Rob O'Gara

Rob O'Gara
Born	(1993-07-06) July 6, 1993 (age 32) Massapequa, New York, U.S.
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	207 lb (94 kg; 14 st 11 lb)
Position	Defense
Shot	Left
Played for	Boston Bruins New York Rangers
NHL draft	151st overall, 2011 Boston Bruins
Playing career	2016–2021 Coaching career
Current position
Title	Assistant coach
Team	Yale
Conference	ECAC Hockey
Biographical details
Alma mater	Yale University
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2021–Present	Yale (assistant)

Robert Dominick O'Gara (born July 6, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who retired following the 2021 season. He is currently an Assistant Coach for the men's Yale Hockey team. O'Gara was selected by the Boston Bruins in the fifth-round (151st overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

O'Gara was born on Long Island, to parents Christine Rittmeyer and Brian O'Gara. As a youth, he played in the 2006 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the New York Islanders minor ice hockey team. ^[1] Rob grew up a die-hard New York Islanders fan, a fact he shared during an interview with The Broadway Hat Podcast. Following two seasons at Milton Academy, O'Gara enrolled at Yale University to play NCAA Division I hockey with the Yale Bulldogs. In his freshman season he helped the Bulldogs capture the 2012–13 NCAA Championship, the first national championship title for the team. The following season, O'Gara was named to the NCAA All-Ivy League Second Team, and in his junior year his outstanding play was rewarded when he selected as ECAC Hockey's Best Defensive Defenseman and was named to the NCAA (East) First All-American Team. ^[2]

On March 29, 2016, the Boston Bruins signed O'Gara to a two-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2016–17 season. The Providence Bruins, the AHL affiliate to Boston, signed him to an ATO (amateur try-out) for the remainder of the 2015–16 season.

On February 20, 2018, the Bruins traded O'Gara, along with a 2018 third-round draft pick, to the New York Rangers in exchange for Nick Holden. ^[3]

On August 20, 2019, as a free agent from the Rangers, O'Gara signed one-year AHL contract with the San Antonio Rampage, the primary affiliate of the St. Louis Blues. ^[4] Entering the 2019–20 season, O'Gara was limited to just 5 scoreless games with the Rampage, serving as a depth option to the blueline. On December 6, 2019, O'Gara was traded to the Springfield Thunderbirds, affiliate to the Florida Panthers, in exchange for future considerations. ^[5]

As a free agent from the Thunderbirds leading into the pandemic delayed 2020–21 season, O'Gara was signed to a professional tryout contract to attend the Hershey Bears training camp on January 20, 2021. ^[6]

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2010–11	Milton Academy	USHS		29	2	7	9	22		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Milton Academy	USHS		24	5	20	25	24		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Yale University	ECAC		37	0	7	7	32		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Yale University	ECAC		33	4	7	11	30		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Yale University	ECAC		33	6	15	21	31		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Yale University	ECAC		30	4	8	12	41		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Providence Bruins	AHL		5	1	0	1	4		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Providence Bruins	AHL		59	4	9	13	30		3	0	0	0	4
2016–17	Boston Bruins	NHL		3	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Providence Bruins	AHL		43	2	6	8	16		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Boston Bruins	NHL		8	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	New York Rangers	NHL		22	0	3	3	6		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		47	3	8	11	64		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	San Antonio Rampage	AHL		5	0	0	0	6		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Springfield Thunderbirds	AHL		20	3	3	6	4		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Hershey Bears	AHL		26	1	3	4	33		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				33	0	3	3	6		—	—	—	—	—

Awards and honors

Award	Year
College
All-Ivy League Second Team	2013–14	[7]
All-Ivy League First Team	2014–15	[8]
ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Defenseman	2014–15	[9]
All-ECAC Hockey First All-Star Team	2014–15	[10]
NCAA (East) First All-American Team	2014–15	[11]
All-Ivy League First Team	2015–16	[12]

References

1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
2. "Rob O'Gara player profile". Yale Bulldogs. March 14, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
3. "Rangers Acquire Defenseman O'Gara and 2018 Third Round Pick From Bruins". NHL.com. February 20, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
4. "Rampage agree to terms with defenseman Rob O'Gara". www.sarampage.com. August 20, 2019. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
5. Springfield Thunderbirds (December 6, 2019). "T-Birds acquire defenseman Rob O'Gara". Twitter . Retrieved December 6, 2019.
6. "Bears ink defenders O'Gara, Wilcox to tryout agreements". Hershey Bears. January 20, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
7. "Men's Ice Hockey All-Ivy – 2013–14". Ivy League. March 7, 2014. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
8. "Men's Ice Hockey All-Ivy, Coach of the Year Announced". Ivy League. March 5, 2015. Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
9. "Conference Honors, 2014–15". collegehockeyinc.com. April 1, 2015. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
10. "ECAC Hockey honors three Dutchmen". unionhockeyblog.com. April 15, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
11. "Alex Lyon, Rob O'Gara, Yale's first-team All-Americans, to return next season". April 11, 2015.
12. "Men's Ice Hockey All-Ivy, Coach of the Year Announced". Ivy League. March 3, 2016. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Shayne Gostisbehere Dennis Robertson	ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Defenseman 2014–15 2015–16	Succeeded by James de Haas