Spencer Spagnuolo '23 Recruiting Profile

Hello. My personal statement follows my opening editorial notes. Thank you!

Editorial note (4/3/24): I just completed my 2nd year of juniors, playing for CT Junior Rangers (USPHS Premier). It was a great season, with us winning Nationals (great game!) and earning regular season league champions with 50 wins, including a 34 game win streak. I will be returning to CJR for my age-out year. Coach Stanaway asked me and 8 other NY Aviator players to join him when he moved last summer from Brooklyn to Stamford to uplift the CJR Premier program. I'm a hybrid defenseman with excellent offense instincts and especially strong defense play. I'm a strong penalty killer, can run the PP from the blue line, have good hands and a great first pass and can chip in on the offense. I came in to pre-season camp in "beast mode", having spent all my off-season time in S&C (when not working as a senior instructor with Laura Stamm), and I will be doing the same for this upcoming pre-season. My coaches tell me that I've developed tremendously this past season; and believe there is still untapped quality potential to unlock. They say I possess all the tools for a total package / 200 foot game, including my hockey IQ. I love competing every day in practice and games with my teammates, always striving to develop my game and help my teammates and team get better. I absolutely cherish the grind that comes with playing high level hockey. 

Editorial note (7/7/23):  I'm 5-year high school graduate--2 years at Chatham NJ High School, followed by 1 year at Fountain Valley School of CO (2020-21 Covid year--season cancelled and the program was later cancelled end of season), followed by 1 year at Cushing Academy, followed by my last academic year as a 5th year senior enrolled in K12 Academy (an accredited all-virtual/all-remote school . . . to accommodate my playing juniors hockey). In total that makes 4 different high schools and 4 different hockey programs over 4 consecutive years, due to the global pandemic and after effects. You'll note from my attached transcript and statement below that I withdrew from my last year at Cushing Academy--5th year senior ("repeat sophomore" year at FVS)--to ensure I had a full 3 years (if needed) of playing juniors hockey. To complete my high school academics, I enrolled in K12 Academy, a fully accredited private all-virtual high school that caters to elite high school athletes pursuing college sports, overseas students seeking a Western/American education as a bridge to attending US colleges and students who work full time. Because of my daily hockey training schedule (8:30am - 2pm), I was unable to attend classes "in person". I was the only player of 28 still attending high school; I was one of 7 players living in a 3 bedroom hockey house. Credits wise, I needed only 2 full year classes; K12 mandates a minimum of 4 classes per semester. My academic focus my last year, my 5th year, all-online suffered--this is on me. Given I'd entered K12 with overall good/very good grades at highly ranked public and private schools, I paid a heavy price for my error with the grades you see from my last year--whereas I probably could/should have put up a 3.6 maybe 3.7 overall, I ended my high school run with a 3.1 overall gpa.

Editorial note (9/27/22): My hockey journey has taken me from Chatham High School NJ to Fountain Valley School of Colorado to Cushing Academy in MA, where as a junior I played both hockey and lacrosse. As with FVS, I loved Cushing. Not only was/is it a great hockey program, my teachers and coaches and classmates were great. My one challenge at FVS was an October bout of homesickness--I'd been away for long stretches, but not this long; and even though my dad said "it will happen probably around October, just let it take its course", I was surprised how I felt--but after about a week, I was good. My one challenge at Cushing was seeing and hearing how much fun my Chatham friends and classmates, now CHS seniors, were having daily. I didn't resent them or anything, I just wanted to be there too. That the football team was putting together a great season probably added to it. I soon grew to love Cushing, and so by November I'd moved on from my 'wanting to be back in Chatham for senior year' pangs. This spring (my junior year) I made the very hard decision to bypass my senior year of "regular" high school to play juniors. As I said I love Cushing and would have loved to be a senior there and take part in full graduation season. But, in assessing my progress, I determined the best avenue for me to develop my game was to play with and against older/bigger/stronger/faster players. For my senior year (5th year, due to my decision to attend FVS as a "repeat sophomore"), I've enrolled in K12 Academy, an accredited all-virtual school, which allows me to train full time during the day. Due to the global pandemic and after effects, I've now been with 4 hockey programs and 4 high school programs over 4 consecutive years.

