When Corey Andonovski wakes up each morning, he is excited to play hockey. The grade 11 student is one of only a few who will continue to fulfill his dream at Princeton University.
“It was an amazing feeling receiving this offer,” said the Varsity Saints forward. “It was an even better feeling understanding how great of an opportunity I now have.”
Choosing a university is never a light decision, and Corey committed to Princeton for a number of reasons including the quality of education, the prestige, the coaching staff, and of course being able to play for the NCAA Division 1 Tigers.
At just two years of age, Corey laced up his skates for the first time. By four he was playing organized hockey and he immediately fell in love with the game. Fast forward 10 years and Corey is playing for both the York Simcoe Express and the U16 St. Andrew’s Saints. Corey was then faced with a big decision. After being drafted in the 4th round, 75th overall to the OHL, he had to decide if he would play for the Varsity Saints or Ottawa 67’s. After much consideration, Corey decided to stay with St. Andrew’s.
“Corey had an outstanding grade 11 season,” said Varsity Saints Head Coach David Manning. “He made an immediate impact and scored a number of big goals against our best competition.”
While undecided on his major, Corey is leaning toward a degree in economics, but his desire to play professional hockey tops his career list. “I feel that with lots of hard work and determination my dream is possible,” said Corey who this season scored 24 goals and had 27 assists in 51 games. “There are many more players making the jump from college to professional hockey each year, which makes me really excited and I hope to be one of those student-athletes,” he added.
“Corey’s combination of speed, skill, and athleticism was tough to pass up for Princeton,” explained Coach Manning. “Couple this with the fact that Corey is a great student and this made him an excellent candidate for an Ivy League school.”
This is the second recent hockey offer from Princeton, with the first going to graduating student Reid Yochim. The combination of academics and athletics that St. Andrew’s provides and the opportunity to play a flexible and high-level schedule provides additional visibility to SAC players across North America.
For now, Corey is playing Varsity Lacrosse and studying for his exams as he looks to maintain his honour roll status.
Story by Nicolette Fleming
