MEET GEORGE KOMADOSKI: PLAYER PROFILE

MEET GEORGE KOMADOSKI: PLAYER PROFILE

Since joining the Brantford Bulldogs in a June 2026 trade with the Flint Firebirds, George Komadoski has played a key role, and presence on the team. His six assists over the past eight games sit second on the roster, and he is only just getting started. We sat down with George to talk about his game, his hockey lineage, and what’s next for him with a commitment to the University of Notre Dame. 

As a 6-foot-4 defensemen, he is known for a physical, in-your-face style that protects both the net, and his teammates while on ice. “My main goal [on the ice] is just to make the opponents’ lives tough and be hard to play against,” he said. “I stand up for my teammates, mix it up, and be as physical as I possibly can.”

But where does a player learn to play with that kind of edge? For Komadoski, the answer started at home. 

George is a third-generation hockey player. His grandfather, Neil Komadoski Sr. is a former Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues player. Drafted in the 4th round, 48th overall by the Los Angeles Kings of the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft, he played 501 NHL games, including 23 playoff games. 

His father, Neil Komadoski Jr. followed a different path through the game. After four seasons at Notre Dame and 151 games in the AHL with the Binghamton Senators and Peoria Riverman, he hung up his skates and turned to scouting, spending the past 16 seasons evaluating talent for the Vancouver Canucks. Today, he serves as the Buffalo Sabres’ Assistant Director of Pro Scouting, and his son’s biggest mentor, and teacher. 

Having a father who evaluates players for a living could add pressure, but George sees it differently. “It’s honestly really nice because he knows the game. He watches hockey for a living,” he said. “He’s taught me so much about how to be a pro and what those guys are doing that I need to add to my game.”

Komadoski’s earliest hockey memory didn’t start with his first game, but from a bonding experience with his dad, skating laps around the rink at the old Hardee’s IcePlex located in Chesterfield, Missouri, once the largest ice skating facility in Missouri. “No pucks or really anything, just skating laps around with him, just us two on the ice,” he said. 

Hockey has been a part of George’s life almost as far back as he can remember. He first laced up skates at three or four years old, but his father and grandfather weren’t the only ones helping him along. He described how his aunt Kelly, a figure skater, played a major role in teaching him how to skate so young as well. “I wouldn’t be where I am without her or any of that,” he said, and detailed how his grandfather helped too, having taught his dad before him. 

With his commitment to the University of Notre Dame beginning in the fall of 2027, Komadoski will follow in his father’s footsteps, a school he has known since childhood. “My dad being there, I was always around it as a younger kid. We were always going up for games. I kind of just fell in love with it from a young age,” he said. “I think if you go there for the first time, you’ll realize quickly it’s a special place.”

The ND coaching staff specifically, George points out, including Brock Sheahan (Catalino Family Head Hockey Coach), Mike Garman (Ralph M. DiVietro Memorial Associate Hockey Coach), Andrew Oglevie (Asst. Coach) and Tristan Musser (Asst. Coach) also left a strong impression during his recruitment and decision process. “They’re completely pro. They’re very professional coaches,” he said. “When I was trying to narrow down schools, they blew me away with how professional and dialled-in they were. They were always checking in on me,” he said. “I think they’re the best in the business, and I can’t wait to get to work with them.”

Beyond the coaches, he pointed to the school itself as well. “Notre Dame is such an amazing school, hockey-wise and non-hockey-wise,” he said. “I think they’re big on not just the player side, trying to develop us as people, and I think it’s just a great environment. I couldn’t be happier with where I’m going to school.”

Playing within the Big Ten Conference, he said, was another plus, especially for Komadoski who loves to increase his competition. “Other than pro, I think you’re right up there with playing the best players possible. I always want to challenge myself and go against the top competition.”

Beyond playing hockey, Komadoski mentioned another career interest. When asked what he’d like to accomplish away from the ice, he explained his interest in one day venturing into the field of chiropractic care. “I always said that I want to be a chiropractor if hockey doesn’t work out for me,” he said. “That’s something I want to look into at Notre Dame and do whatever I can to do there.”

He said the profession fascinates him, as well having the ability to pay-it-forward. “I think it would be a really cool career to be around a sports team or something and just be able to help people that have also helped me.”

When asked what he would tell his younger self, Komadoski kept it simple: 

“Just be yourself. Don’t worry about what’s going to happen tomorrow or a week, a month, a year down the road. Just focus on where you’re at now, enjoy it, and be yourself.”

His advice also focused on trusting your own path, saying “Just stick to yourself and just do you, and everything will work out and just trust the process.” 

Written by Haley Anderson, Communications Intern 

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Reed Duthie – Director; Broadcasting & Communications ● 905-520-8177 [email protected]