Sean Keohane is a perfect example of hard work paying off.
The 6-foot-4 defenseman from Milton, Mass., who bounced between JV and varsity as a freshman four years ago at Dexter Southfield School in Brookline, was selected as a sixth-round pick by the Buffalo Sabres in this year's NHL Draft.
“It was a great moment for my family and I,” Keohane, 18, said. “It’s every hockey player’s dream growing up to get drafted. It was incredible to be with my family who have supported me throughout the whole journey and have them by my side when I saw my name on the screen.”
Keohane, who will play juniors later this year in the USHL with the Tri-City Storm and has committed to playing Division 1 college hockey at Harvard in the fall of 2024, thought he could be drafted between the fifth and seventh rounds. So instead of attending the draft, he hung out at home with family and friends. Buffalo was on his radar as he felt he had a strong interview with the team, but he did not know the Sabres were going to select him as pick No. 173 until it happened live on the NHL Network on June 29.
“It was kind of funny,” Keohane said. “The NHL Network was doing an interview at the time so there wasn’t direct coverage of the PA announcer in the stadium. I saw Buffalo was up, so I sat up in my seat and was kind of battling the noise from the interview that was on the main stream, and in the background, you can still hear the PA announcer announcing who was each pick. I heard Dexter and the whole living room erupted. I got a call from a bunch of the members of the staff from Buffalo and a call from my hockey advisor, Jerry Buckley. It was a crazy day. I am really glad they took a chance on me.”
Dexter Southfield coach Dan Donato, who visited Keohane’s house later that night to offer his congratulations, said he was surprised Keohane fell to the sixth round, but he’s excited for Keohane and thinks he is a great fit for the Sabres.
“There’s not a lot of 6-4 defenseman that can get around the ice like he can,” Donato said. “He can shoot it. He has a lot of good attributes. I think at the college or pro level, Sean is going to be a very reliable, dependable puck mover. When he fills in, he’s probably going to get a little more of an edge as he gets bigger, stronger and more confident. I’m not saying he doesn’t play tough; he certainly does, but I think for the next level, if he fills in and is not afraid to mix it up and continues to work on his puck skills, he’s going to be a really good get for Buffalo.”
https://twitter.com/BuffaloSabres/status/1674474756710473736?s=20
Keohane attended Sabres development camp July 2-6 but did not skate, as he has been recovering from surgery in April to repair a dislocated left labrum. He should be cleared by his doctor to play for the Tri-City Storm between by mid-September.
“I was on the bench for everything, so it was a unique week,” Keohane said. “You get to know the trainers and staff a bit more than a player who is skating and does not have any injuries. I got really close with a bunch of the staff members and ran through (physical therapy) with them for an hour in the morning. After that, one of their strength coaches ran me through a lower-body workout. Then I headed over to the rink and hung out with the guys on the bench. It was an awesome week because I feel like I got the best of both worlds of meeting everyone who has been involved in the day-to-day life of the big club. I’m already looking forward to getting back here next summer for development camp.”
Keohane has put in the work to get to where he is. Donato said Keohane was “riding the pine” as a freshman but he kept developing his game and over time, wound up playing every major role on the team ranging from power play, penalty kill and matching up against the other team’s top players.
GOING TO HARVARD: Richard Gallant picks Harvard | So does Thatcher Bernstein
Keohane could have left Dexter Southfield to play juniors for his senior year of high school hockey but stayed and tallied four goals and 12 assists in 32 games, served as a team captain and helped the squad reach the NEPSAC Large School semifinals.
“I’m a huge believer in you finish what you start,” Keohane said. “You don’t have all of these mentors and supporters by your side just to ditch them in your last year. That’s one of the reasons. Another reason is you are only a senior in high school once and you are around your high school friends for a limited amount of time. To get that extra nine months to see my family every night, and on top of that, to see my friends at school and battle with them on the ice, was important. So coming back was a huge thing for me. I knew when I made the decision to stay, it wouldn’t hurt or harm me in any way. I loved my time at Dexter. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”
Donato commended Keohane for staying at Dexter Southfield.
“I think his patience paid off,” Donato said. “He already had the Harvard commitment. He wanted to finish the job. He’s a loyal kid like that, which I think is somewhat rare in hockey in this day and age. I think too many kids are leaving to go to juniors too early and are finding out the hard way that, ‘Maybe I should have waited a year.’ He is proof that if you work hard, live in the weight room, and listen to the coaching staff, things can turn out the right way for you.”
Keohane’s father, Sean, who ran track at Providence, got him interested in hockey when he was 4 or 5. Keohane’s goal of wanting to play pro hockey sunk in around his U-14 hockey season with the South Shore Kings under head coach Dave Franzosa, whom he also played under for his U-15 through U-18 seasons with the Cape Cod Whalers and in the Foxboro Summer Prep League.
Keohane admits he was a late bloomer to the hockey circle. He never made a Massachusetts top 40 or even sniffed a national camp from age 15 to 17.
“It’s a true credit to everyone who has supported me and had my back, from club hockey with the Whalers to everybody involved at Dexter,” he said. “You just have to stay on the same path. Everyone takes different roads to get to this point.”
Keohane also noted the help of his trainers. Since age 12, he has skated under the guidance of Max Gratchev and Max Pro Hockey Club. Shane Relihan, who runs Athlete Conditioning Training in Rockland, Mass., also has played a huge role in Keohane’s development.
Keohane reports to the Tri-City Storm on Aug. 29. He will start on the non-contact list but intends to be cleared to play for the Storm’s first games on Sept. 29 and 30.
In preparation for his time with the Tri-City Storm, Keohane said he will continue zoning in on his footwork and explosiveness.
“I feel strong with my skating when I get going, but you can never have fast enough skates as a defenseman going from battling in the corner and seeing it out in front of the net to jumping up in the rush and being the third guy,” he said. “That’s something that’s been huge for me.”
He also has worked on his shot to make sure it is hard and low to the net from the point, focused on using his long reach to make his physical presence known and watched film.
THE FUTURE: 10 standout forwards from the '08s at Crimson Combine | 5 standout defenders and goalies
After one year with Tri-City, Keohane will play for Harvard next fall.
“When you get an opportunity to play 20 minutes from your house and for a team that I grew up watching, it’s something up there, too, as a dream of mine,” Keohane said. “When I was approached by their coaching staff my junior year, I felt like it was a great fit for me both academically and hockey-wise.”
