Photo courtesy Tommy Cameron
By: Morey Hershgordon
Measurement. The assignment of a number to a characteristic of an object or event, which can be compared with other objects or events.
Time. The indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.
Measurements in sports are ubiquitous. Measurements in sports are facts. And facts are concrete, indisputable evidence. Evidence that accomplishments, even substantial ones, shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Two years ago, about 1,800 first-year students entered the Quinnipiac University community. And while most are living a generic college life, Sam Anas is not.
For those that know of him, relive his accomplishments. For those that don’t, let this serve as an introduction to a quiet, humble, supremely-talented star.
National Rookie of the Year. Second team All-American. No. 7 on the ice.
The Potomac, Maryland native and Quinnipiac Bobcat student-athlete has astonished hockey fans all throughout New England and especially in the sleepy hamlet, hockey town of Hamden.
It all began before the Fall of 2013.
In 2010, Anas pledged his commitment to the Bobcats. His 2010-11 senior year of high school was outstanding. Eighty-two points in 44 games.
Next, came a two-year stint in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Youngstown Phantoms. Anas broke out. In his second year, he registered a staggering 63 points in 64 games.
To put that in perspective, let’s compare. Well, for my sake, measure. Chris Cerrella, Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey’s all-time points leader (205) played in that exact league for that exact amount of time. Cerrella finished his second season with 45 points in 54 games and even if he had the chance to play 64 like Anas, Cerrella’s projected numbers only would have been 53. Ten less.
A few months before the 2013-14 school year, Anas, a rising freshman, was a part of the No. 8 recruiting class in the nation, according to overtheboards.net, a college hockey recruiting website.
Due to his size, head coach Rand Pecknold admitted he took “a lot of risk” when he offered a scholarship to Anas in high school. After his breakout season for Youngstown, Pecknold had a better vision. Still though, Anas was not a top recruit. The Bobcats signed New Jersey defenseman Connor Clifton and highly-touted forward Peter Quenneville, who both were expected to make an immediate impact. However, Quenneville left Quinnipiac after just five games.
Next forward up? Sam Anas.
In the very first game following Quenneville’s departure, Anas scored the game-winner at Holy Cross. The next night, in Quinnipiac’s annual parents weekend game, Anas scored Quinnipiac’s first two goals, one to tie and one to take the lead for good.
Sam Anas, an afterthought just months before, left a sold-out crowd at High Point Solutions Arena stunned. He had made his mark, but only for one game. One-fortieth of the season. A measurement way to small to feel entitled.
His first reward, minute to the public, was very special. Anas moved up to the top line. That meant he got to play alongside of two of the program’s most storied players, twins Connor and Kellen Jones.
A year prior, the Jones twins vaulted Quinnipiac into the National Championship game, getting the program extensive national coverage.
An unknown Anas, from a state known more for producing delicious, dungeness crabs than collegiate hockey stars, now had the honor of playing next to two legends in the making. They were seniors, they were captains. But they had a major responsibility, to find their successor.
As the 2013-14 season progressed, so did Anas. He scored four goals in four games against archrival Yale, helped Quinnipiac reach the NCAA tournament, tallied 43 points on 22 goals and 21 assists all while not missing a single game. Remarkable. He earned himself too many accolades to list, but one will always be cherished by the Quinnipiac faithful. Anas became the first Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey player to win the Hockey Commissioners Association’s Tim Taylor National Rookie of the Year award.
For those who extensively follow college and professional athletes, sophomore slumps occur with great frequency. But not for Anas. Did you really think brand new linemates and a target on his back would distract him? Of course not.
A stellar 2014-15 sophomore year. 20-plus goals en-route to 39 points, a regular-season ECAC championship, a third-consecutive NCAA Tournament berth, and another national honor, 2nd team All-American. Just the third player in program history to be named an All-American.
Two years of continued progress. Many achievements. Let’s measure.
Connor and Kellen Jones recorded 65 and 58 points respectively after their first two seasons. Anas recorded 82. Wow, ok. Let’s resume. Matthew Peca? 69. Jeez.
At the very beginning of the 2015-16 season, progress was noticed yet again. An “A” on his chest conveying assistant captain was evident, but the much-needed 10 pounds of added strength might not have been. Hours in the weight room during the summer put him closer to becoming one of the best in the land.
While nobody was there to watch his diligent efforts off the ice, every fan is reaping the benefits at the games. He’s the latest inductee into the 100-point club and his leadership has guided QU to an unprecedented 13-0-2 start that has drawn many comparisons to the 2012-2013 National Runner-Up team.
And if I may, two more measurements, of national importance, speak to his dynamic play.
To date, Anas has tallied 58 points in 57 career ECAC games. And of the top eight 2013-14 recruiting classes (Boston College, Minnesota, North Dakota, Michigan, Boston University, Minnesota-Duluth, Harvard and Quinnipiac) he has help lead Quinnipiac to 60 wins, the second most behind only North Dakota’s 68.
But the message? Appreciate a measurement that will not cease, time. I advise you to not take for granted the time he has left in Hamden. Players like Anas are timeless, but their hockey careers aren’t.
He’s defied all odds exuding poise and integrity. A smooth, talented, soft-spoken leader.
And maybe, one day, college hockey and the greater New England area will realize the generational impact of a player like Anas. Come May of 2017 his name will be tossed into the “best-of-all-time” discussion, because when you measure, he’s right there.
And he’s never lost to Yale.
