Nicolas Cullinan '19 Recruiting Profile

I was born on February 20, 2001. I have a good hockey birthday. I first entered an ice rink when I was 2 days old. My Mom had just brought me home from the hospital and my older brother had a big game that night. My parents debated about whether or not to bring me to the rink and ultimately decided I would survive the experience. I did survive and although I have no recollection of that day, it was the first of many, many days I would be at the rink, cheering on my brothers before I could skate and running around like a maniac under the bleachers and around the lobby until I ran face-first into a pole, and knocked my front teeth out! I am what people affectionately refer to as a “rink rat”.

My Dad built a rink in our backyard and I spent my youngest years trying to keep up with my brothers, 5 years and 8 years older than me. When the ice melted we put on rollerblades and played street hockey or played knee hockey indoors. I can’t remember a time when I was not playing some form of hockey. When I was 6 years old my brothers were playing travel hockey and the program was trying to recruit young players for the future. Although I was technically too young, they put me on a Mite team and before I knew it, I was playing at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid where the 1980 Miracle On Ice took place. Hockey has occupied the better part of my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way. My goal is to go as far as I possibly can in this sport that I love.

I believe I have the talent, dedication, and determination to play college hockey.  In my 4 years as a Varsity player at Ridgefield High School I earned the following honors:

• Rookie of the Year (2015-16)
• 2X Offensive Player of the Year (2016-17, 2017-18)  
• 2X First Team All-State (2017-18, 2018-19)
• Second Team All-FCIAC (2017-18)
• First Team All-FCIAC (2018-19)
• USA Hockey 17 Select New England Player Development Camp (2018)  
• CIAC Division 1 MVP (2018-19) 
• Player of the Year (2018-19) 
• Career Stats: 85 G,  75A,  160 PTS
• Weighted GPA 4.142

I was admitted to The Taft School as a PG in the fall of 2019 and finished with a GPA of 93.4. One of the highlights of our season was beating Salisbury for the first time in 8 years! I led the team in goals and was awarded the Angier Hockey Trophy for excellence in leadership and contribution to the team.

My family has always believed in me and that has given me the confidence to keep working toward my goals and not let distractions like negativity get to me. Being the youngest of 3 boys has made me a fighter and given me a competitive edge both academically and athletically. I know that without academics I can’t achieve my athletic goals, so I have put as much effort into school as I have into sports, challenging myself with honors classes in my freshman and sophomore years, and a combination of honors and AP classes in my junior, senior, and PG years. I have achieved honors or high honors in every quarter of my high school career.

As much as I love hockey, I always look forward to the spring when I can put on my cleats and play baseball. I have been a two-sport athlete for my whole life. I think the mental aspects of the game of baseball and the pace of the game of hockey combine to make me a well-rounded athlete. In addition, by playing two sports I avoid burnout and eagerly anticipate the start of a new season. If given a chance to compete at the collegiate level I will apply the same work ethic, dedication and determination that define me as a person and an athlete.