{shortcode-42dd09dfaa38659f7ef45b60380c31d6d95d7661}

{shortcode-dd08abb0bb2b02bf4881baaa9fb305566107f8d4}hough more than a third of current players on the Harvard men’s ice hockey team look forward to professional careers in the sport, they’re still set on keeping the Crimson “brotherhood.”

Unlike in other professional sports leagues, most hockey players are drafted by an NHL team before they play in the NCAA. The league’s draft eligibility rules stipulate that players must be between the ages of 18 and 20. Teams then retain the rights to their drafted players until they sign the player to a contract or the player leaves college.

That means Harvard hockey players are the only at the school who gear up for the Crimson while affiliated to a professional team.

The Crimson has a history of producing talented NHL players — including Rangers defenseman Adam Fox ’21 and Sharks defenseman Henry Thrun ’23 — who both currently play in the NHL following their time at Harvard. Despite the unquestioned quality of hockey development at Harvard, having so many players with professional aspirations might raise questions about maintaining a strong team culture.

Yet, the Crimson’s bond knows no bounds.

Thirty ‘Best Friends’

Describing the Harvard hockey program, sophomore defenseman Ben MacDonald, drafted in the third round and 91st overall to the Seattle Kraken, used the word “family.” The fraternal relationships between individual players and the coaching staff, in addition to the way the team cares for one another on and off the ice, powers the players through the season.

As student athletes, the balancing act between the world of academics and athletics is a challenge that all players feel, but don’t need to do alone.

Junior forward Joe Miller, drafted in the 6th round and 180th overall to the Toronto Maple Leaves, appreciates that “we have so many brilliant guys on this team, and the older guys do a great job of helping you with your schedule, with classes. They’ve been through it before.”

Hockey players often take at least a year off to play on the junior circuit. The ability to rely on one another makes the process of readjusting to academic life a smooth transition.

Senior tri-captain Ian Moore, now signed to the AHL San Diego Gulls, noted “the people that surround the hockey program and the school, they really care for the student athletes here,” helping make the program what it is today.

The personal relationships fostered within the walls of Bright-Landry Hockey Center extend beyond academic and athletics. The team, composed of nearly thirty “best friends.” spend as much time together as possible. Some of their favorite memories are as simple as “just hanging out with the guys in the locker room.”

Many have played on teams with one another over the years.

“Knowing a couple guys coming in just makes it that much easier to integrate into the locker room and the school,” Miller said.

From the Draft to College

{shortcode-2814eae140d0daecafa15b88db63e9bbf3f03ab8}

For the players drafted into the NHL, the accomplishment is a point of pride. But the connected locker room environment also motivates players not to allow themselves to become distracted, instead giving their all to Harvard while at the school.

The feeling of being drafted is an honor for the players and always a fond memory.

“It was pretty crazy. I was playing junior hockey in Chicago, and I didn’t really know if I was gonna get drafted or not. I had talked to a couple of teams, but no guarantees,” Miller said. “It was after practice, I was in the weight room with a couple of my teammates. I was sitting there mid-set. I don’t remember what I was doing, but I was watching the TV. Toronto was one of the teams I had talked to, and I just saw my name pop up.”

For Moore, the excitement of the experience was unmatched, but sharing it with close family was “probably the best thing.”

After reaching a major milestone in their hockey journey, the players saw Harvard as a place to continue growing.

MacDonald grew up attending Harvard hockey games with his father, Hobey Baker award winner Lane MacDonald ’88. Learning to skate at the Bright-Landry rink built his early interest in the program. Now, the younger MacDonald dons the same #19 jersey as his father every time he steps out on the ice for a game.

“Harvard hockey is just kind of the best of both worlds,” the sophomore said.

“It’s definitely an honor to be drafted,” Moore said on the exciting prospect of playing NHL hockey. But in order to make the most out of the Harvard experience, he emphasized, “You definitely can’t focus on it too much.”

Moore applies this to his captainship as well, where he, alongside his other drafted co-captains, don’t feel like their future in the NHL impacts their leadership ability. Moore believes that the only two qualifications are to be a dedicated member of the program, and more importantly, to be an example of “what it means to be a Harvard hockey player.”

While moving on is something Miller thinks about, especially as he gets older, he maintains that “When you’re at the rink, you’re playing games, you’re present, you’re here at Harvard.”

This attitude, summarized by MacDonald as “Harvard hockey first,” paints a picture of the dedicated nature of the team.

Impact on the Team

{shortcode-3cdbf375015fd0533a88b8ad928d484ff1f3f43f}

Head Coach Ted Donato ‘91, formerly a player at both Harvard and in the NHL, knows that “the odds of actually making it in the NHL are very difficult,” meaning that it’s important “to stay in the here and now.”

“Whether a guy is drafted or not, I think there’s a competitive nature that allows you to excel in everything you do, whether that’s academics or, in this case, hockey. I think the character of an individual doesn’t change,” he added.

He credits his entire team for their commitment to the program, regardless of their prospective professional careers. Donato aims to set the example of not placing too much emphasis on the on-paper accomplishments like goals, saves, or who is drafted or not.

“You won’t necessarily remember who scored the big goal, or had the most assists or the most saves. You will remember what kind of person they were and what kind of relationships you had with the people on your team,” he said.

“It’s special to be a guy who isn’t drafted,” Severo, offering another perspective, said. “It definitely brings in more eyes in the building and more opportunities for yourself, while also getting to play with really high class players who are going to go on to do some pretty special things once they leave Harvard.”

Outside of the “eyes” that are drawn to Harvard, the junior also notices how these players improve the team. “They’re chasing the highest level and you’re chasing them.”

The team’s devotion to the here and now is more important than the future. Donato says that he has “been able to see it as a player at Harvard, as a coach at Harvard, as a parent of a player at Harvard, and the one thing that remains the same is that we get really high character young men who embrace the challenge.”

Being drafted is an incredible accolade that celebrates the skills of a player, but Miller explains that the true value in having such a high number of picks on Harvard’s roster is that it “shows how Harvard attracts great athletes, great students, great people.”

—Staff writer Bianca M. Egan can be reached at bianca.egan@thecrimson.com