PHOTO: PURE LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY
Salmon Arm, B.C. — The Salmon Arm Silverbacks are excited to announce that 19-year-old forward Danny Ciccarello has committed to play NCAA Div. I hockey at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).
The Kirkland, Que. native is tied for fourth on the Backs in scoring so far in the Okanagan Cup with five points — four goals and an assist. He spent the previous three years at St. Mark’s School, where he totalled an incredible 86 goals and 77 assists for 163 points in just 89 games.
“I am obviously very excited for reaching this milestone in my journey,” Ciccarello said. “It’s nice to see the hard work and sacrifice of myself, my parents, my friends, family — everyone around me — has paid off and I’m thrilled that it’s going to be with RPI. Coach [David] Smith has done a great job with the program, making it competitive every year that he’s been there. For me the biggest thing was having a coaching staff that believed in me, that understands the time and effort I’ve put into hockey and have seen my constant progress.”
Last season, Ciccarello and current Silverback teammate Tucker Hartmann were co-captains at St. Mark’s, and Ciccarello scored 36 goals and 70 points in just 29 games.
“The Salmon Arm Silverbacks would like to congratulate Danny on his commitment to RPI,” Silverbacks head coach Tyler Shattock said. “Danny has a high energy motor and you’d be hard pressed to find a guy with a better shot than him. He’s got a real ability to score goals when he gets to the right areas. Overall, they’re going to get a guy who is willing to work his tail off and has a real offensive touch when he gets the opportunity.”
The RPI Engineers compete in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Hockey League, composed of 12 total teams.
Hear from Danny about his commitment in the video below:
