Trevor Connelly sees what’s said on social media. He hears it around rinks. And even as one of the top prospects for the 2024 NHL Draft, he’s well aware there's a potential cloud hovering over him, despite his talent on the ice.
The California native nabbed a Tri-City Storm point streak record last year and recently tied for the scoring lead at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, an annual tournament many NHL scouts use to evaluate the upcoming draft class.
However, he's also aware that his talent might be overshadowed by a mistake he made prior to arriving in the USHL.
Connelly is at a crossroads. He's worked off the ice quietly to learn, grow and not repeat the mistake. He's spent hours of community service and works with groups aimed to make hockey a more inclusive place. He's taken advice from adults and mentors on appropriate steps to learn from his mistake. But it doesn't take away what's happened in the past.
I’m very sorry for my ignorant mistake and since then I’ve been doing a lot to try to make up for it.
Trevor Connelly
In an exclusive interview with The Rink Live, Connelly discussed an offensive photo he posted as a 16-year-old, an alleged racial remark in California, and the process he has outlined for himself in order to better himself and do his part to make hockey a more inclusive place.
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“I think it’s important I talk about what happened because it was an awful mistake and I still feel terrible about it,” Connelly said.
That ‘it’ came in March of 2022 while Connelly and a teammate were in their local library. Connelly’s teammate created a swastika with children’s building blocks and Connelly took a photo, posting it to his Snapchat story and tagging him in the post.
“When I posted it, I didn’t appreciate how offensive and hurtful the post would be,” he said. “But after posting it and talking about the symbol, I removed the picture.
“I’m very sorry for my ignorant mistake and since then I’ve been doing a lot to try to make up for it.”
Contributed / Connelly Family
Although the post was deleted minutes later, the photo was screen-shotted by someone first and has since circulated over the past 17 months.
Make no mistake, Connelly is the first to admit he regrets posting the photo and quickly felt the consequences.
While it’d be easy to say he was just an ignorant 16-year-old kid, Connelly has owned up to it and used it as a way to better himself.
“I wanted to learn from it and educate myself,” he said. “I visited the LA Holocaust Museum and I also read the book, 'Night' (by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel). That gave me a much better understanding of why the post and the swastika symbol are so hurtful, and that antisemitism is still a big problem today.
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“Knowing what I know now, I would never post something like that and I regret doing it.”
Jordan McAlpine / The Rink Live
Along with the photo, there have also been rumblings of another incident, where Connelly allegedly used a racial slur towards an opponent during a game in 2021. However, Connelly adamantly denied those allegations.
Connelly was initially suspended for the accusation but it was ultimately lifted and removed from his record by the California Amateur Hockey Association. After a hearing with the CAHA, it was determined no violation occurred.
Connelly reiterated he’s committed to being the best person he can be on and off the ice. He’s taken several diversity, equity and inclusion training courses and has done over many hours of volunteer community service work — several of which came during the season.
"Trevor was as impressive of a 16-year-old from a maturity standpoint that I've seen in this league," Tri-City head coach Anthony Noreen told The Rink Live.
Ever since Trevor came to us he's been committed to learning and helping, and I think he's really embraced that while working with the kids he has.
Jazmine Miley, Hockey Players of Color founder
"I can tell you from every single facet of our organization — billet families, fan interaction, community service, players, staff, ownership — everything. The overwhelming sentiment of Trevor has been positive. Every single community outreach event that our organization was involved in, Trevor was there. He wasn't told that he had to be, but he made it a point to do it. He did every single thing we asked of him and more."
He’s also now involved with Hockey Players of Color, a group that’s geared towards making hockey more inclusive and a better place — something Connelly said he wants to do.
"Oftentimes you have people who don't understand other people's culture and they don't realize how certain things impact them or how having that extra insight and perspective on the world itself can benefit them," said Jazmine Miley, the founder of Hockey Players of Color.
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"Ever since Trevor came to us he's been committed to learning and helping, and I think he's really embraced that while working with the kids he has. He knows their lives might be different, but hockey can bring them together."
Connelly has committed to serving as a mentor for the group and he's already done several Zoom meetings with HPOC athletes.
He’ll head to Florida in two weeks with his father too, where he’ll help coach a U14 team at The Miracle LATAM Cup, which HPOC will be represented at.
"In Trevor's case, I feel that he's a great asset for us. Not only on the ice, but more so what he does with the kids off of it," Miley said. "You can tell he's tried to learn about and better understand different cultures. Honestly, he's done more than we even asked."
As mentioned, there have been consequences. Connelly was suspended by his U16 team — the Long Island Gulls — after the photo was posted and wasn’t allowed to compete at the 2022 USA Hockey Nationals.
He wasn’t allowed to participate in the USA Hockey Select 16 Camp either, which helps determine Team USA’s roster for the 2022 Five Nations Tournament.
However, after going through an independent investigation earlier this summer — which The Rink Live has confirmed took place — Connelly was cleared by USA Hockey to participate in the Select 17 Camp and was eventually selected to represent his country at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Connelly certainly took advantage of the opportunity too, helping Team USA win a bronze medal — its first medal in the event since 2016.
"My experience with Trevor was terrific," said Luke Strand, the new Minnesota State head coach who coached Connelly at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. "He knows what he did was wrong, but I genuinely believe he is sincere about what he's trying to do and fix, and I was so impressed with the way he carried himself.
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"He cared about his teammates, he wasn't selfish on or off the ice and he didn't ever let the burden of the past creep into our room or our space. His play speaks for itself on the ice, but more importantly, I was so impressed by his character."
“I’m really thankful to USA Hockey for giving me a shot to play this summer at Hlinka,” Connelly added. “I’m grateful that they decided to let me participate in the (U17 Select Camp) and ultimately (the Hlinka Gretzky Cup), and I’m very happy I was given another opportunity. I don’t take any of it for granted.”
Connelly finished the tournament with five goals and 10 points — which was tied with Canada’s Berkly Catton and Czechia’s Adam Benak for the tournament lead — and it’s easy to see why the dynamic, left-shot forward is considered one of the top prospects for next summer’s NHL Draft.
Heading into a pivotal year, Connelly knows he’s going to have extra attention. Connelly will likely find himself under a microscope too and the questions will certainly be there.
While Connelly knows he can’t undo his actions and change the past, he’s focused on continuing to learn from his mistakes. Something he plans on continuing to do moving forward.
“I am truly sorry for my mistake,” he said. “I know it offended people and I understand the seriousness of it, and I want to continue to learn and grow from it.
“It’s a privilege to play this game and I am committed to using that privilege to make a positive impact.”
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Top 2024 NHL Draft prospect Trevor Connelly opens up about posted image and what he's doing to make up for it - The Rink Live
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