Jason Diamond finds hockey success in collegem

SALISBURY — Going from a small school such as Housatonic Valley Regional High School to college hockey is no easy task. 

But Lakeville’s Jason Diamond made the jump in grand fashion, becoming a key player for the Becker College team in Worcester, Mass., this past winter.

“My first season was great,” said Diamond. “Our team is really close and we are young so the next couple of years will be a lot of fun. I think scoring my first goal was definitely a great moment. Getting it in overtime was really special and it came with our first win of the year; that just added to it. It was also nice to get it against Stonehill College, where my brother [Kevin, a goalie] used to play.”

Jason Diamond played in 25 games this season, scoring four goals and adding three assists for seven points. He was tied for sixth on his team in points. 

Diamond said playing in college was “a lot more professional” than he expected. 

“Everything is very organized and specific. We have to step on the ice at an exact second for warm-ups each game. I’d never experienced that with juniors or high school.”

Diamond said playing at Becker was “a lot faster than juniors” and much more physical. 

“Everybody is stronger and faster, so I had to adjust pretty quickly. After the first couple of games I was able to settle in and get comfortable with the speed. It’s also a lot harder on your body, so taking care of yourself is really important. I was in the ice bath before every game day and I really learned I had to do the little things.”

 Diamond had an outstanding career at Housatonic. He scored 31 goals as a senior and 67 for three years with the varsity, coached by his father, Dean Diamond. He won Nutmeg Conference and All-State honors as a senior, was first team All-Conference and second team All-State as a sophomore, and captained the team his junior and senior seasons. 

He was the outstanding athlete at HVRHS for his senior year and was a high school Hobey Baker award winner, which honors high school hockey players who exemplify the Hobey Baker ideal that “character builds excellence.” He also played with the Connecticut Nighthawks junior team, scoring 25 goals his final season.

“People don’t realize how difficult it is to play in college,” said Dean Diamond. “Becker is a Division III school and there are 80 Division III schools in the country playing men’s ice hockey. Some kids choose to go to prep schools if they want to play hockey in college, but I tell kids that they can get there playing for their high schools. If you are good enough, they will find you.”

Hockey influenced Jason Diamond’s decision to attend Becker College. 

“After touring, I was very impressed with the athletic facilities. The Worcester Ice Center was a huge advantage Becker provided that other schools I’d visited couldn’t compete with. Peak Fitness has brand new top end facilities, which provided me with everything I needed to excel as an athlete and as a hockey player.”

Diamond believes he matured as a hockey player in his one year of college, especially with his decision making. 

“In high school you can get away with dangling and that can lead to bad habits. Juniors was a big step in moving away from that style of hockey and in college any selfish mistakes like that lead to limited ice time.” 

Diamond has many fond memories of playing high school hockey. 

“My favorite memories at Housy are from our Senior Night games my junior and senior year. Junior year we beat NFI [New Fairfield-Immaculate] at the buzzer and senior year we beat Norwalk in the same fashion. Scoring against Norwalk was by far my favorite goal during high school and maybe ever. It was a special night and one that I won’t forget.”

Housatonic prepared him for college in “multiple ways,” he said. “Academically, I had great relationships with my teachers in and out of the classroom. Athletically, I was able to gain confidence and experience. Many players leave public schools and transfer to prep schools strictly for athletic exposure. I found that in my four years at Housy I grew immensely as a player and was then able to move up to juniors and now college.”

Diamond is a business major with a concentration in marketing. 

“Classes have gone really well. I’m surrounded by teammates in most of my courses, which is a lot of fun but also helps me academically.”

Diamond has already begun off-season training in the gym and on the ice. 

“Finding ice is difficult in the summer months, but I’m fortunate to have a father who runs a summer program that I now help coach. In the gym I’ve focused on hockey-specific exercises. Right now, it’s mostly been with a couple of the guys on my team on our own; in May we’ll start our summer training program.”

It seems as though Jason Diamond is never far away from his second home, the hockey rink.