Alumni Report: Jonathan Harty Checks In
Jonathan Harty played in 246 games over four seasons with the Everett Silvertips, serving as Team Captain in 2007-08 and winning the Silvertips Scholastic Award in 2005-06, the Community Relations Award in 2006-07 and 2007-08 and the F.I.E.R.C.E. Predator Booster Club award in 2006-07 and 2007-08. Having shed his familiar #5 for #3 and ultimately #40, reflecting the four “O’s” in Oromocto, New Brunswick, Jonathan has enjoyed a standout career as a defenseman with the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds. One of the most dedicated Silvertips both on the ice and in the community, broadcaster Jon Rosen recently caught up with Jonathan to get an update on his education and his plans for the future.
Jon Rosen: What was it like getting back out east and setting foot on campus at UNB?
Jonathan Harty: It was actually a very familiar feeling that I hadn’t felt in a little while. I have my two brothers going to school here, and all my childhood friends, and it really felt like a homecoming coming back here. It was also great getting back and finding some accomplishments education-wise, as I was away from school for a couple of years. It was eye-opening again.
JR: I imagine the fall is a beautiful time of the year to spend in New Brunswick. For people who have never been there before, what is the city of Fredericton like?
JH: All the leaves are yellow, orange and red right now, and there are very few green leaves left. They’re all over the place. It looks beautiful, even though you have to rake and clean up a lot. It’s definitely beautiful, and we get a lot of American sightseers coming up here this time of year. Fredericton is a provincial capital, so there are a lot of provincial and federal buildings around here. It’s also 20 minutes down the road from the largest military base in the commonwealth, so it’s really a government-run town without any really dominant industry.
JR: You earned quite a bit of playing time on a Varsity Reds squad that went on to win the 2009 University Cup as CIS champions. How did you work your way into a regular rotation as a reliable defenseman on such a veteran-heavy team?
JH: At the beginning of the year my first year, I wasn’t playing a whole lot. I was trying to get into the lineup regularly, and figure out what the coach wanted and get a feel for it. Towards the end of my second semester I started playing more – I was one of the top four defensemen, and by the time nationals came around, I was playing every second shift. To help contribute to a team that won nationals was really special to me. It was great to think I had a part in winning a national title.
JR: I understand you’re graduating a year early, and that you studied sports management and business intensively.
JH: I actually graduate this year. I fast tracked my degree – it’s a business degree with a minor in kinesiology – and I’m thinking about possibly pursuing my MBA with a sports management degree. But if hockey works out well for me, and I have a good enough year, I may keep pursuing a career in hockey until that ends.
JR: So then comes the question you’ve been asked since you were four years old: What do you want to be when you grow up?
JH: Well with my degree, I want to play hockey until my body shuts down on me, or until I’m told I need to make more money to support a family. When that time comes, I want to be a coach, I want to be a general manager, I want to do scouting, hockey analysis – I really love the sport to death. If that doesn’t work, then I’d love to be a search and rescue technician in the military, and if my knees are still too beat up for that, I guess I could find a desk job crunching numbers somewhere. But my number one love is hockey.
JR: You led dozens of school assemblies, read to kids at libraries, visited hospitals and set a very high bar for community involvement as a member of the Silvertips. Do you still find time at school to give back to the community and set positive examples?
JH: I do a few events around here, especially when we won the national title. We read to a few kids in schools and also did a few hockey camps. I have a great time trying to give back to the young hockey players in the community, and try to make them laugh and enjoy themselves, and joke around with them.
JR: When you met your teammates at New Brunswick, did you have to a map to show them where Everett was?
JH: No, the guys on the team all know – they know it’s in the Western League. We actually probably have an equal spread between the WHL, OHL and QMJHL. We all have our different backgrounds, and we all respect that.
JR: How has the WHL Scholarship benefitted you?
JH: The scholarship has been great – it covers tuition, classes and books, and books are quite expensive nowadays. It’s very convenient too – you just send away a couple proofs of enrollment, .and they get right back to you and direct deposit the funds back into your account. You don’t have to worry about it – it really helps out financially, especially when you’re living away from home. Now I don’t ever have to worry about tuition or that other stuff outside of school.
JR: What did you love most about your Silvertips career?
JH: One thing I really, really enjoyed was just waking up and coming to the rink. Just having to focus on hockey, there was nothing else – no distractions, nothing. All you had to do was perform every day. It was the easiest, most fun job I’ve ever had in my life to just do that and just hang out with your friends. All you had to do was play hockey, and it was easy. I hope to get back there some time in the near future – it’s just such a great organization. I can’t say enough about the experience I had in Everett, and what Everett meant to me.
JR: Thanks for spending some time with Silvertip Country, Jonathan! Best of luck to you and the Varsity Reds this year!
JH: Thanks, JR. And thanks to everyone back in Everett!
For more information on Jonathan’s University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds, CLICK HERE!
