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Just four months before playing in a tournament against different Ontario and Quebec junior teams in December 2021, Maya D’Arcy switched to defense after three years as a forward with the Cambridge Rivulettes.

D’Arcy had not consistently played defense since eighth grade, but she shined at the competition, taking home defenseman of the tournament.

“It was a halfway through the season kind of thing,” Rivulettes head coach John Robinson said. “(It) wasn’t even like she had a full year (at defense).”

In her second year at SU, D’Arcy has bounced around position groups. The sophomore was recruited to SU as a defenseman in 2019. But when Syracuse head coach Britni Smith called her number in November to play a few games at forward, D’Arcy comfortably transitioned back to her old spot on the line.

“It’s very helpful to have someone who understands both positions and can jump in all situations so she’s done a great job sticking with it,” Smith said.

D’Arcy’s position flexibility stems from her strong skating which she’s displayed since she joined the Cambridge Roadrunners at seven years old, said D’Arcy’s former coach Shawn Maltby.

While it was one of D’Arcy’s first times playing competitive hockey, she’d always been around the sport. D’Arcy’s family is a “well known hockey family,” according to Robinson.

Her grandfather, Frank, played professionally in Europe. D’Arcy’s father, Ryan, followed Frank’s footsteps, playing at Western Michigan University and then in the Swiss Pro League for a season. He then turned to coaching, spending time at University of Waterloo and with the Cambridge Winter Hawks where D’Arcy watched from afar.

“(My dad) and my grandfather both really helped,” D’Arcy said. “They’re the ones who got us into hockey, waking us up every morning when we were crying (that we) didn’t want to get out of bed. But it’s really what helped me and got me here today.”

Even today, Ryan and Frank both still offer pointers to D’Arcy when they’re able to attend her games at Syracuse. Ryan noted that D’Arcy’s speed on the ice was similar to his when he played. That speed led to Matlby keeping D’Arcy on defense most of the time.

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After two seasons with the Roadrunners, D’Arcy also honed her skills playing for the Cambridge Hawks AAA, a boys team, starting at 9 years old and until she was 12.

“I think it was a good decision because she had to elevate her game a bit more and push a little harder against the boys and she defended well,” Ryan said.

After a return to the Roadrunners in 2016, D’Arcy began garnering attention at the defensive position. Maltby said her hockey IQ as a middle schooler was similar to that of a 17 or 18 year old.

With the Rivulettes, D’Arcy almost started out on the U-18 circuit, but Robinson saw D’Arcy thrive against top level competition and placed her on the junior team — the youngest player to ever join the squad. Robinson noticed the same “high level skating” that always set D’Arcy apart.

“It’s probably the thing that evaluators, scouts, (and) recruiters look at first and foremost,” Robinson said. “It’s just such a valuable asset to have at the top of your skills chart.”

One of those recruiters hailed from Syracuse. The Orange recruited D’Arcy as a defenseman, but she committed to Syracuse in May 2019 as a forward. Robinson said D’Arcy knew she’d go back to defense at SU, so her senior year of high school she moved back once again.

In two seasons with Syracuse, D’Arcy has been a mainstay on the blue line. Despite being a defenseman, D’Arcy has registered a goal and 11 assists with the Orange.

“We’ve had her up front, we’ve had her play (defense),” Smith said. “She’s on powerplay, she’s on penalty kill so she’s someone that has really been able to do whatever is asked of her play wherever is asked of her.”

Published on February 7, 2024 at 12:38 am