Tommy Wingels would have been an easy sell if Northwestern had a Division I hockey program when he was searching for a college.
Playing a high level of hockey near home would have been enticing for Wingels, who is from Wilmette and attended New Trier High School. Instead, he ended up playing at the University of Miami Ohio because Northwestern, nor any other school in the state, had a D-I program.
Even now after a successful career at Miami and having gone onto the NHL and the Blackhawks, Wingels still wonders what could have been if an in-state school had been an option.