By Alexis Demopoulos
Defenseman Alec O’Connor is thankful to a lot of people for helping him get to where he is in his hockey career, but especially coach Dan Hodge during his time this season with NCDC Thunder Hockey Club. Coach Hodge was an integral part of helping O’Connor earn an NCAA Division II Northeast-10 Conference hockey commitment to Saint Anselm College for the 2025-26 season.
“Coach Hodge and the Thunder Organization have been crucial in me taking this next step in my hockey career something I cannot thank them enough for,” said O’Connor. “This has been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember, and Coach Hodge has provided me with a great opportunity to showcase myself and grow in my game to get to this position. I think that there are many ups and downs throughout a junior hockey season, and I have experienced both, and the Thunder handle it really well.”
A native of Winchester, Mass., O’Connor played in the NCDC during the 2023-24 season where he split his time between the Northern Cyclones and the South Shore Kings. For the 2024-25 season, O’Connor took his talents to the Thunder Hockey Club and has appeared in 19 games so far, tallying one goal and two assists.
Choosing to continue his junior career with the Thunder was the best decision for O’Connor.
“Coach Hodge has been very helpful with helping the mental aspect of my game, when I make a mistake, it’s about the next play or next shift, and not to let it shake me off my game,” said O’Connor. “This is something that has been really helpful with my confidence this season, which is vital in this sport. I was really happy to be with the Thunder because I got to play with some great guys who I had previously known or played with, as well as being close to home, which has allowed my dad to be able to attend a lot of my games.”
O’Connor is thankful to the NCDC for helping him showcase his skills and get noticed by coaches on any given night.
“I think that the NCDC does a great job providing opportunities to players, especially in the New England division, due to the proximity to so many high end Division II and III college programs,” said O’Connor. “Ultimately, junior hockey is about getting on the ice and showcasing what you have during those moments, but the NCDC does a good job in getting eyes on their players and I have been grateful for my opportunity to play here.”
O’Connor had his eye on Saint Anselm for a while and reached out to head coach Larry Rocha at the beginning of this year expressing his interest.
“Coach Rocha was very responsive and O’Connor stayed in consistent contact as there were many aspects drawing him to the school. Coach Rocha liked the impact I had on the ice, and how I can be simple but also use my feet when needed to escape pressure.”
When O’Connor started his college search he had a few different boxes he wanted to check off and St. Anselm was the perfect fit in terms of academics, a beautiful campus, great hockey facilities and the fact that it was close to home. Another key aspect for O’Connor was the fact that they offer both of his majors, as he is thinking of being a dual major in Biology and Business in hopes of getting a job in the business side of health care.
“I have a couple friends who attend Saint Anselm and they spoke very highly of the school and the hockey program,” said O’ Connor. “On the hockey aspect, the facilities, the rink, training rooms, and the strong competition in the New England area was what stood out to me. They seem to have a really good culture, which is something I think is important in a winning program. On the academic side, I was impressed with the small classroom environment and teacher to student ratio, something that will be helpful in my success in the classroom. I also really liked the opportunity to pursue two strong programs in Business and Biology offered at Saint Anselm.”
Right now, O’Connor is working hard on becoming a more physical player for next season and he is hoping under the guidance of Coach Rocha and staff, they can help him achieve that goal. O’Connor came into juniors being a more offensive defenseman and in his two years in the NCDC has really focused a lot of his time on that area and has become a really effective shutdown defenseman.
“I want to continue to work on being more physical during my time at Saint Anselm. I am a bigger player and I want to use my size more, whether that’s in the corners to win battles, or to help set the tone for my teammates to get us going for a game,” said O’Connor. “I think I have a lot of areas I want to improve on to take my game to the next level and I’m looking forward to Coach Rocha’s help with this process.”
Now that O’Connor’s commitment is secured, he is only focused on one thing and that is winning a Dineen Cup with his teammates.
“Coming into the season, my individual goal was to get a college commitment, which I am incredibly happy about, but on the team side I want to win the Dineen Cup,” said O’Connor. “We have a special group of guys in our locker room, who I believe have the skills and work ethic to give our team a chance to win every single night. I think we are well-coached and while we have some ground to make up, I think we can really make a run at this given how strong our team can be at our best.”
The NCDC congratulates Alec O’Connor, his family, the Thunder Hockey Club and Saint Anselm College for his commitment.
