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.

Rob O'Gara
Bruins Dev Camp-6819 (5919684154).jpg
Born (1993-07-06) July 6, 1993 (age 31)
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
TitleAssistant coach
TeamYale
ConferenceECAC Hockey
Biographical details
Alma materYale University
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2021–PresentYale (assistant)

Playing career

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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

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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

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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

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  1. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. 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. 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. 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.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Defenseman
2014–15
2015–16
Succeeded by