Grandinetti has skill, smarts
Combine hockey skill and book smarts and it adds up to a rather-intelligent player.
Such as Brandon Grandinetti, a third-year defenceman with the reigning Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League champion Soo Thunderbirds.
Not only is the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Grandinetti a skilled skater with hockey smarts who moves the puck well, he is a studious individual who works hard in the classroom and gets his homework done.
Despite the rigours of daily practice and weekend games with the Thunderbirds, the 19-year old Grandinetti manages his time well enough to take three tough courses at Algoma University.
Studying biology, chemistry and geology — which are anything but routine courses — at AU means considerable time spent on the Thunderbird team bus reading and completing assignments.
“Between hockey and school I don’t have a lot of free time,” Grandinetti relayed while guesting on a recent edition of the Hockey North Show which airs on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. on radio station ESPN 1400.
Which means having to do quite a bit of school work on hockey road trips.
“The guys on the team like to bug me when I am doing my school work on the bus but it’s all good-natured fun,” smiled the likeable, good-natured Grandinetti, who carries a reputation as a good teammate.
Kevin Cain, who is the president and director of hockey operations for the Thunderbirds, is a big fan of Grandinetti’s.
“He’s what we want a Soo Thunderbird to be all about…a good hockey player, a good student, a good kid and a good teammate,” said Cain, in praise of Grandinetti. “Really, Brandon is everything you want in a player.”
A dependable defender who sees and reads the ice well, Grandinetti also contributes offensively by averaging a point every two games.
“He is a player who has improved a lot in the years that he has been with us,” added Cain. “He’s a kid who we can really count on.”
Grandinetti still has a season of junior hockey eligibility remaining after this one and said he would like to continue playing while furthering his education.
“Maybe play at a Canadian or American university, we’ll see how that goes,” answered Grandinetti, when asked about future plans for hockey and school.
As for a career beyond hockey?
“I want to be a chiropractor,” said Grandinetti. “It’s an area that I am very interested in.
“Besides,” he added with a laugh, “I have spent so much time at the chiropractor’s office during my hockey career that I figure I might as well study to be one.”
PHOTO: Brandon Grandinetti, in action with the reigning NOJHL champion Soo Thunderbirds. (Photo by Ali Pearson.)
The secret to the Soo’s success is their smart, mobile and skilled defense, of which Grandinetti is a huge part. Last year, teamed with Radke and Headrick, opposing teams just could not establish an effective forecheck. He looks even stronger this year and has become a leader. Nice to see he takes his studies seriously.
Agree with you 100 % about the Soo “D”. They are tough to play aganst and they give up very few quality shots on the net.
Would love to be a forward on that team. You always have the puck!