Freddy Meyer aims to build ‘lasting footprint’ for prep standouts at Rivers School

Coleman Nee (No. 3) is one of the veteran leaders for the Weston, Mass., prep school. (Dave Arnold/NEHJ)

Freddy Meyer has seen a great deal of what hockey has to offer in his 39 years.

From growing up as undersized, undrafted defenseman playing youth hockey in small-town New Hampshire, to climbing the ladder all the way to senior captain and NCAA first-team All-American at Boston University, where he played on three NCAA tournament teams before moving on to a seven-year career in the National Hockey League, Meyer had to fight for every inch he gained along the way.

But after all those years of hard work, grinding to achieve the highest level of the sport, compensating for his lack of size and playing bigger than he actually was, Meyer’s NHL career came to a screeching halt due to concussions just 281 games after it began. The final blow came on Feb. 3, 2011, when Meyer, 30 at the time and playing for the Atlanta Thrashers, collapsed face-first at center ice in the second period after absorbing a series of, what appeared to be, minimal-grade hits from Calgary.