by mary malvagna posted 12/02/2009
DANNY LINELL COMMITS TO HARVARD
The New York Bobcats and Long Island Gulls are extremely proud to announce that Danny Linell has committed to the Crimson of Harvard for the 2011/2012 season. Considered by many to be the most prestigious academic institution in the world, Harvard is a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference. The Crimson are coached by Ted Donato, a former NHLer and key member of Harvard’s 1989 NCAA National Championship team. Other schools that showed strong interest in Linell included Dartmouth, UNH, Northeastern, Union and Brown.
Danny’s commitment is especially noteworthy because we are once again reminded that loyalty, perseverance and hard work are the keys to success – concepts that are all too often forgotten in this era of youth sports, where parents and players invariably search for the “better” team, the “better” coach or the “better” situation. A Long Island Gull since the day he set foot on the ice and throughout his entire youth hockey career, Danny’s commitment and loyalty should be applauded and emulated, and must continue to serve as a blueprint for success. Danny was recently included on the NHL’s Central Scouting Watch List and becomes the third player from the 2009/2010 Bobcats team to receive a commitment to play college hockey, joining Matt Zay (Mercyhurst) and Brendan Valdes (Middlebury).
In addition to quickly becoming a key contributor on this year’s first place Bobcats team, Danny also attends and plays for Choate Prep School. In his first 15 games for the Bobcats, he has scored an eye-popping 10 goals. Head Coach Eddie Galiani highlights Danny’s work ethic and strong character as some of the primary reasons for his success, but emphasizes that Danny’s belief and faith in the Gulls/Bobcats program was instrumental – “he listened to his coaches and never questioned their motivations; he worked on his skill level, and stayed on track regardless of the success or failure of the teams he played for.” Coach Galiani expects Danny to continue to be a major offensive force for the Bobcats this season.
As a sophomore at Choate last year, Danny was the second leading scorer on the team with a 15-12-27 line in 25 games. Danny will be playing on Choate’s top line this year with fellow Bobcats teammate, Alex Hagen. In describing Danny’s abilities on the US Hockey Report, Choate head coach Pat Dennehy had the following to say: “He’s electric and as fast as anyone I’ve ever coached. That ability to take off makes him a threat in any situation. He also reads the play well, is strong physically, and is willing to do all the little things in the dirty areas of the ice.”
Prior to joining the Bobcats, Danny was a member of last year’s Gulls Midget Minor team that won the New York State Tier 1 Championship and lost in the U.S. National semi-finals to eventual champion Compuware. That team, which was coached by Santo Macaluso and Bruce MacIsaac, will forever be recognized as one of the best youth hockey teams in the long and storied history of the Gulls. More importantly, however, it was a team of 92 and 93-born players that faithfully bought into the development model that was put into place by Coaches Macaluso and MacIsaac at the time they were PeeWees. Despite some disappointments along the way, the players stayed together under Macaluso’s and MacIsaac’s tutelage for a period of four years, culminating in their National Championship appearance and what is expected to be many more college commitments. In 57 games for the Midget Minors last season, Danny scored 43 goals and 43 assists and was one of the key overall contributors on the team. When asked to comment on Danny’s success, Coach Macaluso had this to say – “From the time he was 13 years old, I knew Danny had the potential to be a special player. He bought into everything we asked of him and he got better every time he stepped on the ice. His attention to detail is what separates him from the pack. He has an explosive first step, which makes him a threat on both sides of the puck.” In addition to participating in the NYS Select 14, 15, 16 and 17 Camps, Danny also had the opportunity to participate in the USA National 14 and 15 Festivals. He was also selected in the 5th round of the 2009 USHL draft by Cedar Rapids.
As we often say, the accomplishments of our players clearly exemplify how education and the sport of hockey – and the primary characteristics needed to succeed in both – can combine to create tremendous opportunities for our young men and women. There is no greater evidence of that fact than Danny Linell. The New York Bobcats and the Long Island Gulls take great pride in Danny’s tremendous accomplishments and extend their sincere and heartfelt congratulations to Danny and the entire Linell family. We wish him the very best as he looks ahead to his academic and college hockey career.
Danny hopes to pursue a degree in Business Administration or Finance.
