Gianna Paventi '25 Recruiting Profile

The first time I started skating and playing ice hockey was when I was four years old, from that first time I stepped on the ice, I immediately fell in love with the sport and knew it was my passion. My family moved from Connecticut where I had originally started, to Massachusetts in 2013, and then finally to Florida in 2016. In Florida, I've had to work twice as hard to play and improve, as there are far fewer opportunities to pursue playing girls hockey at a high level in a fast growing, but still non-traditional, hockey state. In the six years I've lived here though my skills and skating have grown immensely, enabling me to always play at the top levels for my age.

Currently, I'm focusing on training and playing in Canada at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in order to continue pursuing my dream of playing hockey at the collegiate level. I’m very aware that playing hockey at the collegiate level is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and one that I certainly don't want to miss out on.

In the classroom, I work and study hard to maintain a 3.8 GPA, whilst also maintaining an honors-level class load in order to enable any preferred field of college study. I'm also a prospective National Honor Society Candidate.

On the ice, I consider myself to be someone who leads by example, and I push and encourage my teammates to do their best as well. I go to the rink striving to be the hardest working player on the ice and try my best to never be outworked by another player. I've been very fortunate to have played for a number of great coaches, all of which I'm fairly certain would say I am a coachable athlete, along with being physically and mentally tough. I consider some of my strengths to be that I am a strong skater, a solid two-way player with a good shot, and someone who is a dominant defender in the slot. I take pride in some of the basics like lifting sticks, blocking shots, playing physical, and protecting the house.

Ultimately my goal is to attend a college where I can push myself both in the classroom and on the ice. I'm open to all options and want to find the right college match with the highest level of academic rigor and athletic competition. I hope to become a great role model to my younger siblings and my peers, and to make my parents proud.