 34 goals adding 36 assists helping the Greyhounds to two state tournaments.