Prestia commits to Manhattanville
Nicholas Prestia can focus on the present now that he has secured his future.
The 20-year-old winger for the Niagara Falls Canucks has committed to Manhattanville College for next season after first meeting with the team back in November.
“There was a burden that was lifted off my shoulders,” Prestia said. “Now I can go into playoffs and know I have somewhere to play and not worry who is in the stands watching.
“It’s just continue to play well and continue to grow as a person and player and hope that translates into college hockey.”
Prestia, who began his junior hockey career with the St. Catharines Falcons and has also seen time with the Thorold Blackhawks, felt the school was the perfect fit, on and off the ice.
Manhattaville’s hockey team will play in the Skyline Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Conferece for the 2019-20 academic year. Manhattanville was a charter member of the Skyline before leaving to join the MAC (Metro Atlantic Conference) in 2007.
“I visited in November and saw the campus walked around,” he said. “I liked what I saw. It’s a small campus with a lot of green space in the middle.”
Prestia, who will be majoring in economics, was told he had a chance for meaningful ice time as a rookie.
“The hockey team is graduating 14 seniors. They said I had a good chance of being an impactful player my first year. That’s kind what you want. I want to be able to step into a lineup and make an impact. That made my decision for me. I can’t wait to get going.”
Prestia said he had some interest from a few other Division 2 schools and some contact with a couple of Division 1 programs as well.
“When they first started talking to me, I didn’t now if I was going to play Division 1 or Division 2. I kind of started to realize this was a place I would like to play,” he said. “I sat down with my parents and talked to the coaches and made my decision. It’s a good school with a good hockey program.”
Canucks coach Frank Pietrangelo is thrilled to see one of his players move on.
“There’s different strokes for different folks,” Pietrangelo said. “We’ve got guys going to the OHL (Ontario Hockey League) and some guys going NCAA and some guys going CIS (Canadian university) It’s a little bit of everything. There’s an option for everybody.”
Pietrangelo feels Prestia has all the tools to make the move to the NCAA.
“He’s got the whole skill set that you need. He’s got the size and can skate and shoots the puck like a pro already. He’s got all the ingredients.
“He can score, that’s for sure. He’s a big body and a skilled guy.”
At the same time, Pietrangelo, who played four seasons at the University of Minnesota, cautions it is not at easy jump.
“That first year is tough. They’re used to playing a ton and now everyone is 21-25 and you find yourself in a diminished role. A lot of guys aren’t willing to accept that and struggle. There’s school and being away from home and everything is new.
“You have to bide your time.”
The Canucks host the Lockport Regals Friday at the Gale Centre in Game 1 of their best-of-seven Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, Golden Horseshoe Conference quarter-final playoff series.
“We needed a couple of days (off). We were in no hurry to get going but we can sense excitement in the boys to get things rolling,” Pietrangelo said. “We’re ready. We went 9-1 in February won our last eight games.
“We’ve been peaking for this point and are very confident where we sit now.”
Prestia is itching to get going as well.
“Now it’s a matter of getting into a grind. We have to play hard and stay on track. It’s what players live for.”
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