Playing college hockey and going to school at Brown University might seem like too good of a story to be true for a kid who grew up in nearby Warwick, R.I.
However, that’s exactly the opportunity Zach Giuttari has had over the past three seasons. He’s been able to enjoy a world-class education while playing big-time college hockey in the ECAC.
“I couldn’t ask for anything else. I’m not a homebody, but I grew up wanting to get the best education possible and play hockey as long as possible. Brown has given me everything I could have possibly asked for and more,” said Giuttari.
Playing so close to home has its perks, including plenty of family and friends to come to home games. Giuttari says he typically has 10-20 people in the stands at Meehan Auditorium to support him and his teammates.
Those fans have had more reason to cheer of late. Brown is back at .500 with a mark of 10-10-3 thanks to a 9-4-2 stretch that has included wins over nationally ranked Quinnipiac and Union, both coming on the road. It’s the first time since 2013-14 that the Bears have been at .500 or better after the semester break.
“We’ve been more consistent whether it’s in practice or in games. We’ve bought into our systems. It’s cliche, but we really have. Our assistants have put in a lot of work. We’ve picked up on the systems and we do it game in and game out for the most part. We’ve been consistent in our work ethic and how we approach games and practices,” Giuttari explained.
Individually, Giuttari’s game has elevated as well. He has five goals and six assists while having the best plus/minus, +10, of any Brown player. He said an improved sense of urgency has been a big reason for his uptick in production.
“When I watched video with my assistants, I realized my demeanor could be more engaged. I’m sometimes standing on the outskirts of the play. I’m trying to get more involved in the play, especially in the offensive zone,” Giuttari commented.
“I try to keep it simple on the back end. I just try to get the puck to the forwards, but I’m trying to help out more on the offensive side,” added Giuttari, who played prep hockey at Loomis Chaffee in Windsor, Conn.
Improving skill development has been a major theme of the coaching staff this season. Former UMass star James Marcou joined the staff that already included head coach Brendan Whittet and Jason Guerriero. Part of becoming a better individual player is identifying your strengths and weaknesses and trying to emulate similar players at the pro level.
“I just had that conversation with James Marcou, who told me to watch a couple of different defensemen from around the NHL. Watch different players and how they do different things well. One of them was (Boston Bruins defenseman) Torey Krug on how engaged he looks and anticipating pucks,” Giuttari said.
Giuttari has slowly slid onto the radar of NHL scouts watching the college hockey circuit. He has good size and skates well while keeping things steady and consistent. There are areas of his game that he still needs to work on to reach the game’s top level, but the potential is there.
“My goal is to play in the NHL. I have to keep improving my game and take the next step. I want to develop more physically, put on some more weight, get a little faster and a little smarter. Hopefully once my time at Brown is done, I can make the jump,” said Giuttari, who has been on skates since he was 2 years old.
Hockey is a big part of the Giuttari family. His older brother, Ian, played high school hockey. His younger brother, Matthew, just graduated from Loomis Chaffee where he was a member of the hockey team. His younger sister, Michaela, is a junior on the women’s hockey team at Hamilton.
So, how did the four Giuttari siblings become so adept at playing hockey?
“My dad never actually played hockey, but he always loved watching it. My mom had five brothers and they all played hockey,” explained Giuttari.
“My older brother was on the ice at instructional at Cranston and I would get dragged along. My mom said I would always cry in the stands that I wanted to get out there with my brother. They finally threw me on skates at age two and loved it,” he added.
If hockey doesn’t work out in the long run, Giuttari has a world-class education to fall back on. He said he’s always wanted to be an engineer and he’s on track to make that happen after graduating from Brown.
“I want to be an engineer. I have always liked math more than writing papers,” Giuttari joked.
“I’m an engineering and (economics) major. I had always wanted to be an engineering major, but because of practice times and class times, I had to delay my start. I got started on the (economics) track too. I’m on track to do both now,” he continued.
Giuttari and the rejuvenated Bears host Cornell and Colgate this weekend at Meehan Auditorium.
