Prep school hockey has benefits well beyond just moving up the hockey ladder. Look no further than Woburn, Mass., native Dan Ronan as living proof.
Ronan came from a blue-collar family and wanted to play at Belmont Hill for the hockey aspect, but he is still reaping the rewards of his experience at the prestigious all-boys prep school, despite his playing days being in the rearview mirror.
“For me, I grew up in Woburn. My dad was a carpenter who didn’t go to college. It was as much about hockey as it was education. At the time I didn’t realize all the benefits of going to a place like Belmont Hill,” said Ronan.
After starring at Belmont Hill and graduating in 1994, he went on to a successful college career at Boston University, playing for the legendary Jack Parker (Somerville, Mass.). The Terriers won a Hockey East championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament three times, including two appearances in the Frozen Four during his tenure on Commonwealth Ave.
The academic part of going to school at BU was easier for Ronan, a tough defenseman on the ice, due to attending Belmont Hill.
“The benefit of prep school is education and the ability to build a network. For me, going to BU was easy compared to going to Belmont Hill with the way prep schools prepare you with the rigorous academic programs. If you’re a serious student, you’re extremely well-prepared when you get to college,” said Ronan.
“The strong academics, small classrooms, teachers pushing you to learn, and the focus from advisors was unbelievable,” added Ronan on the specific advantages.
Despite all the team’s success, Ronan knew his future entailed a career after hockey.
“The big picture is getting a job. There are very few jobs available in the NHL. A lot of guys can play in the minors like me, but you have to be able to turn the page,” said Ronan.
“I knew I wasn’t good enough for the NHL, even when I was at BU. I wasn’t Chris Drury, Tom Poti, Jay Pandolfo or Shawn Bates,” said Ronan, listing off a few of his college teammates who would go on to have prosperous careers in pro hockey.
After playing minor pro for three seasons, Ronan hung up the skates and turned to law school, thinking he wanted to work in an NHL front office or as a sports agent representing hockey players. During law school at BU, Ronan found out firsthand the benefits of Belmont Hill’s vast network of alums.
“When I was at law school at BU, I needed an internship. I wasn’t at the top of my class and it was hard for me to get a job at a big firm. I was trying to get into a front office at a NHL club or go the agent route. I wrote a letter to Josh Kraft. The Krafts were a big Belmont Hill family. Within a couple of days I had a reply back. They told me to come down and I had an internship with the New England Patriots,” explained Ronan.
Now the senior director for BNY Mellon Wealth Management, he has been fortunate enough to rely on many of the opportunities that were afforded to him because of Belmont Hill.
“For me because I’m a fairly sociable person, the ability to reach out and network and have an immediate connection is very intimate,” Ronan said. “Over the years I can only count one or two times that a person from Belmont Hill didn’t get back to me fairly quickly.”
Playing days
While Ronan never made it to the NHL, he lived out a dream of many young hockey players who grow up in the Boston area. He played for the scarlet and white in four Beanpot tournaments on the first and second Monday of February. The challenge of making the roster at powerhouse Belmont Hill forced him to work even harder to hone his craft to the point where playing college hockey was possible.
“At Belmont Hill, you’re still trying to figure out where you’re at as a hockey player. Back then no one made it as a freshman. But, if you made it as a sophomore, you had a really good chance to play Division 1 hockey,” Ronan explained.
“When I made the team as a sophomore, that was a big moment. I kicked things into high gear in terms of dedication and knowing I really had a shot at this,” said Ronan, who sits on the board for the Travis Roy Foundation.
Ronan was part of three very good teams at Belmont Hill, playing for Ken Martin. During his senior year, five members of his class were committed to playing Division 1, including current coach Jeremiah McCarthy, who played at Harvard.
“We had really good teams at Belmont Hill. My senior year we had five Division 1 players in our class. We lost in the New England semifinals to Canterbury, but we had a great year,” Ronan reminisced.
Despite the good records, part of the fun was waiting for the Boston Globe to publish its weekly list of the prep standings. Without the Internet, there was more focus on just winning games and not worrying about scoreboard watching.
“It was different back then with no Internet. You didn’t know what place you were in. There was no RPI. It was very different. We were focused on winning all the time. There was a lot of discipline and process involved with the coaching,” Ronan explained.
Ronan still counts many former Belmont Hill teammates and classmates among his close friends, skating in a Thursday night hockey league with a few of them.
“There are still a lot of guys I skate with today. There’s the camaraderie of the shared experience. That’s the fun thing,” said Ronan.
Giving back
While Ronan chose a career outside of hockey, he still loves the game. He has been able to find the time to nurture today’s young players through coaching in the New England Fall Prep Hockey League.
“I remember as a kid, people would say to my dad that he’d burn me out. I’m still not burned out and I’m 43 years old,” Ronan said. “Hockey is a big thing in my family. My brother (Matt) played at BU, my cousin (Ed Ronan) played at BU and in the NHL, my cousin (Corey Ronan) just finished playing at UConn, another cousin Keith Ronan played at Wentworth, and I have another cousin (Colin Ronan) who is at national camp right now.”
Ronan got involved in coaching by conducting clinics and camps before jumping into coaching some youth teams in the Eastern Hockey Federation. He’s been a part of the NEFPHL since its inception.
“I just really enjoy coaching, teaching and trying to pass the baton,” Ronan said. “My coaching style with a lot of those kids is to help them in prep school through the season and propel them when they go to college.”
Part of what makes Ronan such a good teacher of the game was his hockey sense that he had from playing a lot of hockey and learning what it took to play at a high level at BU.
“To play at BU, I needed to understand everything that was coached of us. I think I got a really good foundation of understanding the nuances of the game from Jack Parker and the assistants,” said Ronan.
College coaches respect Ronan’s knowledge of the game, which has helped him when it came time to vouching for playings in the NEFPHL.
“You build a rapport with a lot of the coaches. You have to provide good guidance or you won’t have a good reputation and the coaches won’t ask you. I try to be honest and be a straight shooter even with the kids,” said Ronan, who particularly enjoys helping diamonds in the rough find a home in junior hockey or in the NESCAC in Division 3.
One shining example of a player Ronan and the NEFPHL helped guide to college hockey was Ben Solin, a 2016 graduate of Phillips Exeter.
“No one was interested in Ben Solin. I had a very good relationship with (former Harvard associate head coach) Paul Pearl. I knew Ben was a good student. I told Paul he was an auto-commit,” said Ronan.
“A few years back when we had that really good All-Star team, Ben was one of the best players on the ice. Ben always had that chip on his shoulder because he was small. That senior year Ben was as good as anyone in New England. Those are the guys I like to help,” he continued.
Ronan is living proof that prep school hockey can have a long-lasting impact on a player’s life even after his hockey career is over. And now, Ronan is helping to ensure the next generation of prep stars find the experience just as valuable.
