Greenwich’s Kemp to be next captain for Bulldogs

To be elected a varsity captain is a major accolade at Yale, one of the only universities in the country that allows only one per team. The significance isn’t lost on Greenwich’s Phil Kemp, announced as the next men’s hockey captain on Tuesday.

“It’s an incredible honor to me, probably the greatest honor I’ll ever achieve in my life,” Kemp said. “I take a lot of care in it and have a lot of pride for it. It means a lot that the boys’ voted for me, and it’s something I’ll never forget. I’m going to give it my all and hopefully they’ll give it their all, too.”

Kemp, a defenseman and history major, has deep family ties to Yale.

Frank Kemp, a great uncle, graduated in 1942 and starred on the football team. Another great uncle, Bruce Kemp, was a member of Yale’s class of 1945 and died while serving the U.S. Army in Okinawa during World War II.

His grandfather, Phillip S. Kemp, is a 1950 graduate who played football and baseball at Yale. He was a baseball teammate of future President George H.W. Bush on teams that played in the first two College World Series in 1947 and 1948.

Phillip S. Kemp died in 2015, two years before his grandson enrolled at Yale.

“Unfortunately my grandfather is not around to see me play in a Yale jersey,” Kemp said. “But he’s looking down on me, smiling for sure.”

Kemp, a seventh-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, will lead a Yale team with plenty of returning talent.

He and Jack St. Ivany, a Philadelphia Flyers draft pick, make up one of the top defensive pairings in the nation. Kemp, a physical presence in the defensive zone at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, had three goals and eight assists last season. Kemp’s leadership will be essential.

“I think it is great that our players selected Phil as their captain. He embodies all the qualities we need in a leader,” Yale coach Keith Allain said. “Phil is selfless, hard-working, and ultracompetitive. He has earned the respect of his teammates and his coaches and will set the perfect tone for our group as we strive to become a championship team.”

The top five scorers from last winter are all back, led by Boston Bruins draft pick Curtis Hall, a rising junior who scored 17 goals and 10 assists in 28 games.

The Bulldogs finished strong, powering past Union in the opening round of the ECAC Hockey playoffs. Kemp had a goal and an assist in Game 2, a 4-1 Yale victory that allowed it to tie the best-of-3 series before winning a doubleovertime thriller a night later.

Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the season just before a quarterfinal series matchup at Quinnipiac was scheduled to begin in midMarch. Whether the hockey season begins on time in October — or whether it’s played at all — remains to be seen.

Kemp, who finished final exams last week, said discipline will be crucial as the team enters the summer training period. Finding available ice and weight room facilities won’t be easy until quarantine restrictions are eased.

“We have a great team coming back and we’re fired up to get back to school,” Kemp said. “This whole quarantine thing was a kick in the ass, especially coming off a double-overtime win. So we’re just itching to get back on the ice together.”