Editorial note (7/14/21):  I transferred from Chatham High School (NJ) to Fountain Valley School of Colorado for the 2020-2021 academic year. I loved my time at CHS, but wanted to elevate my hockey development to a more intensive, year round program. My parents and I asked for permission for me to enter as a "repeat sophomore"--my parents did not want me entering my 1st year of boarding school as a junior (with college right around the corner; plus I was relatively young for my peer group). I continued on to FVS even though the school cancelled its 2020-21 (2 season program) hockey season due to Covid. FVS is on 1400 acres, and the school's priority was to keep the students in the classroom. There were no games, but we skated 2x weekly all year. I loved FVS, the school and my teachers, coaches, classmates and teammates; and was very happy with my decision to attend. And then in early November the hockey team received the very unexpected news the hockey program was to be cancelled. My teammates and I were gutted. The school administration determined it could not in good faith commit to a full 2021-22 hockey season with Covid still impacting day to day (this was back in November 2020); and so it could/would not recruit to refill the diminished roster, having lost a good number of seniors and juniors the prior year. FVS offered to support us playing for CO Springs AAA Tigers during our remaining time at FVS; the FVS Administration (coaches/teachers/staff) also actively supported me in transferring to other hockey boarding school. As much as I wanted to remain at FVS, I wanted the experience of playing for my high school, and so I opted to transfer. Cushing was my top pick; and I am very fortunate and excited to wear the purple sweater of Cushing.  

I am a 200-foot defenseman; I have a strong stay-at-home game, and I can also push the play forward, setting up a rush or joining or leading the rush. I'm strong on special teams, whether it's the power play or the penalty kill. And I've always had good gap, ever since I started playing hockey at an early age. I like to skate the puck, distribute the puck to my teammates, play make, assist on scores, set up scores, skate the puck around/behind net, shoot close in from the slot and put the puck on net from the blue line. I love to work hard in my games and practices on ice and off ice in S&C. I possess an unceasing drive and passion for the game of hockey, and I'm always seeking to learn and improve my game. 

In college I would like to be able to manage my time with schoolwork and hockey, and to have fun while living the college experience. Playing hockey would allow me to continue my love for the game, stay active and to be challenged physically and mentally. In college I would also like to gain even greater joy and fulfillment from being committed in the things you love to do, working to success, and to bonding with my teammates with unity and purpose. 

I am an unselfish player. I try to look out for my teammates and be even-tempered and positive. My hockey coaches consistently rate me, year after year, as one of their hardest working players and most coachable on the team. Offensively, I'm more of a playmaker vs scorer; defensively, I'm disciplined in my positioning and footwork committed to retrieving the puck and/our getting it out of the zone. I see the ice well and have a good sense of where the play is going. That's why my coaches tell me I'm a smart player, able to make decisions other players wouldn't think of doing when they get into a tough situation on the ice.

I think I'm different because I am naturally curious and a quick learner. When Coach tells the team a play or a drill in practice or a game, I usually eed to be told or shown just once. I always seek to improve on my mistakes that I make in a game or practice, and try to prevent that mistake from happening again. And I study NHL game highlights nonstop, not just watch but study. This is something I've been doing since I started playing 8 years ago.

I've been through several relatively very difficult life challenges. In each instance, I've worked through and overcome adversity. I believe the strength and insight I've gained from these events has enabled me to be a more committed player on the ice, curious student in the classroom, companion to my friends and citizen to my community. 

Looking ahead, after college, I can see myself playing several years overseas (in Europe or Japan), and then coming back to coach at the boarding school level and then move on to college as an assistant coach, and then ultimately working as an NHL assistant coach or scout.