Neil Komadoski (ice hockey b. 1982)

Neil Grant Komadoski (born February 10, 1982 in Chesterfield, Missouri) is a professional ice hockey defenseman. He was drafted in the third round, 81st overall, by the Ottawa Senators in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He is the son of former Los Angeles King and St. Louis Blue Neil George Komadoski.

After playing four seasons with Notre Dame, Komadoski made his professional debut with Ottawa's American Hockey League farm club, the Binghamton Senators, at the end of the 2003–04 season. After three full seasons in Binghamton, Komadoski was invited the training camp of the St. Louis Blues, who eventually assigned him to their AHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen.

Early life

Neil Komadoski Jr. was born in Chesterfield, Missouri in 1982. His father Neil Sr. played professional hockey and his mother Lauren was a stay at home mom. He has one sister Kelly who was an excellent figure skater until she injured her foot and could no longer compete. Growing up he lived and breathed hockey. He played for the St. Louis AAA Amateur Blues where his father coached him. He went on to high school where he attended two years at Chaminade College Preparatory in St. Louis. After his sophomore year he lived with a host family in Ann Arbor, Michigan where he continued his dream and hockey career. He graduated from Pioneer High school. As a sixteen-year-old in 1998-99 he was playing on the USA 18 and under National team in the North American Hockey League.^[1] Here he played 49 games and scored 3 goals with 11 assists which tallied a total of 14 points on the season. The following season he played for the US Junior National team in the United States Hockey League.^[2] He played in 50 games and hit the back of the net 7 times while helping with 8 to give him a total of 15 points.^[2]

University of Notre Dame

Neil was recruited by several universities but chose to attend the University of Notre Dame which played in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. As a freshman he scored 2 goals and had 5 assists.^[2] His rookie season got off to a slow start due to a shoulder injury in just the second game of the season and missed nine games. His first career goal came against Bowling Green. As a sophomore he played in all 38 games and scored just 2 goals and had 9 assists for 11 points.^[2] This is the year he was drafted but chose to stay in college and get an excellent education before taking his career to the next level. His junior season he picked up his game. While playing in all 40 games he led the Irish defenseman in scoring with a goal and 23 assists.^[2] Also his during his junior year, he was invited to the NCAA Leadership Conference held in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.^[3] This is one of the largest non-competitive gatherings of NCAA student-athletes. The conference is designed to enhance student-athletes' leadership and communication skills and to enable them to become more effective leaders and motivators when they return to their campuses. In his final season as a member of the Fighting Irish he played in 39 games and scored 5 goals and had 10 helpers for 15 points.^[4] He was not only an outstanding athlete he also excelled in the classroom. He was named to the Dean’s list twice. Also he was selected as one of 14 nominees for the College Hockey Humanitarian Award as a senior.^[5]

Professional career

At the end of Neil’s senior season he went straight to join the Binghamton Senators and finish up their season as a member of the team. He only played in 3 games to finish the 2003-04 season but was ready to see what his future would hold. As the 04-05 season came around he was ready for his first full season as a professional. He played in 36 games that season, scoring two goals and adding one assist as a rookie.^[2] In the 05-06 season Neil played in 41 games and tallied 5 assists but failed to score.^[2] He also added 71 penalty minutes. The following season which was the 06-07 season he dressed out for 68 games. He scored 3 goals and had 4 assists which gave him a total of 7 points on the year.^[2] Over the years he had been progressing and hoping for a chance to make it to the NHL. After the 06-07 season ended he was a free agent where he signed a one-year contract with his hometown St. Louis Blues. In the 07-08 season he only played in 3 games with the Peoria Rivermen, the blues affiliate in the AHL, due to a knee injury that would end his hockey playing career.^[2] He is currently a NHL scout for the Vancouver Canucks.

References

External links

• Neil Komadoski's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database