Where it all began!
As a child, I grew up playing travel hockey for the Buffalo Regals. Most of my youth hockey involved late night practices and tournaments on the weekends all over the country. The best memories I have are from the trips with my family to these tournaments and the experiences had while traveling all over at such a young age. I credit these experiences with the person I am today because of how they allowed me to view different cities, likes of people, and cultures as an adolescent, creating an open-mindedness and understanding of the world as I progressed into adult-hood.
Prep Hockey!
I attended Nichols Prep School in Buffalo, NY to pursue my hockey career in high school. I credit this decision as being one of the best ones I have made in my life. Not only was the hockey exceptional, but the academics, connections and life skills I obtained there were unparalleled. At Nichols, the day consisted of practice at 5:30am, head to class around 8am, then finish the day with practice at 4pm after classes. A rigorous schedule for a teenager, piled on top of traveling every few days for games. We would travel to either the New England area or Toronto area once a week to play other prep schools from around the country. The list could go on forever regarding places and cities I have been thanks to my time at Nichols. It was not until later in life had I realized that not many kids growing up got to travel as much as myself and see so much of the world at such a young age. For that, I am forever grateful.
Junior Hockey!
Junior hockey is essentially gap years for hockey players. Colleges want to see the players develop a few more years after high school to prepare them for college hockey. There are many leagues all across North America ranging from northern British Columbia to the oil fields of Midland, TX. There are junior hockey teams in every little crevice of a town you can find across the United States and Canada.
The first team I played for out of prep school was the Hawkesbury Hawks located in Hawkesbury, ON. This was as small town, Canadian feel as you could get. Consisting of only 10,000 people, this was something completely different than where I was coming from. I lived with a billet family, which is essentially a host family, that housed myself and two others for the entire season. Although this was small town Canada, we were only 30 minutes from Montreal and 50 minutes from the capital city of Ottawa. Being able to travel to these places at will and view completely different cultures than the one I was familiar with was something that I will cherish forever. Being alone at roughly 17 years old, in the middle of no where Canada required me to mature and become self-sufficient real quick. There was no one to guide me through the process or hold my hand, I was thrown into the water with no life vest and told to survive. Again, I am forever grateful of this because of how quickly it required me to grow up and become and independent individual at such a young age.
Juniors Continued!
My next stop during the juniors path, Midland, TX! My previous season in Hawkesbury ended abruptly as the world was faced with a pandemic, so I did not get to end the previous season on a high note, but on to bigger and better. The next season I was drafted into a better league by the Odessa Jackalopes who are located in Odessa, TX. AS one can imagine, the shift was a complete 180, with the previous year being spent in the chilling winters of Canada, to the next being spent in the desert of no where Texas. I remember very clearly on my flight in, looking out the window and seeing only dirt and oil drills thinking to myself, “this cannot be real life”. Turns out, it was! To say I fell in love with this place and my billet family is an understatement. My billet family resembled my own parents so much in the sense that they fostered a deep sense of caring and love for not only myself but for the game of hockey; so much that to this day, they still take me on a vacation every summer down to the Gulf of Mexico so I can see them at least once a year. The relationships I made along my path in junior hockey and the individuality and maturity I gained were of unparalleled significance to my future in the world.
College Hockey, Finally!
College! Finally!! My path in college hockey is one of much travel and maturity as well. At first, I attended Nichols College in Dudley, MA (no correlation to Nichols Prep). The college experience as a hockey player coming out of junior hockey is completely different tan that of a normal high school student attending college. Hockey players, like myself, come into freshman year at 21 years old, placing them at the same age as graduating seniors of that year. This allowed me to live off-campus all 4 years of my college career, having a house of my own, and 3 other roommates, as a responsibility for 4 years. The schedule for a college hockey player is as rigorous as it gets. Managing a full-time major on top of all the required practices, gym sessions, games and extracurricular activities that come with being an athlete aided in shaping the human being I am today. My first 2 years at Nichols College were great as I created many new friends and connections that stick with me to this day.
After my sophomore year, I decided to transfer to Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY to finish off my college and hockey career. My time at Skidmore was absolutely wonderful and I can confidently say it was the best time of my life. I wish I had all 4 years of my college career there as the people are amazing and I became friends with some of my best friends that I will have for life. Not only was the community amazing, but the academics and connections it brought me in the “adult” world are second to none.