Gavin Cornforth had a good idea of what he was up against when he left Thayer Academy at age 15 in 2022 to play for the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints.
“The coaches told me, ‘You’re probably only going to get 30 to 40 games this season and it’s going to be really tough for you, mentally and physically,’ ” said Cornforth (Milton, Mass.), a 5-foot-9 right wing.
Sure enough, that rookie season was a grind. He finished with four goals and 10 points in 49 games, not the kind of stats he was accustomed to after averaging more than a point per game as a freshman at Thayer.
“I didn’t play a ton,” he said. “Didn’t get a ton of points. Didn’t get a ton of ice time, but it definitely taught me how to live like a pro — that’s what the coaches call it. That first year was a big learning curve but very good for my development.”
Fast forward to 2024-25 — Cornforth’s third season – and without question, he is a USHL success story.
He has surpassed the 20-goal plateau, leads his first-place team in points and wears an ‘A’ as an alternate captain.
He’s developed as a player and grown as a person. He committed to Boston College after his first USHL season, and when he arrives there later this year, he’ll be well-prepared to contribute for coach Greg Brown (a former head coach in Dubuque) and the Eagles.
Cornforth’s quick ascent to the USHL was out of the ordinary.
After an excellent season playing for Tony Amonte at Thayer (“He’s a tough coach, but it’s tough love,” said Cornforth), he was chosen by Dubuque with the 12th pick in the first round of the USHL Futures Draft in 2022.
It’s called the Futures Draft for a reason. Players who are selected generally don’t move up to the USHL right away.
Oftentimes, they attend the team’s tryout camp in June so they can become familiar with the surroundings, the coaches and other team personnel. Most of the time they head back to wherever they are playing that year.
But Cornforth couldn’t go to tryout camp. He had an injured tendon in one of his fingers, which was in a cast. Instead, when the team held its preseason training camp in September, Cornforth took time away from Thayer to attend.
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Gavin and his parents, Mark and Stacey, weren’t really thinking that he might make the team.
“We went out there with the anticipation that it would be more for the experience of it,” said Mark Cornforth, who played four years on defense at Merrimack, followed by a pro career that included six games with the Boston Bruins and 141 games with the Providence Bruins.
Several days into camp, however, Mark realized that his son did not look out of place.
“I was like, 'Wow, Gavin can keep up with these guys.’ He played with confidence. Didn't back down from the physicality, which is tough. He was only 15 years old going against kids that are 19, 20 years old that are already on the team,” said Mark.
After a good performance in a preseason game, the Cornforths talked with Kalle Larsson, Dubuque’s president of hockey operations and general manager, and the coaches.
“They said, ‘Listen, we have a spot for him if he wants to stay.’ We were definitely a little surprised,” said Mark.
“We didn't know if (Gavin) wanted to be there because it's a big move for him. He was already enrolled in his sophomore year at Thayer. He came out (after the preseason game) with his bag and his sticks. He thought he was coming home.
“Stacey and I were like, ‘Didn't they talk to you?’ He said, ‘Yeah, they said good game and stuff.’
“And then I said, ‘You made the team if you want to stay.’ His face immediately lit up. Like, ‘Really? Yes, I definitely do.’ ”
Mark was well aware of the challenges facing his son. At 16, he left home in Montreal and went to Pembroke, Ontario, to play junior hockey.
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“The decision was up to him. It’s a very iffy proposition to go out (to the USHL) at such a young age, but we explored the options and it was in his best interest to go,” said Mark.
The Cornforths did their due diligence, including a long conversation between Mark and NHL Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla. Iginla and Mark, along with John Sadowski, coached Gavin on the Boston Junior Eagles for a couple of seasons.
“Drawing on Jarome’s personal experience in the WHL, he strongly advocated for playing at the highest level possible with the best players around,” Mark recalled. “He was confident that Gavin could play and handle the pressures of the USHL.”
Once the decision was made, Gavin jumped in with both skates.
“Once you’re here, it’s on you,” Gavin said. “The team treats you as an adult. If you’re not awake at a certain time, you’re not playing that week because you’re late to the rink. It’s definitely taught me a ton of lessons, just taking care of myself on and off the ice. Lots of learning experiences in the last three years.”
Going to school online has been part of the routine.
“You definitely miss out on the high school experience. There’s a ton of things you miss out on, but at the end of the day, hockey is my goal and what I want to do for a career. So I had to make that choice and sacrifice those things to come here and I was willing to do it,” he said.
On the ice, Cornforth’s game has trended in the right direction throughout his time in Dubuque. He improved from 10 points in 49 games during his first season to 15-17-32 in playing all 62 games in his second year. He finished this season with 27 goals and 54 points in 62 games.
Former Dubuque coach Kirk MacDonald, now in his first year as head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL, flashed a big grin when asked about coaching Cornforth.
“Corny’s the man. He grinded through that first year (as the youngest non-NTDP player in the league.) Had some learning mistakes as a young kid. Being a three-year player in (the USHL) makes a big difference. It's OK to overripen and be ready (for college),” said MacDonald.
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Cornforth wouldn’t change anything.
“Staying another year at Thayer, playing a ton, yeah, that would have been awesome. But I’ve been having a great season this year. I don’t have any second thoughts about leaving (prep) too early. The USHL has been awesome for me. Dubuque’s a great organization,” he said.
“I definitely think I made the right decision. No regrets.”
