PDS’ Latyszonek showed four-year payoff
By: Justin Feil
Andy Latyszonek is a bit of a rarity at Princeton Day School, but he’s the kind of exception that makes the Panther boys’ ice hockey program proud.
Latyszonek is a senior, and what makes him a rarity is that this was his fourth season with the Panthers program. Of all the seniors on PDS this season, only Ben Johnson was also around for four seasons. Sometimes it’s because players don’t come in until their sophomore or junior season, sometimes the best of the players leave PDS after their freshman or sophomore season for a Northeastern school.
Latyszonek had the full advantage of staying around for four years and developing all aspects of his game. It resulted in a break-out senior season.
Latyszonek skated on the first line with Ross Carmichael at the other wing and Will Denise in the center. Latyszonek responded with 23 goals and 21 assists, results that came on the heels of a 10-goal, 11-assist junior season. As a sophomore he had 12 points, and as a freshman five.
Furthermore, Latyszonek’s consistent play helped the Panthers play over their heads in going 18-7-2. They won a sixth straight Prep B state title and convincingly won the PDS Tournament to end the season while earning third-place finishes in the St. Thomas More Tournament and Wyoming Seminary Tournament earlier in the season.
Andy Latyszonek is the Princeton Packet Ice Hockey Player of the Year.
"He paid his dues," said PDS head coach Chris Barcless. "He got limited ice time his first couple years. Even last year, he was a third liner. This year, he really stepped it up and picked up the slack. We always talk about guys filling shoes. He filled some shoes for us this year."
Latyszonek, who moved from center as a junior to wing this season, was at his best in the beginning and end of the season. Early on, he led the Panthers with five goals and four assists as they earned the bronze at St. Thomas More. It was an early highlight in a season that would highlight his career.
"I’ll always remember the Kingswood-Edgehill game in Connecticut," Latyszonek said. "I had two goals and an assist. We tied them and then went to a shootout. I played well that whole tournament.
"It was a huge confidence booster too. That definitely jump-started everything for me. I kept it going all season."
Latyszonek had the game-winner in a 4-1 win over eventual state public champion Randolph. A week later, he ended his senior campaign in grand fashion as he had a hat trick and a pair of assists in a 7-1 win over Kingswood-Oxford that gave the Panthers the PDS Tournament title. And while playing with some of his best friends will serve as his fondest high school memories, that finish wasn’t so far behind.
"That was the best finish I could ask for," said the South Brunswick resident. "Winning the tournament and having that last game. . . That team was pretty good. But our whole team played really well. It makes it easier to go out."
Making it all the more impressive in combination with their 5-1 win in their PDS Tournament opener is that the Panthers had a limited number of skaters available due to injuries and one defenseman had left for study elsewhere.
"Guys kept battling," Barcless said. "As thin as we were getting, guys were continuing to play well. I was definitely pleased."
That consistency was something that Latyszonek was striving for in his final year with PDS. It’s why he was at Acceleration four days a week, working on his speed, why he was lifting every day of the summer to add muscle to his frame.
"I was definitely a lot faster this year," said the 18-year-old, who served as one of four team captains. "My overall quickness was a lot better than it has ever been."
That quickness didn’t die toward the end of the season, when injuries were taking their toll on some players. Latyszonek’s off-season work paid off, and his sharp increase in production showed how far he had come.
"He was consistent," Barcless said. "He played consistently and you knew what you were going to get from him. His point production was not always consistent. It went down a bit in the middle, but he picked it back up at the end. And we never harp on points. We never really put pressure on kids to get points as long as we get them.
"He could contribute other ways. When he wasn’t putting up numbers, he was still playing consistently. He was with Ross and Will and their line skated usually against the top guys from other teams. They did a good job of shutting them down. He was ready to play every game. And he didn’t really have a bad game."
Latyszonek will continue his playing career at Bentley College, where as a freshman he’ll be faced with some of the same challenges for playing time that he found at PDS in his first couple of seasons. But Latyszonek can look at his own development and see just how far he’s come since that time.
"My freshman year, even my size was a lot different," he said. "I think I was 5-5, 135 pounds. Now I’m 5-11, 185 pounds. I can see how much faster I’ve gotten. And I have better overall hockey sense."
It’s a shining example to any of the PDS freshmen who didn’t get a lot of ice time this season but are hoping to benefit from the program and Barcless’ coaching.
"He’s just a kid who played four years for us," Barcless said. "And every year, he got better and every year he understood the game more and more. Playing away from the puck is hard for kids to pick up. It was a project to teach Andy how to play away from the puck, but eventually he learned it."
"I can definitely see that improvement," Latyszonek agreed. "Even at the end of junior year, I could see it. Playing wing this year helped. You see the ice a little better and you have a little more room to skate."
In his fourth year in the PDS program, Latyszonek knew just how to use that extra room, what to look for, and how to best contribute. As Latyszonek prepares for college hockey, his departure along with the graduation of the rest of the standout senior class and the loss of a top-notch rookie, the Panthers are in familiar territory.
"We’re at the same junction," Barcless said. "We’re losing our seniors, and losing our better younger guys. It’s the same thing. We’ll have two returning forwards, two regulars."
That leaves plenty of room for someone new. Andy Latyszonek wasn’t new, but his game was at a new level in his senior season as he filled some big shoes at PDS, and filled them well.