Hobey Baker Award winners. All-Americans. Future National Hockey League stars.
It’s not at all uncommon to find players with any of those titles skating on New England’s Division 1 rinks every weekend throughout the winter.
There are always plenty of special talents, but the region boasts three players who are filling unique, critical roles for their teams this year. Providence defenseman Michael Callahan (Franklin, Mass.), Merrimack forward Chase Gresock and Holy Cross forward Anthony Vincent (Wilton, Conn.) are donning captain’s letters as sophomores.
Having a ‘C’ or an ‘A’ — in Vincent’s case, the latter — stitched on the jersey is an honor that all three sophomore leaders have not taken lightly.
“It’s just really special that the coaches and my teammates, the guys that I go out there and battle with every day, respect me and picked me as one of their leaders,” said Callahan, a Roxbury Latin product who was an impactful Friar right from the start of his career, posting a plus-19 that was sixth among the country’s rookie blueliners last season.
“I was a little shy at the beginning (of my career) as I tried to get to know the guys, but I definitely felt more comfortable going into this year, even though I don’t think I’m the guy who’s going to try to say too much all the time. I really try to lead by example on and off the ice. Still being a younger guy, it’s really humbling and just an honor to be a captain.”
Wearing a letter is a demanding task in itself, but sophomores in that position do face the added challenge of leading players who can be several years older.
At Merrimack, choosing Gresock to wear a ‘C’ along with seniors Sami Tavernier, Tyler Irvine and Tyler Drevitch (Bridgewater, Mass.) was pretty much a no-brainer because the team’s roster included 15 freshmen and just 12 players with previous collegiate experience entering the season.
Gresock’s closeness to the first-year class in age and the example that he sets on a daily basis gives the nation’s largest first-year class an instant level of comfortability.
“He wears a ‘C’ because of his Monday through Thursday, the effort that he gives and his attention to detail,” said Merrimack coach Scott Borek (Swampscott, Mass.). “He loves to compete and he’s just a really great example for the younger players. He’s in classes and the same dorms with them, so I think it helps to have that strong sophomore presence. I have a world of respect for Chase and I’m not at all surprised that this team wanted to make him a captain.”
Though his team is extremely young and also has dealt with numerous injuries, Gresock still faces some of the same challenges in helping to lead a locker room that includes two older classes of players. He, too, falls into the lead-by-example category.
Being a mentor to the Warrior freshmen is vital and eased some of the potential nerves for the native of Powell, Ohio, taking on the captain’s responsibility, but Gresock has seen growth in himself and learned over the course of a challenging season.
“It can be a little difficult (captaining the team) as a sophomore after being one of the more quiet guys last year and now stepping into a role where you have to speak even if you’re a little uncomfortable in a situation,” said Gresock, who was Merrimack’s leading scorer with 24 points as a freshman and earned Hockey East All-Rookie Team honors.
“But making sure you have a voice that’s heard is part of the job of being a leader. I think I’ve learned when to speak up the most — when guys are too low or too high at times — and just keeping everyone in the room in check and on board.”
Callahan made his mark last year on a Friars squad that made a sixth straight NCAA tournament appearance with 13 juniors and seniors on the roster. Along with senior defenseman Spenser Young (Brentwood, N.H.), Callahan is now tasked with leading 12 freshmen as well as 10 total upperclassmen this season.
For Callahan, who had to break into a veteran locker room, the keys to becoming a successful captain were to be a good teammate, build trust and gain respect within the locker room through his actions on the ice and his demeanor off it and in the locker room.
“I didn’t want to come in and be too overbearing but rather kind of just take it slow and see how they reacted to me being a leader,” he said. “Figuring out when (to be vocal in the room and during games) was something that took me a little while, but I think I’m in a good spot now.”
Callahan points to last season’s assistant captain and defense partner, Vincent Desharnais, as a personal role model for how he has taken on added responsibility with the Providence team and worked at developing his game over the past year.
The two formed what Friars coach Nate Leaman called a strong shutdown pair a year ago, but Callahan has rounded out his offensive side to become a complete player with an expanded role as a sophomore. Through 25 games, his 25 points ranked third on the Friars — behind Hockey East’s two leading scorers in Jack Dugan and Tyce Thompson (Milford, Conn.) — and second among the league’s entire defense corps. And he’s still a plus defensive player.
As far as captains, Callahan and Young offer the Friars a great balance that has led to a charge back to the top echelon of the Hockey East standings.
“ ‘Spense’ has seen just about every situation you can in college hockey, whereas Mike has only been through some of those things once,” Leaman said. “Spense can really pick up some of that slack as far as knowing what to expect and knowing that the second half is going to be a little bit of a different game in our league, but Mike leads with his actions and has a real respect in that room.”
Holy Cross was dealt a significant blow for the home stretch of the Atlantic Hockey regular season as Vincent suffered an upper-body injury that, according to coach David Berard (West Warwick, R.I.), will take him out for an “extended period.” Though the Crusaders are hopeful that Vincent will return before the season’s end, he will leave a gaping hole in the lineup during the push for playoff positioning.
Injuries happen in sports, but most important is how players react and deal with the situation while being a positive influence to the rest of the team. In the meantime, Vincent’s approach remains the same off the ice as it does when he’s wearing an ‘A’ on it.
“Nothing changes as far as motivating, coming into the locker room, just talking to guys and pushing them in the weight room,” he said. “I can still get on the bike but I’m just not doing everything they’re doing, so I’ll have to have more of a vocal role. Being around will not only help them but it pushes me to come back faster as well, so there’s some give and take.”
When Vincent does return to health, Berard hopes that the Crusaders will be a better team after some of the younger players he will continue to lead in the future get a span of more consistent playing time. For the team as a whole, that realization is one positive of situations such as Vincent’s.
However, nobody can replace the heart and toughness that he brings to the ice. Vincent’s nature compares to that of just one other player from Berard’s total coaching career: current Florida Panthers forward and former Providence captain Noel Acciari (Johnston, R.I.).
“Whether it’s scoring a goal, blocking a shot or taking a hit to make a play, he’s the guy who always seems to be doing it,” Berard said. “A warrior and a guy that you want in your trench. He gave us an innate toughness and compete level as a freshman that we haven’t had on our team, so even though he’s a sophomore, just his leadership skills and everything he brings on the ice set the example at a really high level.”
Of course, that’s the mark of a true leader. A true captain.
The likes of UMass products Cale Makar and Mario Ferraro both made an impact as sophomore assistant captains before jumping to the youthful NHL this season. Now, this year’s trio of young New England leaders is getting amped up for the best time on the college hockey calendar.
Coaches often say that freshmen are no longer freshmen in the second half, but Callahan, Gresock and Vincent will all have trusted voices in their respective locker rooms going forward.
“You have to be consistent in order to be successful in college hockey, so just giving it everything I’ve got every day is really important,” said Gresock, whose Warriors are looking to return to the Hockey East playoffs during Borek’s second season at the helm.
“I can’t have any ups and downs, and want to make sure we show these freshmen how important making the playoffs is. Once you get into the playoffs, anything can happen.”
@JoshuaKummins
