Rob O’Gara

History

2008-09: Rob O’Gara played for the Midget U-16 Long Island Royals (Atlantic Youth Hockey League). In 17 games, he scored 1 goal with 4 assists while accumulating 16 PMs. O’Gara also played for the Royals in the prestigious Chowder Cup tournament and had 2 assists in five games with 16 PMs.

2009-10: O’Gara played 33 games for the Royals, scoring 8 goals with 17 assists with 48 PMs.

2010-11: O’Gara transferrred to Milton Academy in Massachusetts for his junior year and enjoyed a breakout season from both a personal and team standpoint. While a bit overshaddowed by high-flying offensive defensemen like Vancouver prospect Patrick McNally, also a Long Island native, O’Gara provided rock-solid, stay-at-home defensive play as Milton won its first-ever New England Prep League championship. In 30 games, O’Gara chipped in 2 goals with 7 assists and had 22 PMs. O’Gara committed to attending Yale in 2012-13 and was selected by the Bruins in the 5th round (151st overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft.

2011-12: O’Gara attended Bruins prospect over the summer and skated for the Massachusetts champion Junior Bruins U18 team before returning to Milton Academy for his senior season. He was named to the All Independent School League and All New England all star teams. In 24 games for Milton he scored 5 goals with 20 assists. The Mustangs slipped a bit after winning the New England Prep League championship the previous spring – finishing 9-15-3. O’ Gara played lacrosse for Milton Academy in the spring.

2012-13: O’Gara played 37 games for national champion Yale as a freshman. Skating alongside senior Gus Young (Colorado) on the top Bulldogs’ top defense pairing, he had 7 assists and was -5 with 32 penalty minutes. Yale finished third in ECAC Hockey but received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament despite back-to-back shutout losses in the ECAC Hockey semifinals and third place game. The Bulldogs swept WCHA opponents Minnesota and North Dakota in the West Regional. After a 3-2 overtime win over Hockey East champion Massachusetts-Lowell, Yale shutout ECAC Hockey regular season champion Quinnipiac, 4-0, in the Frozen Four final.

2013-14: O’Gara skated in 33 games for Yale University in his sophomore season. He scored 4 goals with 7 assists and was +14 with 30 penalty minutes. Yale, the defending national champions, finished sixth in ECAC Hockey in the regular season and was swept by Quinnipiac in two games in an ECAC Hockey quarterfinal series. 

2014-15: O’Gara was the third-leading scorer and top offensive defenseman for Yale in his junior season. Skating in all 33 games for the Bulldogs he scored 6 goals with 15 assists and was +15 with 31 penalty minutes. The Bulldogs finished third in ECAC Hockey, receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Northeast Regional after a 3-2 loss to Harvard in double overtime in the decisive third game of their ECAC Hockey quarterfinal series. Yale lost to Boston University, 3-2 in overtime, in the regional semifinals.  

Talent Analysis

O'Gara has continued to develop during college career — adding size and strength to go with his skating and technical skills. He has logged big minutes for Yale since his freshman season and can play in all situations. The step from college hockey to pro hockey is a significant one but O'Gara's two-way game should translate well. His biggest challenge will be his mobility and ability to make decisions quickly.

Future

O'Gara is in his senior season at Yale in 2015-16. A fixture on the blueline since his freshman season, he has had more of a defensive role in his final season on a dynamic Bulldogs' team that has 11 players with at least 10 points. O'Gara's combination of size, skating ability and willingness to join the play are rare and he projects as an effective two-way defenseman. The Bruins have until August 15th to sign him or O'Gara would become an unrestricted free agent.