By Sam Laskaris /
Nick D’Agostino doesn’t really need a crystal ball to get a glimpse of what his future will be like.
The 18-year-old defenceman is currently in his sophomore season with the St. Michael’s Buzzers, members of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
D’Agostino though already knows where he’ll be playing in the coming years. He’s agreed to attend Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. He’ll head to the U.S. school in September of 2009.
D’Agostino can also dream about a possible pro career. That’s because the Pittsburgh Penguins selected him in the seventh round at this year’s NHL Entry Draft.
Besides suiting up for the Cornell Big Red hockey squad next season, D’Agostino will also be studying industrial labour relations at the prestigious Ivy League school.
If he doesn’t become a pro hockey player, D’Agostino said he’d like to remain involved in the sport, possibly as an agent, general manager or in some sort of player personnel capacity.
D’Agostino said it is a bit of a relief knowing what lies ahead in his academic and athletic careers.
“Trying to get a scholarship or find out where you’re going to play is a bit of load on your shoulders,” he said.
Ivy League schools are forbidden from handing out athletic scholarships. But they can still cover portions of their students’ expenses, as they will with D’Agostino.
Besides being a decent hockey player, D’Agostino has also excelled in the classroom.
He graduated from high school in Caledon this past spring with an impressive overall average of about 93 per cent in his Grade 12 studies. He deferred his acceptance into Cornell for a year and is now taking an economics course at the University of Toronto.
Since he’s been drafted by a pro team, D’Agostino is uncertain how long he will remain in the college ranks.
“I’m going to do whatever Pittsburgh wants me to do,” he said. “But I am committed to getting my degree, even if it means going back to school during the summer.”
D’Agostino doesn’t have to go far to learn about the importance of education. Both of his parents, Paul and Anna, are elementary school principals.
And if he does eventually become a pro athlete, D’Agostino will be following in the footsteps of his father. In the early 80s, Paul D’Agostino played professionally in the North American Soccer League.
As for this season, D’Agostino, is a key member of the Buzzers. He’s an assistant captain with the club and is also putting up some numbers, producing at better than a point-per-game clip.
D’Agostino had 14 points (4G, 10A) in his first 12 matches. At this pace it won’t take him long to surpass his totals from his rookie season with St. Michael’s when he picked up 23 points (5G, 18A) in 46 contests.
“He’s got all the tools,” Buzzers’ general manager Carmen Coglinao said of his star blueliner.
And he also sets a pretty good example for his teammates.
“Physically he’s in great, great shape,” Cogliano said. “He’s probably one of our fittest players.”
And though he weighs 185 pounds now, D’Agostino can still fill out and be rather mobile.
“He’s 6-2,” Cogliano said. “He’s got a good frame to him. But he can definitely put on 10 to 15 pounds and look pretty good.”
There’s no doubt D’Agostino is impressing the Buzzers’ brass now. And if he continues to develop, there’s a chance he’ll do the same while he’s at Cornell and possibly in the NHL some day. |