Beijing Olympics: Nick Abruzzese of Orange County honored to represent Team USA hockey
Nick Abruzzese learned to play hockey on a backyard rink in Slate Hill, and now he’s an Olympian.
From humble beginnings to the worldwide stage, the 22-year-old hopes to crack the starting lineup of a United States team that was pulled together at the last moment. Team USA makes its Olympic debut on Thursday morning against host nation China.
The NHL has been feeding Team USA – and other international teams – at the Olympics since 1998 but the league decided just days before Christmas not to send its pros to Beijing over concerns and scheduling complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
More: Beijing Winter Olympics complete TV schedule
Already a 2019 draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the nation’s most prolific collegiate point scorer this season at Harvard, Abruzzese got word from the new Team USA management that he was under consideration for a squad to be culled from minor pros, international players and collegians. Days later, he got the call.
“It’s an incredible opportunity,’’ said the 2017 Minisink Valley High School graduate. “I'm really, really excited to have been selected to go over there and represent the country and play for this team. It’s by far the best honor I’ve ever had in my life.’’
Abruzzese said he’s followed Olympic hockey since 2010, when he was 10 years old, cheering on Team USA as it lost a thrilling gold-medal overtime game against Canada at the Vancouver Games. Like most hockey players, viewing of the 2004 movie “Miracle’’ – the story of the 1980 Olympic gold-medal U.S. hockey team – has been commonplace.
Growing up during the “professional” era of the movement, Abruzzese believes the pros should always play in the Olympics.
“If the NHL guys can go, they should,’’ he said. “I think that's cool when you get to watch the best-on-best represent their country. When you think of the Olympics, it's the best athletes in their sport and they're the best in our sport.’’
But now that the opportunity has arisen, Abruzzese is eager to help fill the void.
“It was just a crazy turn of events, the whole thing,’’ he said. “It came upon me pretty quickly.’’
Abruzzese was leading NCAA Division I hockey in points per game when he was summoned. After going scoreless over his last four games, he has since dropped to No. 10 at 1.24 points per game, with five goals and 16 assists through 17 contests. He joins Harvard linemate and sophomore Sean Farrell (8 goals, 11 assists) on Team USA.
At 5-foot-10, 174 pounds, Abruzzese is still a bit undersized for the rigors of adult hockey. He’s put on 15 pounds since his freshman season of 2019-20, when he led all first-year collegians with 44 points (14 goals) and earned ECAC first-team and rookie of the year honors.
Wear and tear led to a torn labrum in his left hip and he had successful surgery following his freshman year. Out of action for almost seven months, Abruzzese caught a break when Harvard canceled its 2020-21 season due to COVID and he rehabbed with his former junior hockey team, the Chicago Steel. He said he came back heavier and stronger and that has paid dividends in his game.
Sporting a mix of hockey smarts, speed, skill and energy, but hardly any flash, the humble and soft-spoken Abruzzese tends to make players around him better. He also brings a positive attitude to the ice.
“As you move up the levels and move up the food chain, the guys just get bigger and stronger,’’ he said, “so the ability to protect the puck and hold onto the puck as long as I can is really important. … I’m just trying to continue to work on that, improving my shot, trying to find different ways to score goals and be a threat to shoot.’’
Going to the Olympics was an easy decision for Abruzzese but, as a team captain for the Crimson, he said it was hard to leave Harvard for three weeks and miss seven games during the stretch run. He’ll be back for three final regular-season games and he wants Harvard to make a run in the ECAC playoffs that begin the opening week of March.
Abruzzese and Farrell left for a mini-camp in Los Angeles on Jan. 30. Team USA departed last Wednesday for China and the players were able to march in the Opening Ceremonies on Friday night where Abruzzese was able to get a picture with famed snowboarder and Olympic champion Shaun White.
Nick’s parents, Will and Andrea, have been in regular contact with their son. They said he enjoyed the mini-camp and the ceremony. Nick reports the Olympic village food is not good but readily available 24 hours a day. The players are housed in five, five-bedroom apartments.
The team – led by former Rangers head coach David Quinn – practiced briefly on Friday and longer on Saturday and Sunday, with the latter also being team picture day. Ice time has been scarce but Team USA did manage to dress all 25 players for a Monday afternoon scrimmage (two 20-minute periods, plus 3-on-3 shootout) with Team Canada.
The men’s team had off from practice on Tuesday but watched in support as the Team USA women bowed to Canada, 4-2; they also watched the 3,000-meter speedskating on Saturday.
Quinn has mixed and matched lines since Team USA gathered. Abruzzese skated with a fifth forward line in the Canada scrimmage, and he is by no means guaranteed a 20-man starting nod in any game, but the Americans play three preliminary-round games in four days so depth of the 25-man lineup will surely come into play.
USA plays China on Thursday night (8 a.m. Eastern time), Canada on Saturday afternoon (Friday 11 p.m. ET) and Germany on Sunday night (8 a.m. ET) with all games live on USA Network. The first playoff round is Tuesday, the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Feb. 16; the semifinals on Friday, Feb. 18; and the medal games on Saturday (8 a.m. ET) and Sunday (Saturday, 11 p.m. ET).
Will Abruzzese said the Maple Leafs were eager to sign his son following the draft, as well as following his first season with Harvard. Nick is eligible to join the Toronto organization at any time but said he has not given any thought to leaving Harvard early for a shot at the pros. It was not uncommon for past amateur Olympians to sign with the teams that drafted them, namely 1980 standout goalie Jim Craig with the Atlanta Flames and defenseman Ken Morrow with the Stanley Cup-winning New York Islanders.
First and foremost on his mind are the Games ahead.
“As a kid growing up, you always dream of representing your country on the international stage, and I've never gotten the opportunity to do that,’’ said Abruzzese, who will wear the same No. 16 he has at Harvard. “To have my first time be at the highest level you can get, at the Olympic Games, it‘s just going to make it that much better. I probably can’t put into words how I'm going to feel when I'm able to represent the country.’’
kmcmillan@th-record.com
Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Winter Olympics Ice Hockey Nick Abruzzese Team USA Minisink Valley
