Key facts
Teams: Adirondack Thunder (ECHL); Alabama Huntsville; Boston Bandits; Tabor Academy
Hometown: Warwick, R.I.
Position: Forward
Shoots: Right
Size: 5-10, 179
Age: 27
Notable: Finished 2019-20 first on Adirondack in goals (26) and points (51) in 62 games. Totaled 42 points in 58 regular-season matches and three points (2-1-3) in five Kelly Cup playoff contests in 2018-19 with Adirondack.
Played four years (2013-17) at University of Alabama Huntsville, registering 43 points (17-26-43) in 137 matches. Played three seasons (2007-10) at Bishop Hendricken High School, two campaigns (2010-12) at Tabor Academy and one season (2012-13) with the EJHL Boston Bandits.
Favorites
Food: Chicken parmigiana
TV show: “South Park”
Movie: “The Sandlot”
Actor: Mark Wahlberg
Actress: Emilia Clarke
Musician: Drake
Book: “The Champion’s Comeback” by Jim Afremow
Non-hockey athlete: Tom Brady
Sport other than hockey: “To watch, football. To play, baseball.”
Vacation spot: Cancun
Type of goal: “Because I’m more of a speedy forward, getting a pass wide and using my speed and my leverage and cutting to the net and going from one post to the other. Whether I roof it or not doesn’t matter. Being able to use that speed to score is always fun because you’re moving at such a high pace.
Equipment
Helmet: Warrior (prefer Bauer or CCM)
Stick: Warrior (prefer Bauer)
Gloves: Warrior (prefer Bauer)
Skates: Bauer
The Interview
What’s your favorite hockey memory from when you were a kid?
“I was fortunate enough to be on a sweet summer team called the USA Mission. A lot of players like Jimmy Vesey (North Reading, Mass.) and Matt Grzelcyk (Charlestown, Mass.) were on it. For the majority of the time, we played summer tournaments in Canada — Quebec, Ottawa and Toronto, and we even went to Saskatchewan for one. We won a lot of championships, so I always think back to those days. I played with some good talent, and many of those guys are still playing.”
Which coaches influenced you the most growing up?
“I played for the Providence Junior Friars and Capitals, and Clark Donatelli was my coach for the majority of my years growing up. I played with his son. Even though we were young, having that professional influence from someone who had been through it and learning professionalism and how to handle yourself was huge.
“Then in high school at Bishop Hendricken, Jim Creamer was a big influence for me. Being a Catholic school, it was more faith based, and I remember praying before games as a team and being more of a spiritual man in those tender ages as a teenager growing into a young man where you are more easily influenced.
“And in prep school at Tabor Academy, Gerald Dineen was another great influence. He went to Middlebury College, and he was super-focused on not so much hockey but taking school seriously and using it as a way to excel in knowledge and as a person.”
You played four seasons (2013-17) at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Why did you go there and how was that experience?
“Huntsville is the ‘Hockey Capital of the South.’ The coaching staff that recruited me wasn’t the coaching staff when I got there, but I was talking to Bruce Garber, the assistant coach at the time, while I playing for the Boston Bandits in the EJHL, and he had on a cowboy hat and was really embracing the culture. I had another year left of juniors, but I was ready to go. They had preached a lot about starting over as a program, and being able to be part of a foundation and the start of a new hockey culture there when they entered the WCHA in 2013-14 was a big draw for me.
“It’s a culture shock when you get down there. You’re taking an hour-and-a-half drive to Nashville, a two-hour drive to Tuscaloosa or a four-hour drive to Auburn. Living that Deep South college football lifestyle but playing Division 1 hockey was the best of both worlds. You think the people are going to be more focused on football, but that wasn’t the case with our school and with outside supporters. There are a lot of people supporting hockey down there, and it’s growing. There are youth leagues, and the talent down there is crazy.”
What’s the toughest challenge you’ve faced in hockey so far and how did you overcome it?
“My first full year in the ECHL, 2017-18, I was playing with the Reading Royals and got traded to the South Carolina Stingrays. I played 25 games total that season in the 13th forward role and grinded it out, and ultimately got released right before the playoffs started. That was the low point for me, but that drove me and I realized I wanted to chase a profession in hockey and see how far it goes and prove people wrong. I’m grateful that things have worked out. I’m excited for the future in that regard.”
You just completed your third full season in the ECHL. What’s your top ECHL moment so far?
“Our team (the Adirondack Thunder) didn’t do well this year, but I had a four-goal game and a goal in the shootout (Feb. 28 vs. Reading, a 6-5 Thunder win). Individually, that was the top moment.
“We made the WCHA playoffs one time in my four years at Alabama-Huntsville, so being on a great team last season with the Thunder and being able to experience that playoff atmosphere, even though we got bounced in the first round, was a different beast.”
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received and who gave it to you?
“My father, Scott, and my uncle Michael played a big role in me playing hockey and influenced me in that regard, and it was to sit and look in the mirror and think, ‘If this is something that I want to do, I’ve got to completely give my all to it and be persistent in the fact that if I keep trying, a door may never open, but a window might open. I have to keep knocking, and someone has to answer.’ ”
How does the reality of your hockey journey compare and contrast to what you expected it would be like when you were younger?
“Growing up, everyone has their idea of how things are going to turn out, and it seems like it’s such a linear line and it’s going to be easy, but there are a lot of ups and downs and trials and tribulations. I’m from a small town (Warwick) in Rhode Island, and I’ve traveled all across the country and all parts of Canada playing. Hockey has given me an opportunity to experience different cultures, and it’s really shaped who I am. It’s been a good ride.”
