NHL Up & Coming Player Spotlight: Francesco Arcuri

You need more than stick skills and speed to be a great hockey player; you need intelligence and the ability to read the game. That’s where Kingston Frontenacs’ forward Francesco Arcuri excels. Sure he can use a hockey stick, sometimes it seems as if the puck has been glued to the blade, but it is the skill to pick out the right pass at the right time, the sense to be in just the right place that marks him out as one to watch.

Born on June 13, 2003, in Woodbridge, Ontario, this 17-year-old shows all the signs of being able to get to the very top in the NHL. Six feet tall and weighing in at 187 pounds, he has the pace, stamina, and determination to be a success. With 7 goals and 13 assists in his rookie season, amounting to 20 points, it looks like the Fontenacs did a good job selecting Arcuri in the second round of the Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection from the Don Mills Flyers.

In his final season with the Flyers, Arcuri played right-wing and helped the team win all but one of their games. In 72 appearances, he managed 34 goals and a huge 60 points. The Flyers won the Greater Toronto Hockey League Championship without losing a playoff game, the OHL Cup, and pretty much everything else. Just the International Silver Stick eluded them, though they took the game into overtime. The Flyers’ center Shane Wright has also joined the Kingston Frontenacs.

Arcuri puts down his parents as one of the major reasons for success, “they have been with me from day one,” he said. Indeed, he has shown huge promise from an early age as part of the Ontario Selects program all the way to being a major player in the U15 World Championship team in 2018.

The young man shows a game sense beyond his years and matches this with a strong work ethic, both on and off the ice. Being a professional athlete requires a 24/7 commitment if you are to achieve your full potential. Arcuri devotes his life to being the best hockey player he can be – while juggling all the other things any teenager has to do. He has said that the fast feeling on the ice and the chemistry of being in a team can’t be bettered, and you can feel the sincerity in his voice. He loves to score goals and enjoys the high of being a part of a winning team.

That sense of responsibility to the team is so important. It is easy to get so caught up in being as good as you can be and neglecting the fact that ice hockey is a team game and you need to be part of that machine. That is where Arcari succeeds so well; in making plays for the team, he easily sees the broader picture and never just plays for himself. To excel should be every athlete’s goal, but in a team game, you have to look outside yourself and be part of the system that brings your team victory.

Francesco Arcuri has a lot going for him and seems natural for the NHL, where he will fit right in. A thinking athlete with team sense and the skill set to perform to the highest level. We can’t wait to see what this young athlete goes on to do in the near future!