Reilly Funk inks ECHL deal with Toledo following two seasons at Bemidji State
· Yahoo Sports
Mar. 12—BEMIDJI — Reilly Funk called this week a "whirlwind."
The Bemidji State men's hockey season ended on Saturday night in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The senior center got home at 6 a.m. on Sunday, then woke up five hours later with a few unread texts on his phone.
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"I had to make a decision on what the right fit was for me and the right situation," Funk said.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound left-shot center is out of collegiate eligibility, meaning the options he weighed were of the professional variety. He fielded interest from a handful of ECHL teams before choosing the Toledo Walleye ahead of its four-game road trip.
Funk drove to Minneapolis to make his Tuesday morning flight to Savannah, Georgia. Toledo will play four games in five days against the Ghost Pirates and the South Carolina Stingrays.
"I haven't played that many games in five days in a long time," Funk said with a laugh. "You know, when your season ends, you're down. It's tough on Saturday and Sunday. You're trying to hang out with the guys still, and then you have to make decisions. It gets your mind off of the season ending.
"The (Toledo) coaches here were adamant they wanted me to be a part of the team. I've mentioned it over my two years in Bemidji, but loyalty and showing how much you care are important to me."
The Walleye are in a tie for first place in the Central Division with Fort Wayne. Toledo trails only Kansas City in the Western Conference standings.
"Toledo is a good team, Funk said. "I want to go and keep playing. I want to be a part of a deep playoff run. I want to be a part of a team that's going to make playoffs and be a part of something instead of being done in a month."
Before his two seasons at Bemidji State, Funk played his first three at Northern Michigan. Funk, who battled injuries as an underclassman, had three goals and eight assists in 41 games with the Wildcats before transferring to Bemidji State.
Funk was part of a group of 26 departing NMU players in the 2024 offseason. Along with eight seniors graduating, 18 Northern Michigan players entered the transfer portal. Eleven Wildcats went in during the initial transfer window, with seven more departing after coach Grant Potulny stepped down as head coach to take the Hartford Wolfpack's head coaching position in the American Hockey League.
Funk was part of the group of seven players who entered the portal when the second window opened after Potulny left (players get a two-week window to transfer after a head coach leaves a program).
"Coming into Bemidji after the transfer portal debacle, it was so big for me," Funk said. "I'll be the first one to tell you my first three years in college weren't anything special. I was trying to find my game. I get to Bemidji, and not only do I start clicking with the guys right away, but Tom (Serratore), (Travis Winter) and all of the coaches were phenomenal and let me play my game. Not only did that make it easier to live, but I thrived there."
As a junior, Funk had seven goals and 16 assists in 36 games. He reached a career-high in goals as a senior with 12 and added eight assists to post back-to-back 20-point seasons. He was also one of the CCHA's top faceoff takers in his two seasons at BSU.
Funk graduated with a political science degree in pre-law and was a three-time CCHA Scholar-Athlete, CCHA All-Academic Team selection, AHCA All-American Scholar and CSC Academic All-District.
"I didn't put much thought into (turning pro) in previous years," Funk said of his process in turning pro. "I was just enjoying playing hockey, and that's where I wanted to keep my mindset. Since the season ended, it's just been a whirlwind, just getting down here and meeting the guys and practicing. It's just so cool to get to keep playing, no matter where you're at. Keep doing it and keep having fun doing it every day and there are no complaints."
Funk is the first Beaver to turn pro after the 2025-26 season. BSU went 11-19-3 and was bounced in the first round of the Mason Cup playoffs by third-seeded Augustana for the first time since 2023.
"Being in Bemidji was a phenomenal two years of my life," Funk said. "My family was able to come down every weekend we were at home and watch me play. It's stuff like that you remember for a long time. It'll be easy to come back and be part of that alumni group because of how good these two years were for me. I wish it were for or five years, but it was a phenomenal two years."