April 26, 2011
Dependable 'D' O'Gara undecided for next year
by Kirk Luedeke/NYHJ Writer
Every year, it seems a player bursts onto the draft scene after being a relative unknown the season before.
Milton Academy defenseman Rob O’Gara is such a prospect, having been a key piece of his team’s championship run last month to claim supremacy in the New England Prep School Ice Hockey Association tournament held in Salem, N.H. O’Gara, a native of Nesconset, N.Y., has excellent size (6-foot-3, 185 pounds) with a long-limbed athletic frame that should fill out considerably by the time he reaches his physical peak. A fluid and powerful skater, he plays with poise and intelligence.
Not an ultra-aggressive, attacking defender like teammate and fellow Long Islander Pat McNally of Glen Head (a fourth-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks in 2010), O’Gara has some offensive ability but excels at defense and using his positional savvy and long reach to deny opposition scoring chances.
“I think I’m solid defensively,” O’Gara told New York Hockey Journal during the prep tournament. “I’m not going to be caught up-ice, and I bring a presence to the blue line; I can play offense. So, I enjoy the defensive aspects of the game.”
Playing in just his first prep season at the Milton, Mass., school, O’Gara adapted quickly to the level of competition, establishing himself as a consistent and dependable presence from Day One.
“He’s been steady,” Milton head coach Paul Cannata said after the championship victory. “I always say that it’s cold, snowy and Robby is Robby. He’s consistent, steady and has been one of our top players all year.”
Cannata got a lot of production from New York and New Jersey players this season, with a total of 10 on his roster from the two states. Prep All-Star goalie Sean Dougherty (Smithtown, N.Y.) and Woody Hudson (Rochester, N.Y.), in particular, joined O’Gara and McNally on the Mustangs’ hit parade, as the team crafted a 26-3-1 record.
Because O’Gara is seen as a legitimate NHL draft prospect with some intriguing potential, the inevitable comparisons with teammate McNally tend to enter into the conversation.
“Robby’s highs are not as high as McNally’s,” said Cannata, perhaps referring to the hat trick McNally scored in Milton’s semifinal win. “But his lows are virtually nonexistent. He doesn’t get rattled and just brings that positive presence and high compete level in every game.”
To hear Cannata talk, it might sound as if O’Gara lacks any real offensive upside, but that is more a reflection of how dependable a defensive player he’s become for his team. O’Gara’s two goals and nine points in 29 games this season do not reflect the progress he made all season and how his overall game has evolved. When the openings are there, the mobile rearguard has not hesitated to make the play.
In fact, O’Gara assisted on the winning goal in the championship game, keeping the puck in along the point and sliding it over to T.J. Schneider (Sound Beach, N.Y.), whose slap shot rebound was fired home by Sean Okita late in the third period of Milton’s 2-1 win over Kent School.
The play was typical of what O’Gara brings to the mix: He made an athletic play to maintain possession at the point,
then kept his head up and put the puck where his teammate could make a play with it. It wasn’t a flashy or dynamic assist, but it was integral to Milton hitting paydirt and securing the school’s first prep championship since 1967.
“He’s a really good player for this level,” said an NHL scout for a Western Conference team, who was on hand. “He’s got that size and he’s a strong skater with a good stick. He’s just a smart kid who works hard and is a better puck mover than he gets credit for. I like O’Gara’s game more than I do McNally’s because he’s more disciplined and in control; I think his instincts and hockey sense are better and will serve him well at the next level.”
However, there was a lingering “but” on the scout’s assessment as it applied to O’Gara — namely, the feeling among the NHL scouting community that prep hockey is a lower level of competition. More and more big-league teams are trying to nudge prospects toward playing junior hockey or accelerating to the NCAA as opposed to remaining in the prep ranks, where some feel the development process can stall.
“The big question is going to be where he will play next season,” the scout said. “Is he coming back to Milton for another year? That’s the first question my boss is going to ask me, and if the answer is he’s back for another year of prep, then O’Gara becomes a tougher sell.”
Committed to Yale for the fall of 2012, where O’Gara will play next season is still up in the air. When he gets to New Haven, O’Gara will join fellow 2011 NHL draft prospects Matt Killian (Basking Ridge, N.J.) and Colin Sullivan in what is shaping up to be a pretty mobile and skilled young blue line corps for the Bulldogs.
Until then, Milton would love to see him back next season to help defend the title. Even if O’Gara declines to go the junior route for one more year of prep school hockey with the Mustangs, he is expected to generate plenty of interest with NHL clubs in June as a solid mid-round option and developmental project.
Kirk Luedeke can be reached at feedback@nyhockeyjournal.com
