Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Q&A with Quinnipiac commit Austin Spiridakis

Austin Spiridakis (photo by Dan Riedlhuber/St. Albert Gazette)
Quinnipiac recently picked a commitment likely for the 2021-2022 season in 2002 born forward Austin Spiridakis out of Sturgeon County in Alberta, Canada. Spiridakis is currently playing for the St. Albert's Raiders Midget AAA in the Alberta Midget Hockey League. He is coming off a 58 point season (30 goals, 28 assists) at the bantam level last year with St. Albert's. I had a chance to catch up with him as he graciously gave me some of his time for a question and answer session so Bobcat Nation can get to know one of its future players presumably for the 2021-2022 season.


Jonathan Singer: First off congratulations on your commitment to Quinnipiac. Tell us about your overall recruiting process?

Austin Spiridakis: The Quinnipiac coaching staff scouted me about a year ago when they were out in Alberta and then this past August I flew down to Connecticut for an unofficial visit to check out the arena and the campus. About month after that one of the assistant coaches came to watch one of my games and offered me a verbal agreement.

Jonathan Singer: How much did you know about Quinnipiac prior this whole process?

Austin Spiridakis: I knew they were an upcoming powerhouse in college hockey. Other than that I didn't know much about it until after I was there on my unofficial visit.

Jonathan Singer: What were your thoughts of the Quinnipiac campus and hockey facilities after you visited this past August?

Austin Spiridakis: The campus was beautiful and very well maintained. The technology and resources they have on the campus exceeded my expectations. When I walked into the rink I got embraced by the winning culture in that building. 

Jonathan Singer: Did any other NCAA schools start to show interest in you?

Austin Spiridakis: Other schools definitely have started to show interest in me, especially ones from other ECAC schools.

Jonathan Singer: Tell us about the type of player that Quinnipiac is getting in the future? What are some of your strengths in your game?

Austin Spiridakis: Quinnipiac will be getting someone that is a highly skilled offensive minded player in the future. I am a player that can move the puck well along with having a quick release. Two other strengths of mine are that I’m a very good skater and I never give up.

Jonathan Singer: You are currently listed at 5'9 172. Do you think that you will continue to grow in the next couple of years height wise?

Austin Spiridakis: I’m actually 5’11 and I should also grow a couple more inches along with filling out along the way before I reach Quinnipiac.

Jonathan Singer: What type of role does the Quinnipiac coaching staff envision for you when you reach Hamden?

Austin Spiridakis: They didn't really said anything about that. I am guessing they want me to be similar to what I am now but bigger, stronger and faster.

Jonathan Singer: You were drafted by the Everett Silvertips in the 2017 WHL Bantam draft.  Did the Silvertips try to get you to sign with them after the draft or did you make it known to them that you had interest in playing NCAA hockey?

Austin Spiridakis: The Everett Silvertips didn’t make an attempt to sign me. I did make it known to them that I wanted to play NCAA hockey in the future.

Jonathan Singer: What are some of the things you want to improve upon in you game in the next 3-4 years before you head to Quinnipiac?

Austin Spiridakis: Some of the things I can improve upon before coming to Quinnipiac are working on exploding out of transitions along with becoming a much better defensive player and I can always work on being a better skater.

Jonathan Singer: What are your plans after you finish midget hockey for the St. Albert Raiders? Do you see yourself in the AJHL or BCHL or do you want to head to the United States and play in the USHL to prepare for the next level?

Austin Spiridakis: My plans after midget are not totally decided as of now. All three of those leagues are great options and I would love to play in any of them.

Jonathan Singer: How much has the St. Albert's program helped prepare you in getting this opportunity with Quinnipiac?

Austin Spiridakis: The St. Albert’s program was a huge part of me getting this opportunity with Quinnipiac. They always given me the opportunity of having teams play at the highest level for my age group which helped prepare me to where I am today as a player.

Jonathan Singer is a 2004 Quinnipiac alum. You can follow him on Twitter @QHockeyBlog.

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