Nolan O’Brien has been selected as the recipient of the 2018 Hobey Baker High School Character Award for Portsmouth’s hockey team.

Hobey Baker is widely considered to be the first US hockey star.  Each year the foundation that bears his name presents the Hobey Baker Memorial Award to the most outstanding collegiate hockey player in America.  In 2003 the Foundation established the High School Character Award to be presented to the player on each high school team that best embodies the Hobey Baker ideal that “character builds excellence.”  The award is not necessarily intended to go to the top player on the team, but rather to the individual who, in the opinion of the head coach, best displays the highest levels of integrity, positive attitude, coachability, outstanding sportsmanship, and community spirit.  Following its formal adoption by Rhode Island, teams began presenting the award in 2006.  Recipients of the award receive a personalized plaque from the Hobey Baker Foundation, and are publicly recognized during the league’s senior all-star game, and also by Rhode Island’s political leaders in a ceremony at the State House.

Nolan’s character embodies the spirit of the Hobey Baker High School Award.  His quiet confidence commands respect for both himself and for the game of hockey.  A natural leader whose optimistic outlook is tempered by realism, he maintains an infectious enthusiasm for the game of hockey that serves as a unifying factor for the team.  In recognition of these traits, he was chosen to serve as an Alternate Captain during the current season.  On the ice, he plays the game in its purest form.  An aggressive, yet fair player, he has been called for only a single minor penalty in four years of high school hockey.  Nolan has an excellent awareness of the present and how it connects to the past.  As a “second generation” player whose father skated with the team in its inaugural season, he possesses a unique insight to the earliest days of Portsmouth hockey.  That connection to the past led him to discover the lost story of the only player number to have been retired by the team.  Dedicating his capstone senior project to re-honoring that distinguished player, he researched the circumstances and events that led to the number retirement, secured a replacement for the long-lost original jersey, coordinated a pre-game enshrinement ceremony, and coupled it with a fundraiser for a charity supporting childhood cancer patients.  Excellence is inherent in all of Nolan’s endeavors away from the rink, as well.  He is an honor roll student and a member of the National Honor Society.  He has twice been selected to participate in the Navy Seal Leadership Conference.  In addition to his high school studies he is enrolled in college credit classes at Roger Williams University where he plans to attend full time after graduation to study graphic design.  An inspiring artist in that regard, he received honorable mention for his entry in a national contest, sponsored by ESPN, to design a logo for the centennial season of the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs.  Closer to home he designed both the home and away uniforms currently worn by his school’s hockey team.  Nolan O’Brien exemplifies the Hobey Baker ideal that “Character Builds Excellence.“  He is a most deserving recipient of this honor.

Nolan will be honored for his accomplishment, along with the other Hobey Baker award recipients from all the Rhode Island high school hockey teams, during the intermission at the league’s post season All-Star Game,  Details on that game will be published soon.  The awardees will also be recognized by Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo at a special event at the state capital building at 3:00 pm this Wednesday, February 21.

For a list of all the former Portsmouth Patriots players to receive the Hobey Baker High School Character Award, click on the page heading of the same name in the menu at the top of this site’s Home Page.  There you will also find links to information about Hobey Baker himself, the foundation that bears his name, and the awards it presents in his honor.

Congratulations to Nolan O’Brien on receiving this distinguished award.