Key facts
Key facts
Teams: Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL); Harvard Crimson; U.S. NTDP
Hometown: Southboro, Mass.
Pos.: D
Shoots: L
Size: 6-2, 194
Age: 20
Notable: Selected 101st by Anaheim in 2019 NHL draft. As of April 13, had 17 points (8-9-17) in 18 games with Dubuque this season. Won gold with U.S. at 2021 WJC, with one assist in seven matches. Totaled 21 points (3-18-21) in 31 contests with Crimson in 2019-20. Spent two seasons at U.S. NTDP, registering 37 points (8-29-37) in 64 games with U-18 team in 2018-19 and 39 points (7-32-39) in 58 contests with U-17 club while also appearing in two games with the U-18 squad in 2017-18.
Favorites
Food: Burger
Musician: Post Malone
TV show: “Ballers”
Movie: “Wedding Crashers”
Actor: Will Ferrell | Actress: Margot Robbie
Book: “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play,” by Kobe Bryant
Sport other than hockey: Golf
Non-hockey athletes: Kobe Bryant, Conor McGregor
Vacation spot: Martha’s Vineyard
Type of goal: “Overtime winner. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy. I’ve only scored maybe one or two overtime winners in my life, and they are my favorite.”
Equipment
Helmet: Warrior
Skates: Bauer
Stick: CCM
Gloves: Warrior
You were selected 101st overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2019 National Hockey League draft, which was held at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. What was your most memorable moment from the draft experience?
“That was an unbelievable experience. ... Our NTDP team brought almost everyone out to the draft, and we went through it together, had a big celebration after and then said our final goodbyes before heading off to development camp. It was a bittersweet ending, but it was a super-cool experience. I was lucky to be drafted by an organization such as Anaheim. I’m really happy where I am, and I couldn’t have had the draft go any better for me.”
You played for the Harvard Crimson in the 2019-20 season, your freshman year. What were your expectations of college hockey and how do they compare and contrast to the reality?
“We played some games against colleges in our U-18 season with the NTDP. That set the standard for me with college hockey and helped me step in right away for Harvard. I had a couple games under my belt, but I had the expectation that it was going to be a little heavier, a little harder and a little faster, especially playing in an older conference like the ECAC. The coaching staff at Harvard did a really good job talking me through my first couple weeks and letting me know what they expected from me and what my teammates expected from me. I was fortunate enough to be given opportunities early on, and I had a good start to the season and ran with it. I’m really happy with the way my season went individually, but I would’ve liked to walk away with a little more as a team, whether it be winning the Beanpot or getting to finish our ECAC playoffs and trying to win a couple more championships.”
What did it mean to you to reunite with some of your former NTDP teammates and win the gold medal together on the United States team at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship?
“It was a special experience to go through it with some of my former NTDP teammates. It was important for our team to have a mix of guys who had IIHF experience (from the 2019 IIHF U-18 World Championship) and guys who were playing in their first international tournament. We created a strong bond early on, and that was crucial for our team. We had depth on our team, which was important. We had guys like Trevor Zegras leading the way with goal scoring, but we also had guys like John Farinacci and Brett Berard (East Greenwich, R.I.) in bottom-six roles scoring five-on-five goals, taking defensive-zone draws and matching up against our opponents’ first lines. Being able to go through that tournament and win a gold medal was something dreams are made of, and doing it with some of my former NTDP teammates made it even more special.”
Other than winning gold, what was your favorite WJC moment? “When they officially announced the team and I heard I made it was super-special, made me take a step back and realize how fortunate I was. That’s something every guy on the team had worked for and dreamed of since they were kids. We all watched that tournament growing up and saw guys become big names in American hockey in that tournament, such as John Carlson and Troy Terry, so being an American kid playing hockey in the States and being named to the team is huge. I remember the meeting we had at USA Hockey Arena where head coach Nate Leaman and general manager John Vanbiesbrouck announced to us that this was the roster going to Edmonton and that we were leaving later that day. That was a special moment for me and a lot of guys. Having that fulfillment and that realization that all the hard work paid off and getting an opportunity to play for a gold medal after that was my favorite moment, second to winning the gold medal.”
