These days, the hockey path of Andrius Kulbis-Marino is quite rare.
The Sacred Heart-bound defenseman from Methuen, Mass., stayed close to home to begin his scholastic career and helped Lowell Catholic High School make four consecutive MIAA playoff appearances. The Crusaders won the Division 2 state title during Kulbis-Marino’s junior year.
After increasing his point total each year with the Crusaders and captaining the team as a senior, the 6-foot-1, 174-pound Kulbis-Marino joined Albany (N.Y.) Academy as a post-graduate this winter. He has made a seamless transition to a new blue line for head coach Stephen Needham, recording five goals and seven assists for a team-leading 12 points in 14 games.
Kulbis-Marino, who will play a season of junior hockey before moving to Sacred Heart, joins Joshua Kummins for New England Hockey Journal’s latest Commitment Q&A:
How would you describe yourself as a player? Are there NHL players you try to emulate?
I like to use my skating to turn defense into offense. I move the puck well and like to make plays, so I'd compare myself to Roman Josi from the Nashville Predators.
Why was Sacred Heart the best fit for your college career?
I really liked the coaches and the campus. I felt that it was a good fit for me, balancing between school and hockey.
What did you take away most from your conversations with head coach C.J. Marottolo and his staff?
All the coaches have been there for a while, and I really liked them. First, they were just great people. They had everything set hockey-wise and school-wise. I like that they were involved in the school, with the players doing their schoolwork as well. You could tell they're there to help the players.
Was staying close to home in New England important to you? What other schools did you consider?
I wanted to stay close. I didn't want to be too far. I wanted to be able to drive to school. Sacred Heart was in a good area that I liked and it's not too far from my house. It's about 2.5 to three hours away from my house.
Holy Cross, UMass Lowell, and Maine were the other three schools.
Your path is pretty unique these days as you played high school hockey for four years before moving to Albany Academy this season. What made staying at home and finishing your tenure on that team the right route for you? Â
I didn't really know about prep school or anything else at first, so I went to Lowell Catholic and played there from ninth through 12th grade. I really focused on getting better, and we had some good years there. The experience really helped me because I wasn't far from home, so I was able to do my schoolwork and play hockey. I really developed for those four years and knew that I'd have somewhere to play afterwards. Everything worked out at Albany Academy.
What did you improve upon most during your time at Lowell Catholic?
I had great coaches in youth hockey and right up through high school who all helped me develop. We had a great team. I was able to play my game for the four years there.
How did those coaches impact your career most?
Dan and Matt Ronan and Paul Carroll coached me from squirts up to U14 (for the Boston Junior Rangers), and they really focused on skating and development with my skills. Growing up, I played for Methuen Youth Hockey. My coaches in high school ― Tom Curran, Marc Bishop, Tim Curran, John Dixon, and Scott Geddis ― all let me play my game and, at practice, helped me develop throughout my four years.
Your story is an example that you don't have to jump right to prep school or juniors in order to reach the goal of playing college hockey. What advice would you give to a player who wants to play at the college level and is either following your path through a high school program or is unsure about his own path?
Just focus on your team and yourself and just getting better even if it's not the best league or team. If you work on your skating and skills to help your team, opportunities will come and you'll have somewhere to play beyond high school.
For you, how special is the fact you were able to follow that path and still achieve your ultimate goal?
It was great. A lot of times, kids will be on teams and not play much, but I always got to play for those four years. I was playing in every game, a lot of shifts and situations, and was able to develop a lot. Being there and playing consistently helped me a lot.
When did attending prep school come into the equation for you?
Coach Needham contacted my brother (Mikas) and I, and then we toured Albany Academy. We didn't tour anywhere else. We wanted to come here because it was going to be a good fit for us between school and hockey.
What has the adjustment to prep school hockey been like?
I've used everything I learned in high school here, but the level of play is higher here. You have to move your feet more and play faster because the guys are faster. I'll have to develop and get even faster in order to play at the next level.
What have you learned most about your game so far this season?
The season has gone pretty well so far. Our team is around .500. I've had to learn to play defense more against some of the better teams around here, and it's going to be like that at the next level. I'm just trying to use everything I've learned and develop to better me here.
The coaching staff ― Coach Needham, Jeff Buvinow, and Coach P.J. ― has helped me transition to this level and taught me about the little things that will help me get ready for the next level.
What are your goals for the rest of this season and next before heading to Sacred Heart?
I'm just looking to keep developing this year and have a good season. Next year, I'll play a year of juniors.
