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Life is quite busy these days for Academic All-Canadian student-athlete Evan Toth.
 
A veteran on the Bisons men's hockey team with 91 games of U SPORTS experience, the defenceman is balancing on-ice excellence with the demands of medical school. Toth graduated from the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Science last year, and has transitioned to the Max Rady College of Medicine for the next stage of his academic journey.
 
"I love hockey and I love doing it, but I've always wanted to help people," he said.

"I've always felt like I could do more with that, and that I have a gift with my mind and could apply myself. Even when I was playing in [the Western Hockey League], I would pick a topic that's on the MCAT and just learn about it, so that I could help myself when I eventually wanted to go that route. That's always been the plan. That was first and foremost, and after that, I did well on the ice."
 
Toth gets up at around 6:15 am every day, getting to the rink for practice at 7 am. From then on, it's full go for the rest of the day.
 
"I'll generally study before practice in the back room for about 30 minutes, and then do a quick warm-up and get ready to go. We have a meeting at 7:45, and practice at 8. I'm usually off the ice a little bit earlier than the other guys so I can get to class on time, because I have to drive from Fort Garry to Bannatyne. Lectures are generally going to about 3 pm on average. I go home, and study until about 7-8, and then relax before bed. That's a full day."
 
Toth has loved every second of his experience. So far, his time spent in the cadaver lab stands out.
 
"We're only a couple months in, I've got so much more to go, but so far what's been the most fun has been working in [the cadaver lab]. You're working with people who donate their body to science. When you get in there and you see that, you realize how much of a difference it makes," he noted.
 
"Learning from the slides and the lectures is awesome. We have great professors. But it's nothing compared to when you get to get hands on and you get to see something, you see a body and you see the different organs. We're doing cardiology right now and respiratory systems. Seeing a human heart and being able to see the different arteries and veins that come off of it and run through it, it helps so much for me to be able understand what it's supposed to look like."
 
Having grown up in a team setting through hockey, the collaboration and connection he and his classmates have established also stands out.
 
"We're really close. We see each other pretty much every day. It can be long days, and if you're doing it all by yourself, it can kind of suck. One of the nicest things is being able to go, see my classmates and talk and know that they're going through it as well. It's a mosh pit of information that's really hard to take down sometimes, so it's nice to know that we're all going through it together. These are going to be my co-workers moving forward and I couldn't be happier for everyone else who's in my class as well."
 
From a sports standpoint, Toth could have called it a career after 2024-25. He'd obtained his undergraduate degree, and was aware of how demanding medical school schedule would be.
 
But with many familiar faces on the Bisons back, and a great group of recruits coming in, he didn't want to miss the opportunity to be part of something special. More than that, he hopes to show other student-athletes that "you can do whatever you set your mind to."
 
"On the healthcare side, it was important for me to show other athletes that they can aspire to do your best, and go for those high goals. Lots of people might think you can't do it all, and I just want to show them that you can," he said.
 
"That includes doing well on the ice, but also doing well in the classroom. Hockey is unbelievable, but at the end of the day you have to understand that at some point you're going to have to do something else. You're going to have to help in some other way. It may not be medicine like I'm doing, but whatever it is, start preparing for it. You're going to have an important role in society. It's important to start preparing for it now, at least in my mind."