Aidan Garcia was a standout with the California Golden Bears for seven seasons.

As a 14U AA player, he was a star on the Bears state championship team and invited to the Pacific District Select Camp.

For the Bears organization, he was also a trailblazer.

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Last season, the club began an aggressive campaign to expose their players to East Coast prep schools.

“When you play AAA hockey, it’s separate from your education,” said Golden Bears coach Peter Torsson. “To excel at one, often the other suffers. At prep school, you’re getting an incredible education on and off the ice. Why not have that as an option for our players?”

This fall, Garcia will be attending The Groton School, a school just outside of Boston that is consistently ranked one of the top ten academic high schools in the country.

“Aidan is beyond excited and we’re so proud of him,” said Garcia’s father, Ayong. “With all the hard work that he put in and the help we got from Coach Torsson and the Bears, it’s just an amazing opportunity for him.”

With kids like Garcia as a shining example, the Bears look to place more players at top prep schools next fall.

“For high-character kids who have the talent and work ethic, hockey can provide a wide range of options,” said Golden Bears vice president Paul Kaplan. “To me, a kid like Aidan Garcia represents everything that’s positive about youth hockey. He worked his butt off to be ready for whatever opportunity came his way.

“In the end, a Groton education might not get him into the NHL, but it might get him into Harvard. Who knows? Maybe one day he’ll own an NHL team.”

— Jonothan Martin

(Oct. 10, 2017)