Harvard grad not afraid to mix it up
Vesey’s physical game adds to Rangers offence
• Jimmy Vesey scored the fourth goal of his fledgling NHL career for the New York Rangers on Wednesday night, but Boston Bruins f orward David Pastrnak cross- checked him into the end boards before Vesey had much of a chance to celebrate. So Vesey found Pastrnak and cross-checked him back. Then he hugged his teammates.
Vesey’s f ather, Jim, a former NHL forward, happened to be watching the game on television. The goal, a tap-in off a gorgeous crossice pass from Rick Nash, was terrific, but to his father, Vesey’s response to Pastrnak was even better. “I said, ‘When he hits you, you’d better hit him back,’” Jim Vesey said. “He’s going to protect himself.”
Vesey, a 23- year- old from North Reading, Mass., was the captain of the Harvard hockey team, and he won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the top NCAA player last season.
As a senior, Vesey scored 24 goals in 33 games and sat in the penalty box for only six minutes. But it has become apparent to the Rangers that he takes great pride in being more than a prolific scorer. At 6 feet 3, 207 pounds, Vesey can be physical and punishing.
“I have a bigger body, and I don’t mind doing that stuff,” Vesey said Thursday after practice. “It’s what I’m looking to bring every night.”
Ted Donato, a f ormer NHL forward who is the coach at Harvard, said Vesey worked at becoming a better all-around player while with the Crimson. “Now, it’s not just about whether he scores or not, a coach can trust him to be on the ice up a goal or down a goal,” Donato said.
“He had a commitment to becoming a 200-foot player,” Donato added, referring to Vesey’s defensive abilities. “Jimmy came in as a player who could score, but he left as a player who could score goals but also kill penalties, a guy you could use in all situations. Those kind of guys buy themselves more leeway with coaches, not just because they can score goals.”
Vesey was selected by Nashville in the third round of the 2012 NHL entry draft, but decided to go to Harvard. Nashville could not sign him in its allotted time and traded his rights to Buffalo in June. The Sabres could not sign him either, so Vesey became an unrestricted free agent.
Eight NHL teams, including his hometown Bruins, pursued him. Vesey signed with the Rangers because he thought they really wanted him. It was a bonus that Rangers forward Kevin Hayes is a friend since childhood. Now the two are dressing-room neighbours.
“What I like about him the most is that he gets to the gritty areas,” linemate Derek Stepan said. “He seems to be always be in the tough areas, and that’s where you score goals.”