Valley Jr. Warrior David Sacco has committed to play for the University of New Hampshire. The 16-year-old spent nearly 10 years with the Warriors from squirts all the way through to the U16 level.

“Playing for the Warriors was a great experience because I was surrounded by great coaching. Whether it was my actual team, the coaches or the coaches running skills. Everybody helped me develop my game into what it is now,” Sacco said.

The Middleton, MA native is a is a solid 6 foot, 185 pound centerman. Sacco saw great success during his time as a Warrior but recalls one of his favorite memories.

“My favorite memory as a Warrior was my second to last season with the full season 02 team. We had a great season and only lost a couple of games. We battled in the championship to beat Seacoast 1-0. Everybody on the team was fun to be around and we had a blast the whole season. Being able to end it with the trophy was awesome,” Sacco shared.

Sacco had the pleasure of being coached by his father (also named Dave Sacco) for a few seasons.

His father enjoyed a successful hockey career after being drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. He played 35 NHL career games between the Maple Leafs and Mighty Ducks of Anaheimwhere he scored a total of 5 goals and 13 assists for 18 points.

“Being coached by my dad was an awesome experience. Just being able to hear what he had to say was so huge for my development as a player. He has always been my role model in hockey and hopefully I can be as successful as he was in his career.”

Sacco looks forward to spending the next few seasons playing at Lawrence Academy where he will continue to develop. He shared his excitement about one day playing at UNH.

“I’m looking forward to UNH because of one the atmosphere in the arena. I’ve been to many games and the place is always loud and fun. I’m pumped to be able to one day play in front of that. Also the coaching staff. Mike Souza has been the best and I’m really looking forward to playing for him in the next few years.”