2020 | Virginia | COED

Yorktown Ice Hockey | Patriots | COED

Joe leads our team in a quiet and mature manner. He is never the loudest or most boisterous in the locker room, but I would often see him coaching and quietly helping players along the side. He would often pull our defensemen to the side in practice or games and give them tips on how they can improve. It’s such a great feeling as a coach when you have a player who finds a way to lead within their personality. Joe wasn’t always the Yorktown starter. He had to work to earn his place as one of my most trusted defensemen. There were times early in his career where he didn’t even dress in some of our varsity games. What defines Joe, though, was his ability to rise and improve and find his way to the top of our depth chart. He continued to cheer on his teammates even when he wasn’t playing. This was a huge sign of his character to me as he truly put the team before his individual accolades. Joe is a great kid and I think he is well-deserving of this award.