Sam Dikdan '24 Recruiting Profile

I have been playing hockey since I was 5 years old and would love to continue playing during my collegiate career. I have played at many levels, up to AA, and have had many success stories in my hockey career. I have won 2 Silver Sticks, played in 2 OMHA finals, and won various league and tournament titles. I have also done extra power skating, skills camps and personal training to better my game. Sports, not just hockey, have led me to make great friends, learn from excellent coaches and meet amazing people.

I am a dual citizen (US and Canadian) and would love to follow in my parents’ footsteps of playing a sport at the college level in the US. My dad played Division I baseball and my mom played Division I basketball. My sister is currently playing basketball in Halifax Nova Scotia for St. Mary’s University.

About 5 years ago my father took a job that required a lot of moving. We have now moved 3 times in the last 5 years. This has both helped and hurt my hockey journey. It has helped me adapt to playing in different leagues, with different players and coaches. I have gained a lot of knowledge and perspective about the game of hockey. These moves have hurt me from the aspect of consistency and stability within a club/organization. But my journey has been unique, and I have grown from it.

I had never played defense in my career until 2 years ago when I made my last move from Brockville, ON to Exeter, ON. I had grown almost 8” from 2020 until 2021, COVID shut hockey down almost completely for me during this time. So, I started at a new program in 2021 with a new body! They immediately wanted me to play defense.  I played 2 Rep seasons on defense for the South Huron Sabres.

I am currently playing at the Local League level and made a questionable decision not to play Rep hockey this season. I was asked to play on our Rep team, but I would have been playing defense. I made the decision to stay in LL because I wanted to play LW/C and wasn’t sure what my future in hockey. If it was going to be my last year, I wanted to enjoy playing the position I loved so much.

The choice I made has made me realize that I still want to play hockey at a higher level. I don’t care if it is on the wing or on D, I want to continue to be part of a team, develop as a hockey player and find success both on the off the ice. I feel I can be an impact player at the next level and would love to win more championships. I am a smart and eager athlete that is not afraid to learn and work hard.

Not playing at the Rep level this year did allow me to expand my athletic abilities and again learn more about sports and myself. I will have played senior/varsity volleyball, soccer, basketball, curling, badminton, and golf for my high school this year. I have played on the senior/varsity basketball and volleyball teams for 3 years and was the captain of both teams in my last year. I have enjoyed these sports, but hockey is still the one I love the most.

I think being part of sports and a team are important to continuing my life journey. I want to experience all that college has to offer from an academic and sport perspective.