In Play(er) of the Week, our goal is to highlight outstanding athletes or moments from games that deserve extra attention.

Owen Sweet ’25 is an economics and neuroscience major from Madison, Conn. He is also captain and forward for the Wesleyan men’s ice hockey team. For his outstanding efforts over the course of the season, he was recently named a semifinalist for the Joe Concannon Award, presented by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston to the best American-born NCAA Division II/III men’s ice hockey player in New England. The Argus recently sat down with Sweet to discuss his feelings on the nomination, his favorite team memories, and how he’s grown as an athlete over the years.

The Argus: What are your nicknames?

Owen Sweet: O-Dog or Sweeter. Really, anything with Sweet. But with the hockey guys, it’s more Sweeter. 

A: What are your pregame superstitions?

OS: I don’t really have a ton. I think I just try to keep things the same if they work. So if I wear a certain tie to the rink, I’ll keep that. For my warm-up clothes, same sort of thing. I go on the rink last. I don’t know if that counts. 

A: That counts. When did you first get into playing ice hockey? 

OS: I started playing ice hockey when I was five. I started skating when I was three. Whenever I could start walking around, my dad had me on the ice. I just loved it. We were out in Colorado at the time and played on ponds in the winter. It was the best. 

A: Who was your favorite player growing up?

OS: Evgeni Malkin. He’s a player on the [Pittsburgh] Penguins. He’s still around. My PE teacher in kindergarten called me Malkin, so I loved him. He was just a very skilled player, and he would always have the most points and goals. And they were good when I was growing up. They won the Stanley Cup when I was probably six or seven. So he was my guy.

A: Is that still your team now?

OS: No, I’m a Rangers fan because of my dad. But I still like Malkin. Growing up, I wore 71, which is his number, and I just love watching his games. 

A: What’s your favorite thing about the sport of ice hockey, and what is the hardest part about it?

OS: My favorite thing about hockey is the camaraderie and the people. I think it’s the best team sport on the planet. In order to win a game or be successful over a season—or a period of time—you have to have everybody pulling the same rope and working together. One good player on a team isn’t gonna work. Whereas in some other sports, a couple players can make a pretty big difference. And the hardest part about hockey, I would say, is it’s kinda tiring. You’re out there for 30 to 45 seconds working as hard as you can—getting hit, hitting—and over the course of the season, you get banged up. So the conditioning aspect is probably the hardest part.

A: How did you decide you were interested in playing ice hockey in college?

OS: I think [I decided] when I was in middle school. I’m playing club hockey. So I knew that it was something I loved to do, and it was always just a goal of mine. It felt like college hockey was a realistic goal. I saw older people that I felt like were on the same path as me in college hockey, so it seemed like a really cool and fun thing to do. And then as far as where to go, Wesleyan was a place where I could play hockey and get a great education.

A: What [are] your favorite memories of your time here, on and off ice?

OS: I think my favorite on-ice memory would probably be when we swept Trinity my sophomore year to get the first seed in the NESCAC and the culmination of that regular season. And then my favorite off-ice memory, I’ll say Michelle Day.  

A: You’ve been a head captain for two years. There [are] very few people who have been able to serve as captains for their junior and senior seasons. How have you enjoyed that role?

OS: I’ve loved it. I think any chance you get to be a leader, a lot of responsibility [comes] with it. And I’ve enjoyed that responsibility. But at the same time, it hasn’t felt like a job or like something that I have to do. I think it’s just an added thing that I take in myself, more so. But I don’t think it is supposed to change anything I do on a daily basis or should. But I’ve enjoyed getting the chance to kind of lead the team for two years. 

A: You were recently named a semifinalist for the Joe Concannon Award. How has that felt?

OS: It’s nice to get some individual recognition, for sure. To be honest, it’s not something I think about that much. I definitely feel honored and thankful to get my name recognized. But like I said before, hockey is such a team sport at all times. So you have to take individual awards with a grain of salt. And ultimately, the goal of every game is to win and be successful over the course of the season. So individual awards aren’t as important to me but definitely a cool thing for sure.

A: How do you feel like you’ve grown as an athlete over your four years here?

OS: I’ve definitely grown a lot since freshman year. I think the biggest thing would be confidence. A lot of people come in freshman year very skilled, and even this year, we have a lot of really good younger kids. And the biggest thing for me over the course of my four years is I don’t think I was getting that much better. I don’t think that I’m a faster skater—freshman year versus now. But it’s a mental thing—having the confidence to hold the puck for an extra second, or make the smart play. You gain experience as you play longer in the game [about] what the right play is in the right play time. So I think that’s how I’ve grown, and I think it’s more of maturing over four years versus becoming a way better hockey player.

A: What do you want your legacy to be on this team once you’re gone?

OS: Just a positive guy who worked hard in every game. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Erin Byerly can be reached at ebyerly@wesleyan.edu.