By Ryan O'Leary

Alec McCrea, a native of El Cajon, California, born in 1995, will find himself making the adjustment to life on the East Coast in a few years as he is committed to play hockey at Harvard University. McCrea is a steady, big-bodied defenseman who plans to join the Crimson in the fall of either 2013 or 2014.

As a 2010 draft choice of the Regina Pats in the WHL, McCrea had to choose between playing in the WHL and taking the NCAA path. McCrea knew that in order to keep his options open, he needed to focus on his studies from the time he started high school.

“I knew that I had to buckle down and concentrate on grades…If I didn’t have the grades I wouldn’t have this opportunity,” McCrea said.

McCrea took a trip to the Harvard campus this past January and was enthralled by the school’s rich history. The school’s enormous library and the historic monuments throughout campus were just a few of Harvard’s attributes that caught McCrea’s eye. In addition to the remarkable campus, McCrea was drawn in by the opportunity to receive a degree from one of the top universities in the world.

“I already chose to go to school,” McCrea said. “Why not choose the best school?”

While at Harvard, McCrea also had the opportunity to meet with Crimson players and the team’s head coach, Ted Donato.

“I was able to sit down with Coach Ted Donato, who really made me feel comfortable about the school,” he said. “Hearing what they had to offer and to hear him tell me the connections that he had acquired throughout his 14 seasons in the NHL appealed to me greatly as playing in the NHL is my ultimate goal in hockey.”

McCrea was pursued by other NCAA schools as well as the Regina Pats, but in the end, he decided that Harvard was the best fit for him to develop. He continues to focus on academics as well as improve his game while playing for the Janesville Jets of the NAHL. He is excited to not only play for Harvard in the years to come, but also to live in the Boston area and receive an education from a world-renown university.

McCrea attended two of College Hockey, Inc.’s Summits in Los Angeles. College Hockey, Inc. will be returning to California this spring to educate more young players on the benefits of playing college hockey with the hopes that more Californians will follow a path similar to McCrea’s.