Hockey was a part of freshman forward Gio DiGiulian’s life before he even knew it.
Quite literally.
“My dad coached at [The University of Vermont] — he was an assistant there for a while, so we would go there. I don't really remember those games. I was like, one or two,” DiGiulian said.
Years removed from Vermont Catamount games and the first skates on his outdoor rink, it didn’t take long for DiGiulian to adjust to college hockey — he came out roaring, potting four goals in his first five collegiate games as the Red’s only true freshman at center.
His shot is something DiGiulian has long worked on perfecting, spending hundreds hours on and off the ice shooting pucks at twine — 100-200 shots a day this past summer, he said. Back home in South Burlington, Vermont, his dad might have watched him from a distance, silently critiquing his form, or filing suggestions in the back of his head.
That was fine, he could keep them there — DiGiulian wasn’t looking for them.
“I don't really like playing for him, not gonna lie,” DiGiulian said. “I like to keep it away, just separate it. … I'd say he's a good coach. But when it clashes, I don't like that.”
Damian DiGiulian, Gio’s father, is more than just a good coach — before retiring this past spring, he spent 30 years coaching college hockey, turning St. Michael’s College (a Division III program out of Vermont) into a top program year in and year out.
.@smcvthockey head coach Damian DiGiulian and his son catch up with @TomCaron '86, @TimWakefield49 and Steve Lyons down on Yawkey Way #smcpks #NE10Embrace pic.twitter.com/BUJ6goSDhq
— SMC Purple Knights (@smcathletics) July 17, 2019
Much of DiGiulian’s childhood was spent in rinks across the Northeast, following his dad where he went — first Vermont, then Middlebury College, Rice Memorial Prep, and finally, St. Michael’s.
Lots of families in New England are “sports” families, whether it be cramming into the car for a road trip to a hockey tournament or settling on the couch every Sunday for Patriots games like ritual. For DiGiulian, it goes deeper than that. Beyond his father’s illustrious coaching career, his mother played Division I hockey at New Hampshire, and now works with college athletes at Vermont, where she serves as a sports psychologist.
“I was always around the game,” DiGiulian said. “I was just born into it, so I was lucky to have all the resources.”
DiGiulian’s first hockey memories were forged at the Gutterson Fieldhouse in Vermont, a place his dad spent eight years at before making the switch to high school prep hockey in 2010, when DiGiulian was five.
Damian DiGiulian coached prep hockey in the family’s hometown of South Burlington for two years before being named the head coach of St. Michael’s, where he would lead at the helm for 13 seasons.
Those years were the most formative for DiGiulian, who was starting to take his hockey career more seriously than family skates and outdoor rinks.
“I'm friends with a lot of guys now that I'm older, which is cool. I was just around and in the locker room talking to the guys,” DiGiulian said. “With all my dad's teams and the way that he's coached his teams, I feel like [I was] learning how players act, habits off the ice, on the ice, and being able to take all that in has helped me progress, and I'm very grateful for that.”
DiGiulian played one year of high school hockey in South Burlington before transferring to the Kent School in Kent, Connecticut, playing three years of prep hockey. Those years, DiGiulian says, were the “best three years of my life so far.”
When deciding to stay or leave ahead of his final year at Kent, there was also another thing keeping DiGiulian in prep school — he wanted to pitch.
Baseball holds a special place in DiGiulian’s heart, growing up on the mound and pitching all the way through his senior year of high school. The influence for that love for baseball, much like his dad’s influence on his passion for hockey, is rooted in family.
DiGiulian’s maternal grandfather is Gary Thorne — a veteran sports broadcaster who spent 13 years broadcasting the Baltimore Orioles, and has called dozens of high-profile sporting events from the broadcast booth, including NCAA Frozen Fours, the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs and MLB World Series games.
“I was lucky to travel with him. I'd say the coolest trip was the 2013 [American League] Division Series. I went to game one and then game six, when the [Boston] Red Sox won it at home, and I was up in the press box for that,” DiGiulian said. “I was in with everything behind the scenes and stuff. So that was pretty special.”
He even called one of Gio’s high school hockey games.
DiGiulian’s most prized trip with his grandfather, though, happened a few hours south of where DiGiulian would end up at Cornell — Yankee Stadium. With his family and grandfather in tow, DiGiulian went to the Orioles’ three-game stand at the historic stadium when he was a kid.
“That’s a moment I'll probably never forget,” DiGiulian said.
DiGiulian is no longer pitching, and he doesn’t have much time to spend hanging out in press boxes anymore — hockey is at the forefront of his mind. DiGiulian is a crucial piece of Cornell’s depth at center, and three-and-a-half years of college hockey sit in front of him.
As an alternate captain as a senior at Kent, DiGiulian led the team in goals (25) and points (49) before making the jump to the United States Hockey League the following year. DiGiulian’s 22 goals and 51 points with the Lincoln Stars in 2024-2025 were both good for fourth on the team, earning him a spot on some NHL draft boards.
Though tabbed the No. 132 North American skater for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, DiGiulian went unselected by an NHL club before getting to Cornell. His patience, though — perhaps cultivated in locker rooms and broadcast booths growing up — is a virtue.
“Seeing all those guys be that committed from such a young age kind of just pushed me to want to keep going, and I saw what it took to get to the next level,” DiGiulian said. “So I think just taking notes on that and watching and imitating all the guys he's coached has helped me.”
The goals and assists weren’t surprising to head coach Casey Jones ’90, who noted the first-year’s offensive success in the USHL “translates” to the college game. It’s the defensive side of the game — the discipline of it all — that Jones was most impressed with.
“Center as a freshman is hard in college hockey, because you have a lot of responsibilities defensively [and] a lot of reads to make,” said head coach Casey Jones ’90. “So a lot of times, guys get moved to the wing initially in their first year, until they settle in. But [DiGiulian’s] been able to hit the ground running.”
DiGiulian might not be the loudest one on — or off — the ice. But he can be counted on to work hard in everything he does.
“I just think he's around people that help him with his process. Sometimes you can miss being fully prepared as a freshman [in] some aspect, either from mental maturity or strength or conditioning,” Jones said. “Gio’s been around athletes, so he's got good prep in that regard.”
Sports are woven into the fabric of who DiGiulian is, much like the rest of his family. When DiGiulian goes home, he’ll get to see his sister, Rosa, who is a rising star in high school field hockey. He’ll see his father, enjoying life as a retired coach. He’ll see his mother, who speaks with athletes every day as part of her job.
And when DiGiulian tells you his favorite sports teams, you might be confused at first.
“I have some weird teams that I like,” DiGiulian said. “The [New York] Rangers, Orioles, and then football, the Chargers. My uncle's from San Diego.”
But it’s easy to understand why once you know his story — they’ve got family written all over them.
“He’s a coach’s son,” Jones noted with a smile. “He comes from a great family — he has the right values. That's why he's at Cornell. He’s serious about his education, but he wants to be a hockey player. That’s kind of the MO of a Cornell player, right?”
Jane McNally is a senior editor on the 143rd editorial board and was the sports editor on the 142nd editorial board. She is a member of the Class of 2026 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. You can follow her on X @JaneMcNally_ and reach her at jmcnally@cornellsun.com.
