Avon Old Farms head coach John Gardner describes sophomore Joe Connor (Amherst, N.H.) as a bit of a wild card. Not so much in terms of consistency, but more so how he best fits into the lineup and the variety of ways he can impact the game.
A hard-nosed forward from the 2005 birth year, Connor is gearing up for his second season at the Avon, Conn., prep school following a busy year of development.
The Hillside School and Minuteman Flames product, who plays fall split season with the Yale Junior Bulldogs 16-U, joined the Winged Beavers last fall, getting his first taste of prep action during the pandemic-impacted 2020-21 campaign.
Gardner, a Wesleyan grad who’s been behind the Avon bench since the 1975-76 season, noticed Connor's skillset from the jump, but it wasn’t until the games got underway that he became fully acquainted with his tenacious style of play.
“He started practicing and sort of worked his way into the top group and then in some of the scrimmages I noticed, ‘Wow, this kid goes to the net,’" Gardner said of the 5-10, 175-pound winger. "And then other kids are going, ‘Hey coach, you should watch this kid, we like this kid.'
“The thing I like about him is he plays hard all the time. He'll take the hit, he’ll do whatever it takes. He’s not a big guy yet, I don’t know if he’s going to be, but his upside is really his skill and the way he plays. He plays with enthusiasm and he’s got a little ‘F-U’ in his game.”
When the Founders League canceled winter sports and the thought of a normal prep hockey season hit the fan, four Winged Beavers (three forwards and one defenseman) left to play junior hockey in the USHL and NCDC.
That opened the door for Connor to get more playing time and try his hand at a variety of positions with an array of linemates as the season progressed.
“I moved him around a lot,” Gardner said. “It was a great time to experiment and I had a bunch of ‘05s who gained a lot of really good experience because of the circumstances. All of a sudden it was, ‘Hey, these guys can play!’
“Everybody says it was a lost year but it really wasn’t. When you’re on the ice six days a week doing skill development, you’re going to get better. And when you get a kid who's willing to work hard like Joe Connor, you’re going to make some good strides.”
After developing throughout the winter at AOF, which included 10 games against nearby Salisbury, Connor attended USA Hockey Select 16 Player Development Camp. He didn’t make the roster for the Five Nations Tournament, but his performance earned him a spot in the All-Star Game on the final day of camp.
All in all, it was another positive experience for the budding forward.
“I’ve gained a lot of confidence in the past year from playing with all the older guys,” Connor, 16, said. “I think that’s the best when you’re playing with the older guys because you’re always getting better. They just helped me gain so much more confidence for this coming year.”
The team, coached by Danny Resendes, featured a slew of the top young prep schoolers, including Cushing’s Landan Resendes (Marlboro, Mass./River Rats 16-U) and fellow Winged Beaver, sophomore defenseman Magnus Turcotte (North Haven, Conn./Junior Bulldogs 16-U).
Now, playing split season with the Junior Bulldogs 16-U, Connor is just beginning to hit his development stride. He is expected to be one of the more impactful ‘05 forwards in the region, per his recent body of work.
“I think I have a good goal-scoring ability and whenever I’m on the ice I’m always trying to make the people around me better. Just trying to make plays, get pucks out of the zone and generate offense as much as I can," Connor said.
While he’s continuing to play with the Bulldogs on the weekends, he's in the process of gearing up for the winter at AOF, where he's practicing during the week.
He’s working on the simple, but important, aspects of his game, he said, like getting pucks off the wall, playing the off-wing, etc.
“It’s awesome,” Connor said of the first month back at school. “We’re always in the locker room chilling out and stuff. We’ve got a good group this year; it’s going to be great.”
Although some of the players he was playing with last season have moved on, he’s looking forward to furthering the chemistry with his potential linemates for 2021-22.
“One guy I’ll probably be with is Nick Cappaso (Northford, Conn./Mid Fairfield 18-U),” Connor said. “Matt DiMarsico (Buffalo Regals 18-U/Penn State) is another guy I’m looking forward to playing with. He’s going to be good; a really fun guy to watch and play with.”
While his linemates aren’t solidified yet, what is certain is that the excitement for the return of a normal prep hockey season is at an all-time high.
“I can't wait for the full experience this season,” Connor said of the fast-approaching campaign, which kicks off in November.
“The fans, the (Avon Old Farms) Christmas Classic, all of it. I can’t wait.”
Liam Flaherty can be reached at liam.flaherty@hockeyjournal.com and on Twitter @_LiamFlaherty.
