I started playing hockey from watching my two cousins. I grew up on a pond, so naturally, when it freezes in the winter, I ended up skating on the ice and whatnot. But what really inspired me was watching my cousins play in High School and go on to win state finals. My own hockey journey started in elementary school, then I made the jump to AAA with CP Dynamo, the local team. Then, I just worked my way up and played for the varsity team in high school, where I was fortunate enough to be the captain.
During the summer, I work on a farm. I live in a horse racing town with a horse racing track; it’s around 250 years old. It’s the oldest horse racing track in the world. So, we host races; people come and gamble at the racetrack. And yeah, it’s something that’s interesting. I’m helping with anything from hopping on the tractors and doing maintenance, to training and helping with the racehorses. It’s cool to just be around the process and be a part of the work that’s put in.
A cool player I’ve met is Jimmy Vesey. People don’t really know about him; he’s bounced around a bit between the Rangers and the Devils. When I was in fifth grade, I came to Lake Placid at the ECAC championships; he was playing then. I had broken my foot, so I was in a cast. It’s negative 10 degrees, freezing cold, and I’m there outside, as a little kid with my crutches, watching all the Harvard guys come out. Vesey comes out. He’s the last guy, and everybody is asking for his autograph. I’m the one kid, just sitting there. Out of all those people asking for autographs, he came over to me and signed my cast. So that’s a cool moment and memory I’ll have. He’s just another great, humble guy, an American kid who came up through college hockey, too.
Three simple things:
Number one, trust the process. Hockey is a very, very different game from a lot of other sports from a recruiting standpoint. So, just trust the process and trust your path; It’ll work out in the end.
Secondly, a very simple one, I’m a very big believer in this: work as hard as you can every day on and off the ice, this applies to any sport. It’s gonna make you a better person, it’s gonna make you a better player. At the end of the day, there’s no substitution for hard work.
The last thing I have: Love the game, and it’ll love you back. I firmly believe that if you just love the game and you seriously respect it, and you work hard every single day, and you respect those around you, it will give you nothing but great things back. That applies in any sport and in any activity.
As told to Gavin Kruger ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.
