Lower Merion’s Schuyler Dillon is Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week
The junior forward has scored 14 goals in 10 games for Lower Merion, and is an ICSHL All-Central All-Star selection. As a sophomore, he dished out 24 assists and scored 14 goals in 17 games; as a freshman, he scored 15 goals and made 16 assists in 19 contests. Dillon also is a standout forward for the U18 Haverford Hawks. Lower Merion head coach Dan Pike said, “Sky is a humble yet powerful leader by example, and the definition of a ‘student-athlete’ as he also excels in the classroom. Although the guy is extremely talented, he never talks about his accolades. Sky is one of the fastest Aces on the ice, a pleasure to coach and skate alongside – a true athlete.”
Q: What do you think are the most important attributes of a good forward?
A: The best attribute of a forward is having a high hockey IQ. This means that the player can see the ice and know where everyone is on the ice, for both teams, but it also means that they know where to be on the ice.
Q: What do you think is the strongest aspect of your game? What part of your game are you working on the most currently?
A: My hockey IQ is definitely the strongest part of my game. And I am currently trying to improve my skating speed and also my shot accuracy.
Q: How do you see your leadership role on the team as an assistant captain? Can you give an example (on the ice or off the ice) of where you had to exert leadership as an assistant captain?
A: My leadership role is not as direct as other leaders on our team; I am a quiet leader who leads by example. A great example is when we were losing to a team we should have been beating and I said to my line mates, “We have to score!” So, we broke the puck out to develop the play into a 3-on-2, I brought the puck wide and passed it to Anthony Lapera, who shot it and the puck was tipped in by Isaac Bredbenner.
Q: Have you always played forward? What originally attracted you to the forward position?
A: When I started playing I played defense for three years. The reason that I switched to the forward position was because I wanted to score goals.
Q: What has been your most memorable experience (to date) as a Lower Merion ice hockey player – can you share it with us?
A: My most memorable experience of all time with Lower Merion Ice Hockey would be winning the championship in fourth grade with my little brother. Of recent memory, it would be playing on the first line as a freshman with teammates Everet Grimes, and Brenden Leonard. Those two helped me grow tremendously as a person and player.
Q: What has been your most memorable experience with the Haverford Hawks – can you share it with us?
A: My most memorable experience with the Hawks has been this year playing on the 18AA team as a 16 year-old. Our team has won a lot of tournaments and all the guys are a lot of fun to play with.
Q: Are there any hockey players who you really admire, and why?
A: The hockey players that I admire would be Connor McDavid, and Alex Ovechkin. I admire McDavid because he is the best player in the NHL and he is the fastest player I’ve ever seen. Ovechkin is admirable because he has the best shot I’ve ever seen; if he has any time whatsoever when he gets the pass he’ll one time it and always seems to beat the goalie.
Q: You wear No. 45 for both Lower Merion and the Haverford Hawks. Is there a reason you chose this number – does it hold any special significance to you?
A: The reason I choose No. 45 was because I needed a number and 45 was not chosen yet so I picked that one. It doesn’t hold any significance for me but I do enjoy the fact that nobody else wants 45.
Q: Who have been your biggest ice hockey mentors, and what was the important thing each of them taught you?
A: My biggest mentors have been Dan Harkins and Greg Leonard because they have coached me most of my hockey career and have helped me become what I am today. They are also helping me with trying to get to the next level. The two biggest on ice mentors would be Everet Grimes and Brenden Leonard – they didn’t teach me anything outright but by playing with them I learned more things than I could ever be told.
Q: What is your favorite academic course at Lower Merion? What do you think you’d like to major in at college? Is there a particularly career field that interests you at the present time?
A: My favorite course at Lower Merion is computer science. I’ve completed all the computer science classes LM has to offer and I would definitely like to major in something computer science related. The field that interests me the most right now would be cyber security.
Fun facts – Schuyler Dillon
Favorite book: The Enemy.
Favorite author: Charlie Higgson.
Favorite TV show: Family Guy.
Favorite movie: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
Favorite athlete: Connor McDavid.
Favorite team: Flyers.
Favorite place to visit: Finland.
Favorite pre-game meal: peanut butter and jelly.
Family members: parents Lawrence and Sondra, brother Connor, sister Madison.
(To be selected as Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week, a student-athlete must first be nominated by his coach.)
