Scott Radley: Where are the champions? Three years ago this week, the Hamilton Bulldogs won the cup
He knew he was going to be hanging up the pads one of these days soon. His team at Laurentian University had folded the other week thanks to the institution's well-publicized money woes and other schools didn't have a spot for him.
The only question was when. Then he saw the memory reminder pop up on Facebook and he suddenly knew. May 13 was the day his Hamilton Bulldogs had won the Ontario Hockey League championship back in 2018. He decided that was the day he'd announce his decision.
Maybe to make it easier to handle even though it still was the hardest thing I've ever done," Nick Donofrio says.
It's a disappointing end, sure. But the backup goalie during that championship run is going to be OK. A science major in bio-med - who happens to be the son of a PhD in microbiology and grandson of a surgeon - he's hoping to get his master's and doctorate and then pursue something that requires more brains than most of us have.
So, that's his story. But three years after hoisting the trophy overhead, what about the rest of his teammates from that squad who played in those heady playoffs? What are they doing today?
A few are already making a career in the NHL. Robert Thomas is a regular with the St. Louis Blues, Nicholas Caamano played 24 games this season with the Dallas Stars, MacKenzie Entwistle got his first goal with the Chicago Blackhawks just before the end of the regular season as did Marian Studenic with the New Jersey Devils, and Riley Stillman was with the Florida Panthers until he was traded to Chicago in April.
A step down in the American Hockey League, Arthur Kaliyev played on the Los Angeles Kings' farm team - though he did get his first NHL goal in his first and only NHL game - Will Bitten played for Minnesota's farm team, Ben Gleason played for Dallas' farm team and goalie Kaden Fulcher played for Detroit's farm team.
Matt Strome has spent most of this past season in the ECHL with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, captain Justin Lemke played in Slovakia and Jake Murray played with the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes of the USPHL Premier Division. Connor Walters signed with the ECHL's Toledo Walleye but the team didn't play this year.
A number of players have moved to the university ranks. Brandon Saigeon and Isaac Nurse are at the University of New Brunswick, Jack Hanley is at Dalhousie, Nicolas Mattinen is at the University of Ottawa, Ben Garagan is at Nippissing and Owen Burnell is at Waterloo. None of the schools had competitive games this year due to COVID-19.
Liam Van Loon would have been the only player from that championship roster returning to the Bulldogs this season. Had there been a season, of course.
Two years ago, after a season in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization during which he played mostly in the ECHL, Ryan Moore knew he was ready to stop playing, but wanted to stay in the game. This past year, he's coached an under-16 elite team in Michigan, is in university there for finance and is now scouting for the Bulldogs.
(The opportunity) kind of came out of nowhere right after I decided to stop playing," he says.
But a couple guys have stepped away. Zachary Jackson, being one. He's out of the game now. His choice.
I just wanted a different form of life," the 22-year-old says.
After playing hockey constantly since he was three or four, he was ready for a change. He headed to Concordia University to study finance and has become vice president of the school's real estate club.
When he arrived in Montreal, he was given a tour of the school's hockey facilities where it was clear he had an invitation to be part of things but decided he'd take a pass.
And then, there's Donofrio.
He got into two games with Laurentian this year before the school's finances melted down. The last one - his last hockey game ever - saw his side get outshot something like 70-20. It lost but at least the night was memorable.
This summer, he's working in a microbiology lab running scientific tests on food safety kits. That could be his future. Or medical school. He's not sure yet.
But hockey?
I think," he says, the pads are (hung) up for good."
Scott Radley is a Hamilton-based columnist at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sradley@thespec.com