Ask coaches how they’d describe Jarod Crespo and the word that comes back the most is “reliable.”
Andrew Will, Crespo’s former coach at Salisbury School in Connecticut, correctly guessed that Pat Mikesch, Crespo’s current coach with the Green Bay Gamblers, would use the same word when talking about the defenseman.
“You knew what you were going to get,” Will said. “That’s such an appreciated commodity by coaches, but also teammates. They knew he was going to bring it night in and night out as a leader on our team. That helped raise those expectations.”
Crespo’s consistency has helped him stand out both on the ice and in the locker room in his second full season in the USHL. He’s taken on more minutes and contributes on both ends of the ice, tallying six assists in 13 games so far.
A Penn State commit, Crespo (Eastampton Township, N.J.) says he learned how to have the right mindset while at Salisbury. It’s helped him move on to the next play after mistakes and stay level-headed.
This article appears in the November/December print edition of the New York Hockey Journal.
