What Timothy Lovell lacks in size, he makes up for in confidence. And considering what the 5-foot-6, 124-pound blueliner has accomplished thus far in his blossoming career, he has every reason to beam with pride.
An 18-year-old rookie in the United States Hockey League, Lovell registered one assist in four games with the Chicago Steel to start this season before being dealt to the Des Moines Buccaneers, where he finished wth 16 points (5-11-16) in 27 games.
“Timmy is a really offensive-minded, smooth-skating defenseman,” Buccaneers head coach Peter Mannino said. “And he’s a rink rat. He loves being at the rink and working on his game. He’s always there early when he has time between school and practice.
"Even with his size, he competes and puts in a hard effort. We talk about his defensive game a lot, and he wants to continue to work on those areas. He puts a lot of work into his craft. Anybody who puts in the work can be confident in what they do, and that’s Timmy.”
In addition to earning praise from his bench boss, Lovell has attracted attention from scouts and sits 179th overall among North American skaters in National Hockey League Central Scouting’s midterm rankings for the 2020 NHL Draft.
“I was excited when I saw I was on the list, and knowing the player I am, what I do and the situations in which I play, I think I deserve to be on it,” Lovell said. “The game keeps changing and size doesn’t matter anymore. It used to be a chippy style of game where every defenseman had to be big. Now, you have smaller guys such as Torey Krug (5-foot-9, 186 pounds), Samuel Girard (5-foot-10, 170 pounds) and Jared Spurgeon (5-foot-9, 167 pounds) in the NHL, and there are going to be more guys like them later on.”
Lovell hopes to one day join those defenders in The Show. If he does, one of the first people who will receive a pass to his games will be his dad, Tim, who coached him throughout most of his journey to the USHL, with the Boston Advantage.
“My dad made me the player I am today,” Lovell said. “He taught me many lessons and spent countless hours helping me.”
Lovell was one of the better skaters on his team when he started playing and one of the few players who was adept at skating backward. Those factors, along with his careful decision-making, led to his dad placing him on defense.
The Hingham, Mass., native said playing for his father was “awesome,” but he added that it was “crucial” for him to make smart decisions on the ice.
“Some of the kids made mistakes and got away with it more because they weren’t his kid,” Lovell said. “If I made that same mistake, it would be right to the bench and sitting out a shift or a period, and he would explain that I shouldn’t have done that. He cares about every kid and their development, but being his son was a benefit for me and is why my game is where it’s at right now.”
The most important piece of advice Lovell has ever received from his father didn’t come when he played for him. Instead, it came before he headed to the USHL for this season.
Revealed the left-handed shooter: “My dad told me, ‘If you make a mistake, never dwell on it or sulk. Take one shift at a time. You have to play well every shift; it doesn’t matter if you are winning or losing. The end result is going to make you a better player and a better person. ’”
If Lovell has any uncertainty about whether or not he should follow his father’s words of wisdom, all he must do is remember what his mom, Anne, told him.
“My mom is really nice and is always looking out for me, but when it comes to hockey she mostly leaves it up to my dad,” Lovell said. “She says, ‘Always listen to your dad and your coaches. You’ll be fine if you listen to them and do the right things.’ ”
Lovell has been more than fine. In addition to starring for the Advantage last season, he was given an opportunity to display his talents in the North American Hockey League with the Northeast Generals. He recorded three assists in seven games with Northeast.
More important than his scoring totals, though, was the realization that he needed to elevate his play and become faster and stronger if he was going to succeed at higher levels.
“It was stressful at times playing in the NAHL because there were bodies flying all over the place. It’s a very physical league,” Lovell said. “Overall, it was a great experience because it showed me how much better I needed to get to be the player I want to be. I can’t thank (then-general manager and now head coach and general manager) Bryan Erikson and my uncle (former head coach) Joe Lovell enough for bringing me up to play for them. It was over the top for them to do that, especially because of my size.”
Lovell is quick to note that there are many benefits to being undersized, too. For instance, while bigger players are usually stronger and have more reach, smaller players often have better edges when skating and can make tighter turns and move their feet quicker.
With that in mind, when Lovell made the leap to the USHL this season, he said all he needed was a game to adjust to the quicker tempo. He required even less time to acclimate to Des Moines after being traded by Chicago.
“When I heard I was going to Des Moines I was happy because Chicago already had guys who were similar to me, so they didn’t need me,” Lovell said. “The Buccaneers told me I was going to play on the power play and be able to play my game. I was really excited to go there and show people I was able to play in the league, and not just play in it, but also do the stuff that I know I can do in every game I play in.”
In an instant, Lovell became one of the most important players for the Buccaneers.
“Timmy is an effortless skater, very smooth from a breakout and transitional standpoint,” Mannino said. “He has a high IQ, so he sees the ice really well. He finds outlets. He’s very poised with the puck. He’s quick to make an edgy type of decision to throw people off up ice and in each zone. He’s a power-play quarterback. He’s really good at finding seam passes. He has a sneaky good, quick shot, as well.”
The toughest challenge for Lovell since he entered the USHL has been adapting to life away from the rink, where he’s no longer with his family.
“I’m a homebody,” he said. “It was difficult for me to move out here, but I knew I needed to get away from Boston to play against better competition and continue to improve. It was hard in the beginning, but I got used to it as the season went on because I was so focused on hockey and getting better.”
The good news for Lovell, who originally committed to Ohio State, is he’ll be playing close to home next season, since his future hockey club will be the Boston College Eagles.
“Nothing went wrong with Ohio State; it’s an unbelievable place,” Lovell said. “The only reason I decommitted from that school is because I couldn’t live away from home for four years. I didn’t think I could do it. Boston College is the right fit for me.
"(Head coach) Jerry York, (assistant coach) Brendan Buckley and (assistant coach) Mike Ayers all spoke to me, and Mike Ayers sat down with me and said he wanted me to come to Boston College and thinks it would be the best fit for me as a player, and that one day I could possibly play in the NHL.”
If Lovell does reach the NHL, he will again prove that size no longer matters in The Show.
@LeoScaglioneJr
