6 minute read
A Hockey Odyssey
How Bancroft, and Worcester, have come full circle for Railers Head Coach Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman ’05
BY DAN MERCURIO
The loading dock entrance of the DCU Center is quiet. At least quiet for the day before the Worcester Railers home opener. The Railers, an affiliate of the NHL’s New York Islanders, were founded in 2017 and have called the DCU Center its home for all 6 of its seasons. A few facilities and maintenance personnel are sparsely spread across a long concrete ramp leading to a dark blue carpeted media area under the arena seats. The cold air of the ice is palpable as you get closer to the coaches’ offices. After a shorter than normal practice, the team is off the ice, showered, and packing their bags to head home for the day. “The day before a game is more just going over the gameplan one last time. We try not to overdo it," says Railers Head Coach Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman, who attended Bancroft for 7th - 9th grade from 2000-2002. The appointment to Head Coach in 2022 followed an impressive sixteen year professional playing career. Jordan won an American Hockey League Calder Cup in 2008 with the Chicago Wolves, a Canadian Hockey League Memorial Cup with the Quebéc Remparts in 2006, and an Elite Ice Hockey League Cup with the Belfast Giants in 2019. The Westborough, MA native was drafted in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 4th round (116th overall). He made his NHL debut with the Thrashers on March 31, 2008 and scored his first NHL goal the next day. He went on to play parts of two seasons with Atlanta (2007-09) while also playing parts of five seasons in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves, Syracuse Crunch, Providence Bruins, and Springfield Thunderbirds, accumulating 165 points (79 Goals, 86 Assists) in 374 career games. He would finish his career with the Railers in 2022, leading the team in scoring.
The second-year head coach and former player seemed relaxed as he settled into the visitors locker room for an interview. More comfortable, admittedly, than he was at the same time last year as a brand new head coach. “The transition from player to coach has been a learning process, for sure, particularly with relationships. Most of these guys had been my peers and teammates the year before and all of a sudden, I’m their coach. It took some time to adjust and figure out that dynamic.” Adjustment, though, is something that Bancroft helped Jordan learn early on in his adolescent life.
Having moved with his family to Westborough from upstate New York in 1999, Jordan quickly found himself without much support in his new public school. “I had come from a smaller private school in New York so I was used to the smaller class sizes and a little more personal attention that public school wasn’t able to provide. After my first year, my family spent the summer looking for a new school. We looked at a number of private schools in the area and nothing seemed right. My mom says that she woke up in the middle of the night a few weeks before school was going to start. She somehow found the Bancroft website, read the mission statement, and thought it would be a good fit. She made a call the next day, and headed to campus for a visit. I had a great interview, and I'm not sure exactly how it all worked out but two days later I was a 7th grade student at Bancroft School.”
Socially, Middle School can be a challenging entry point for students, but Jordan says that Bancroft was welcoming and he quickly became acclimated with his peers. “The way that Bancroft kicked-off seventh grade when I was there, we went on a camping trip for the first three or four days of school. When you are thrown in a tent with 40 students, you get to make friends pretty quick,” Jordan added.
Even though his time at Bancroft only spanned three years, Jordan speaks fondly about his experiences in the classroom and on the athletic field. He remembers how helpful his teachers and staff were with his intense hockey schedule that often required him to leave school at odd hours. “I remember vividly my ninth grade year and the school being as accommodating as possible.
They set up a special schedule for me that allowed me (on most days) to take a private physical education class because I had to leave early. PE was only offered in the afternoon at the time. They really went above and beyond for me, but really for everyone that needed support.”
He also remembers Mr. McMillan, his ninth grade English teacher who taught him the importance of solid eye contact and staying engaged as a learner. “As one of the year-round-athlete students, I sometimes found it difficult to really get into the subject matter. Mr. McMillan was there for a long time and really believed in his students, which was motivating for me.” He remembers his experience as a member of the varsity baseball team where he played for longtime physical education teacher and coach Mark O’Brien. “Coach O’Brien was the absolute best. He found a way to thread the needle of keeping us focused, playing hard, and having fun.” Coach O’Brien was also the person that gave Jordan his first coaching opportunity after he graduated from high school in Quebec. “I got home and everybody was still in school and I really missed baseball. I asked Coach O’Brien if I could be a base coach and come to practices, and he brought me on as a full-fledged assistant coach. I got to travel with the team and help run practices. That really was my first coaching gig ever, and I learned a lot from Mark.”
Back in Worcester all these years later, Jordan says it feels like a full circle moment. “It is crazy to have come back to Worcester to finish my playing career here and now to be a coach so many years after being at Bancroft. This city means a lot to me. Not only to be back here, but obviously with a major life transition after years of professional level hockey and shifting into coaching. It’s incredible to be able to do that with the support of family and friends in the area. That includes my Bancroft friends by the way. I still have 5 or 6 of my former classmates from Bancroft who I talk to regularly.”
Best of luck to Jordan and the Railers in their 2023-24 season.
The Railers play home games at the DCU Center on Foster Street in Worcester. For a full schedule and ticket information, visit railershc.com
