University of New Hampshire grad Jason Salvaggio (Hanson, Mass.) was a bit of a mystery man at the Traverse City Prospect Tournament.
Salvaggio spent more time in the stands than on the ice, well-dressed, often seen visiting with former Hockey East rivals such as Erik Foley (Mansfield, Mass.; Providence) and Drew Melanson (Boston University). He’s a classic Massachusetts hockey product, a guy who grew up watching New York Rangers assistant GM Chris Drury (Trumbull, Conn.) play at the old Boston Garden.
“I was always at the Beanpot growing up,” said Salvaggio, “leaving school early to watch him (Drury) play. I’ve always been a big fan.”
Salvaggio’s red-cheeked face resembles a map of Ireland, something his former coach dismisses loudly. “Sal-VAG-gio! Cmon, that’s Italian,” said Dick Umile (Melrose, Mass.), the former godfather of Hockey East.
Umile has seen the best of Salvaggio, something the hockey fans in Traverse City did not. Salvaggio, a former sniper for the Wildcats, was put on a checking line at the prospect tourney, on his off-wing, when he wasn’t in his tailored suits up on press row.
Already signed to a minor-league deal, he tried to make the most of his infrequent ice time, even if he was paroling the wrong wing.
“I was slotted there (on his off-wing), didn’t think much about it,” said Salvaggio. “I try to play my game, heavy on the puck, get shots on net.”
After taking a grandson to an early September hockey practice, UNH coaching legend Umile checked in from New Hampshire. He kind of liked the idea of his left-shooting wingman cruising the right-side boards.
“Once he crosses the blue line with the puck, Jason can be very dangerous with his stick in the middle of the ice,” Umile said.
Umile knows first-hand about Salvaggio’s gift for filling the net, especially the 2016-17 season when the UNH junior season broke out with 23 tucks. But instead of being a power-play specialist as a Ranger, he begins his career as a utility role-player.
Former Wildcat Gordie Clark is the Rangers’ director of player personnel, and before giving the Rangers the green light for signing, he called up to Durham to see if Salvaggio had the makeup for the professional grind: “I had to have Dickie’s (Umile) endorsement, check with Dickie on the character, knowing how tough it’s going to be in the NHL and the AHL, and pro hockey in general. Does he have the makeup of going against faster, stronger guys? Dickie had no problem with that, 100 percent behind him.”
Observing Salvaggio, you can see through his street clothes and his uniform that he is thickly muscled, clearly carrying more than the listed 190 pounds on his 6-foot frame. That powerful physique is no accident. “In the weight room, he is second to none,” said Umile, “a dedicated athlete, with an awful lot of skill.”
Umile has seen hundreds of hockey hopefuls come and go through Durham, and he believes strongly that Salvaggio will not only stick in pro hockey, but thrive. “He’s the kind of player that will get better the higher the level he plays in. Power forward, good hands, good shot. He was a threat to score a big goal every night.”
Salvaggio came and left as a stranger in Traverse City, where he will continue on to the Rangers training camp and almost certainly settle in with Hartford of the AHL. He might be under most fans’ radar, but he’s left ripples of appreciation — and bushels of goals — everywhere he’s played: with the South Shore Kings, South Kent Prep and in Durham, not to mention Indianapolis, where he helped the Ice claim a USHL championship.
His character and work ethic make it likely he will continue to ply his craft, on either wing, for years to come.
