Robert Dominick O'Gara (born July 6, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who retired following the 2021 season. He is currently an Assistant Coach for the men's Yale Hockey team. O'Gara was selected by the Boston Bruins in the fifth-round (151st overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
| Rob O'Gara | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||
| Born |
July 6, 1993 Massapequa, New York, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 207 lb (94 kg; 14 st 11 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Boston Bruins New York Rangers | ||
| NHL draft |
151st overall, 2011 Boston Bruins | ||
| Playing career |
2016–2021 Coaching career | ||
| Current position | |||
| Title | Assistant coach | ||
| Team | Yale | ||
| Conference | ECAC Hockey | ||
| Biographical details | |||
| Alma mater | Yale University | ||
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |||
| 2021–Present | Yale (assistant) | ||
Playing career
editO'Gara was born on Long Island, to parents Christine Rittmeyer and Brian O'Gara. As a youth, he played in the 2006 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the New York Islanders minor ice hockey team.[1] Rob grew up a die-hard New York Islanders fan, a fact he shared during an interview with The Broadway Hat Podcast. Following two seasons at Milton Academy, O'Gara enrolled at Yale University to play NCAA Division I hockey with the Yale Bulldogs. In his freshman season he helped the Bulldogs capture the 2012–13 NCAA Championship, the first national championship title for the team. The following season, O'Gara was named to the NCAA All-Ivy League Second Team, and in his junior year his outstanding play was rewarded when he selected as ECAC Hockey's Best Defensive Defenseman and was named to the NCAA (East) First All-American Team.[2]
On March 29, 2016, the Boston Bruins signed O'Gara to a two-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2016–17 season. The Providence Bruins, the AHL affiliate to Boston, signed him to an ATO (amateur try-out) for the remainder of the 2015–16 season.
On February 20, 2018, the Bruins traded O'Gara, along with a 2018 third-round draft pick, to the New York Rangers in exchange for Nick Holden.[3]
On August 20, 2019, as a free agent from the Rangers, O'Gara signed one-year AHL contract with the San Antonio Rampage, the primary affiliate of the St. Louis Blues.[4] Entering the 2019–20 season, O'Gara was limited to just 5 scoreless games with the Rampage, serving as a depth option to the blueline. On December 6, 2019, O'Gara was traded to the Springfield Thunderbirds, affiliate to the Florida Panthers, in exchange for future considerations.[5]
As a free agent from the Thunderbirds leading into the pandemic delayed 2020–21 season, O'Gara was signed to a professional tryout contract to attend the Hershey Bears training camp on January 20, 2021.[6]
Career statistics
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2010–11 | Milton Academy | USHS | 29 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Milton Academy | USHS | 24 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Yale University | ECAC | 37 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Yale University | ECAC | 33 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Yale University | ECAC | 33 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Yale University | ECAC | 30 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 59 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2016–17 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 43 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | New York Rangers | NHL | 22 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 47 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | San Antonio Rampage | AHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 20 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 26 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 33 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and honors
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| All-Ivy League Second Team | 2013–14 | [7] |
| All-Ivy League First Team | 2014–15 | [8] |
| ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Defenseman | 2014–15 | [9] |
| All-ECAC Hockey First All-Star Team | 2014–15 | [10] |
| NCAA (East) First All-American Team | 2014–15 | [11] |
| All-Ivy League First Team | 2015–16 | [12] |
References
edit- ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ "Rob O'Gara player profile". Yale Bulldogs. March 14, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
- ^ "Rangers Acquire Defenseman O'Gara and 2018 Third Round Pick From Bruins". NHL.com. February 20, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
- ^ "Rampage agree to terms with defenseman Rob O'Gara". www.sarampage.com. August 20, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ Springfield Thunderbirds (December 6, 2019). "T-Birds acquire defenseman Rob O'Gara". Twitter. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ "Bears ink defenders O'Gara, Wilcox to tryout agreements". Hershey Bears. January 20, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ "Men's Ice Hockey All-Ivy – 2013–14". Ivy League. March 7, 2014. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
- ^ "Men's Ice Hockey All-Ivy, Coach of the Year Announced". Ivy League. March 5, 2015. Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
- ^ "Conference Honors, 2014–15". collegehockeyinc.com. April 1, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ "ECAC Hockey honors three Dutchmen". unionhockeyblog.com. April 15, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Alex Lyon, Rob O'Gara, Yale's first-team All-Americans, to return next season". April 11, 2015.
- ^ "Men's Ice Hockey All-Ivy, Coach of the Year Announced". Ivy League. March 3, 2016. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database