While many athletes dream of competing at the national level, very few achieve their goal. It is especially difficult in hockey.
Only one team from each state moves on to the national level to compete. Each team is only allowed to dress 20 skaters per game. This leaves the odds of making the national tournament extremely low.
While this may seem like an impossible feet, one Nonnewaug student has made it a reality.
Nonnewaug senior Henry Keil is apart of the 18u Donoghue Hockey Skills (DHS) team that is headed to the 2026 national tournament.
“Obviously winning states back to back years has been amazing and making a national championship game,” says Keil. “But I would say my favorite part has been a playing with other players from around the state that I would not play with in high school. They make playing the game a lot of fun.”
The team doesn’t just have fun, though. “Everyone on our team is motivated and wants to win,” says Keil.
“We all love competing and want to win day in and day out, but we also have a lot of fun with it and I think that has been a huge factor in our success.” Sports team will never succeed if they don’t have continuity, leadership, and fun.
All of these skills Henry brings to the table, not only for DHS but for the school team, being a captain since his junior year.
“It is great having Henry as captain,” says Nonnewaug sophomore hockey player Joe Ciarlegelio. “He is a natural born leader who is always encouraging. He gives me advice on what I could do to improve my game, which I’ve found extremely helpful.”
Joe isn’t the only player who has benefited from Henry’s leaderships.
“Henry’s leadership has led our team through tough seasons were we showed promise but fell short on wins,” says Nonnewaug senior hockey goalie Mathew Clifford. “He leads by example, taking the season more serious than anyone else and helping guide the young players.”
The school team hopes to repeat the success the DHS team had, through the leadership of two of the players.
“Not to speak bad about the captains my freshman year, but Henry definitely takes a more active role in his leadership, being is more vocal in the locker room and setting a better example,” says Clifford. “Henry and Gunnar are both extremely capable hockey players and are strong leaders. Gunnar Ough, a fellow DHS teammate of Henry’s, is the other captain for the school co-op team this year. Henry and Gunnar have played together for years, having some of the best chemistry in the entirety of D3 hockey for Connecticut. “ I think our skill and chemistry will give us an advantage over a lot of teams come playoff time,” says Clifford.
The team is gearing up for what looks to be their most promising season in years. “We certainly have a lot of skill,” says Keil, “but I think our continuity and teamwork is going to be what makes us successful. We have all the pieces we need to make a deep playoff run, now all we have to do is put it together.”
For the time being, Keil is focused on the high school season, but the dream of being a national champion never leaves his mind.
“Knowing what it takes to win, not everyone gets the opportunity to play for national title once let alone twice,” says Keil, “ and I know another opportunity like this may never come around again. I just hope I can take everything that I’ve learned from my DHS team and bring it to my high school team. I want to show that my talents don’t just work in the DHS system, but that I am a player who can adapt to wherever I am playing and be whatever my team needs me to be.”
