Rookie of the Year. First Team All-College Hockey Mid-America. Defenseman of the Year. Most points scored by a defenseman at KSU. What do these four achievements have in common? They were all attained by one relentless player who has been a force to be reckoned with: JJ Creighton. 

21-year-old Kent State University freshman JJ Creighton has had a long journey throughout his life to get to where he is today. 

As a kid, the Canfield native was inspired by the closest professional hockey team, the Youngstown SteelHounds. After these games, there were free skate sessions, where Creighton and his family discovered his spark and passion for ice skating which quickly translated to the world of hockey.

Upon this discovery, he started taking figure skating lessons to learn how to handle the icy new territory. This was quickly paired with the start of Creighton’s hockey career, and it was only the beginning.. 

While attending Ursuline, a Catholic high school, Creighton played for the Cleveland Barons in the elite tier 1 AAA league, the highest level of youth hockey in the nation. Although he had about 30 offers to play NCAA in college, Creighton wanted to take a couple of years of school off to further hone his skills. 

During his two gap years, Creighton played for Team Maryland, part of the Eastern Hockey League and stayed with a host family. In his second year on the team, he became a captain. Although he was extremely grateful for this opportunity, the young athlete decided it was time to move closer to home and pursue the life of a student-athlete, turning down offers including but not limited to a few professional offers. 

Between the size of the school, the “sick” downtown, the proximity to his hometown and the hockey team, the incoming freshman said Kent State was the obvious choice.

“The whole point was to come play closer at home because the family business was around here and that’s what I want to do after college,” he said.

The family business, Austintown Dairy, was a big part of Creighton’s decision to major in business management. During the offseason, he plans to go home and work at his family’s business. This degree will help him further expand Austintown Dairy.

Creighton said getting into the swing of being a student athlete took some time.

“It was a bit of a struggle going from just playing hockey, to hockey and going to school and getting into the routine,” said Creighton. 

Despite this, he made the Dean’s List in his first semester. Lack of free time has proven to be a bit of a challenge, as he has to “stay disciplined in his life both academically and on a personal level.” Besides his own self-restraint, one thing that has helped him stay on track is his teammates.

Creighton said having several of his teammates in his classes helps him maintain his schedule easily, but there are three teammates in particular whom Creighton has had the chance to grow exceedingly close to: “The Maryland Boys.”

These four boys– Creighton, T.J. Avellino, Matt Parker and Nick Falkowski — have a history together, as they all played on the Maryland team together and now live together. This small pack is always together, especially because they have shared many of the same classes. 

Creighton said these three boys have been very supportive, and they mean a lot to him.

“They’re like brothers … They’re great roommates and good friends, and you know, I couldn’t ask for any better friends,” he said.

Outside of his teammates, Creighton’s biggest support system has been his family, in particular, his parents. He said he was quick to recognize the sacrifices his parents made to set him up for a successful future in hockey and college. Between buying a jersey with his name and number on it to showing up to just about every game, Creighton knows his family is very dedicated toward him.

“They would give up their free time, their own money, just for me to go play hockey and have some fun,” he said.

In addition, Creighton has been able to become part of a brotherhood on the ice.

“It’s just one big giant family. We take care of each other. Whatever someone needs, someone is there for them. Some guys went through some things this year and we were right there for them,” Creighton said. 

With the team being as close as they are, saying goodbye to the seniors was particularly hard. The underclassmen look up to them like older brothers. They show them the ropes and make sure the younger players are ready to take on the mantle and lead the incoming athletes toward a national title. 

Throughout this past season, Creighton broke the record for most points scored by a defenseman and won Rookie of the Year, Defenseman of the Year and First Team All-CHMA; an incredible achievement for a first-year player. The freshman ended the season with 45 points, including the playoffs. He emphasized the points that he “wouldn’t have been able to do that without [his] teammates and coaches, and [wants] to help bring the program in the right direction.”

Zach Nowak, the head coach of the team, and Alex Sanchez, the assistant coach, both said the coaching staff strongly believes that Creighton set the standard of what it takes to win a championship. They said he’s been a leader for his teammates, and his relationship with his teammates shows his potential to be a captain in the future.

“From my point of view, [his future] is promising. As a freshman, he helped lead the program in the right direction, you look at his resume and hockey history and he’s leading everywhere he’s played,” Sanchez said.

Creighton said he has big aspirations for the upcoming season, as he knows this team has potential.

“We’re going to win a national title,” he said.

Jess Davis is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].