TROY -- RPI hockey standout Jerry D'Amigo has decided to leave school to chase his dream of playing in the National Hockey League.

D'Amigo, a forward, signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who took him in the sixth round of the 2009 entry-level draft. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

By signing with a pro team, D'Amigo, 19, forfeits the final three years of his eligibility.

"This is an opportunity I just could not pass on and I am thankful the people in Toronto believe in me," D'Amigo said.

Unlike some pro sports like baseball or football, NHL teams retain the rights to unsigned college prospects until they leave school. RPI coach Seth Appert was with D'Amigo at the NHL draft in Montreal last year and said his then new recruit was disappointed at being taken 158th overall. D'Amigo was hoping to go as high as the second or third round.

His NHL aspirations began to grow after scoring 10 goals with 24 assists in 35 games as a freshman and was later named ECAC Rookie of the Year. In January he scored a team-high six goals for the United States which won gold at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. After a superb showing at the Maple Leafs prospect camp this summer, D'Amigo decided to leave school after consulting with his family, Appert and the Leafs.

"Most 19-year-olds are one-dimensional, but Jerry is a complete player. He's very physical," said Appert. "He could be a good third-line penalty-killer initially, but I think he will be more than that eventually."

Brian Pothier was the last RPI alumn to play in the NHL. Pothier played for the Carolina Hurricanes last season, but signed with a team Switzerland this offseason. Eighteen players from RPI have played in the NHL, according to RPI spokesman Kevin Beattie.