Although Rhode Island is most commonly known as the smallest U.S. state, its hockey community is an even smaller club.
Naturally, the capital city of Providence long has been a hockey hub for Brown University senior Zach Giuttari (Warwick, R.I.), Providence College freshman Parker Ford (Wakefield, R.I.) and players from all over the Ocean State. Suiting up for the only two Division 1 hockey programs in their home state and representing that small community has been a dream come true.
“I commuted up to Providence all the time growing up,” said Ford, who played at PC’s Schneider Arena often during his youth career with the Edgewood Hawks and Providence Capitals programs after calling the University of Rhode Island’s Boss Arena his first hockey home.
“It can be kind of a far drive (up to Providence) if you’re a Rhode Islander from the other side of the state, but I’d consider it my home as well. Now playing for this program that I grew up watching is really special.”
The transition to college hockey can be challenging for any freshman, especially at the center position. Ninth-year head coach Nate Leaman had never regularly had a rookie in the middle of his top line prior to Ford’s arrival with the Friars, who also feature East Providence native Shane Kavanaugh, a senior, on their roster.
But the 6-foot, 180-pound Ford isn’t just soaking in his first months as a Friar. He’s having a big impact alongside junior Greg Printz and sophomore Jack Dugan, the latter whose 26 points had him running away with the Hockey East scoring lead through 12 games.
“I think we’re asking a lot out of Parker and he’s doing a great job for us,” Leaman said. “He’s got an unbelievable work ethic that has helped drive that line. And his attributes — great skating, very good vision and a very good shot release — have made him a perfect fit to play with those two guys.”
Ford immediately made his way onto the scoresheet as well, logging eight points over his first five games and later scoring his fourth goal during a Nov. 9 win over Boston University. The instant chemistry with new linemates helped Ford become a crucial part of the Friar offense.
“They have taken me under their wing, teaching me the ways and the systems of our team, our structure and goals every day,” Ford said. “Jack is kind of a magician with the puck and does some phenomenal things out there, so it’s been fun to play with him and also learn from spending time with him every day.”
Giuttari’s career approached the 100-game mark in mid-November, but it started similarly to Ford’s.
After playing across the street from Brown’s campus at Moses Brown School, moving to Loomis Chaffee and then finishing his pre-collegiate career with a season of junior hockey in British Columbia, he returned home to the Ocean State to play for a fellow Rhode Islander in 11th-year head coach Brendan Whittet.
Though Giuttari doesn’t consider himself a “homebody,” getting to play hockey at an incredible academic school just miles from his home offered the best of both worlds for a member of an academically focused family.
“Brown gave me the best possible offer because education was the No. 1 thing — even more than hockey — for me growing up. And you’re not going to beat Brown going almost anywhere else,” said Giuttari, who is just the second Rhode Islander to play for the Bears in this decade. “Being able to play hockey here was special and I get to have my family and friends cheering us on at every game, so it was the perfect fit for every single aspect of my life.”
East Providence native Whittet and his Bears have raised the bar throughout Giuttari’s career, increasing their win total over each of the past three years. Last season’s Brown club earned 15 victories and claimed two ECAC playoff series to advance to the conference’s semifinal round in Lake Placid, N.Y., for the first time since 2013.
From the coach’s perspective, his top-pair defenseman has played no small part in helping Brown shape its hard-nosed team identity and passing it along to 10 new freshmen. Like Ford, work ethic was a noticeable trait from the first day that Giuttari set foot on College Hill.
“Zach is a highly competitive, driven individual who has really taken off over his four years here,” Whittet said. “He came into a program where he played right away and his work ethic has allowed him to make huge strides over his four years here. He wasn’t our sixth or seventh defenseman and I think he learned a lot from that playing experience.
“We want the best people and the best players, but when that is also a Rhode Islander, I think that is a great thing.”
Brown was the perfect fit for Giuttari, and he has been a perfect fit for the team. He is concluding his college career as Whittet’s team captain, becoming the first Rhode Islander to wear a letter at Brown since 2007-08.
That fact was not a surprise to longtime Moses Brown coach Larry Tremblay, who remained an assistant with the program after retiring in 2014. He saw leadership qualities in Giuttari as a freshman, with one particular memory from a tournament at Princeton (N.J.) Day School standing out.
“We were up by one in the third period and they had pulled the goalie so I told the players to get over the red line before they dumped the puck in, but Zach took the puck behind the net with nobody attacking him and just fired the puck into the net at the other end,” Tremblay said. “Even though I told him not to, he had confidence in what he was doing even back then. He was just a good kid, and everything he’s doing now is certainly deserved.”
Some of Brown’s opponents might rank higher in terms of overall skill, but Giuttari knows the style that the Bears need to continue to develop. He hopes last year’s late surge is the jumping-off point for bigger and better things this year and in the years following.
“We’re not North Dakota, Wisconsin or St. Cloud, but we know that we can compete with any other team if we play our style of hockey,” Giuttari said. “We have to outwork them, use our speed and just chip pucks deep and grind them down. Last year was an unbelievable experience for guys on our team to see that it doesn’t matter where you start. It’s all about improving and being your best at the end of the year.”
Giuttari has followed that message throughout his own time at Brown. He’s playing his strongest hockey now with his career coming to a close, having recorded a team-leading five assists in his first six games after earning an invite to an NHL development camp with the Calgary Flames over the summer.
Even in the smallest state, there are plenty of Division 1 role models for up-and-coming hockey players. Fourteen Rhode Island natives can be found on rosters throughout the country spanning from the city of Providence to the likes of Boston University, Northeastern and Michigan State, but both Leaman and Whittet know their homebodies are just examples of what local fans can appreciate.
“When I was growing up I worshipped those Providence teams with Chris Terreri and Tim Army, so they gave me something to look toward,” Whittet said. “Now guys like Zach are giving young players growing up here those same goals and aspirations. Providence has been more consistent than us as a program, but we’re building in the right direction and that’s a testament to Zach and other guys that have paved the way for our culture. The better we are and Providence is, I think that’s a great thing for the state.”
“The way Parker plays and his personality, he’s Rhode Island through and through,” Leaman said, noting Ford’s attention to the forecheck and overall defensive game. “There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s going to be a fan favorite here for four years because of how hard he works and his skill and style. It’s going to be real easy for all of Rhode Island to relate to him.”
@JoshuaKummins
