Huge Part of his Team's Success

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

Bridgedale Academy grad Nathan Santos was recently honored as an AHAI high school hockey All-State selection. The Neuqua Valley standout senior defenseman was earlier selected as an Illinois West All-Conference All-Star as well.

Here's how Dan Granato, Nathan's coach at Neuqua Valley, described Nathan and his contributions this season:

"(Nathan is) an elite player who has garnered much praise from many around the state and league who have seen him play. Nathan has earned his reputation as one of the top high school defensemen in the state. One of the best offensive-defensemen who has ever played at Neuqua, Nathan has been a huge part of our offensive successes. Nathan's skill will be greatly missed next season and beyond."

Nathan attended Bridgedale Academy for four (4) years, arriving as a 5th grader but, because he was so strong academically, he was quickly promoted to 6th grade. This means that Nathan, though a senior, is still only 17 years old.

"Nathan was very precocious academically when he arrived at Bridgedale," said Bridgedale Academic Dean Christina Di Pauli. "And so after discussions with his parents we promoted him one grade to the 6th grade, which was where he belonged. He never looked back, earning 4.0 GPA Honor Roll in nearly all his trimesters at Bridgedale."

"Nathan is an excellent example of what focus and determination can do for a young player," said Bridgedale Headmaster Mike McPartlin. "He was a late bloomer and ultimately overcame a lot to become the player he's become. He plays poised and with his head up, so he sees plays on the ice that most players don't see."

"We're delighted to see Nathan having this type of success in his hockey and very proud of him," added McPartlin.

Congratulations to Nathan (and his parents Nelson and Karen) on his achievements at Neuqua Valley HS.

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Bridgedale Academy is now accepting transfers for the 2022-23 School Year. 

Bridgedale Academy is an all-boys school for athletes, a prep school for serious youth hockey players. We offer grades 5 through 8 and in addition to our winning combination of athletics and academics, we focus on leadership training. We use a classical academic curriculum and our graduates go on to attend some of the most prestigious high schools in the country, including Lake Forest Academy, Culver Military Academy, Shattuck St. Mary’s, Northwood School, Benet Academy, Fenwick Prep, St. Ignatius Prep, Marmion Academy, St. Francis, Latin School and Providence Catholic. We pride ourselves on being the top youth hockey prep school in the nation. Twenty-three (23) of our former or current students have already received their NCAA Division 1 college hockey commitments. Seven (7) of our former students have competed for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. Four (4) of our grads have already signed their initial NHL contracts. Several are now playing NCAA D1 college hockey. Others are now playing D3 college hockey. More still are playing junior hockey, including in the OHL, the USHL and the NAHL.