Rob O'Gara

Robert Dominick O'Gara (born July 6, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who retired following the 2021 season. He was an Assistant Coach for the men's Yale Hockey team. O'Gara was selected by the Boston Bruins in the fifth-round (151st overall) of the 2011 NHL entry draft.

Playing career O'Gara was born on Long Island, to parents Christine Rittmeyer and Brian O'Gara. As a youth, he played in the 2006 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the New York Islanders minor ice hockey team. Rob grew up a die-hard New York Islanders fan, a fact he shared during an interview with The Broadway Hat Podcast. Following two seasons at Milton Academy, O'Gara enrolled at Yale University to play NCAA Division I hockey with the Yale Bulldogs. In his freshman season he helped the Bulldogs capture the 2012–13 NCAA Championship, the first national championship title for the team. The following season, O'Gara was named to the NCAA All-Ivy League Second Team, and in his junior year his outstanding play was rewarded when he selected as ECAC Hockey's Best Defensive Defenseman and was named to the NCAA (East) First All-American Team.

On March 29, 2016, the Boston Bruins signed O'Gara to a two-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2016–17 season. The Providence Bruins, the AHL affiliate to Boston, signed him to an ATO (amateur try-out) for the remainder of the 2015–16 season.

On February 20, 2018, the Bruins traded O'Gara, along with a 2018 third-round draft pick, to the New York Rangers in exchange for Nick Holden.

On August 20, 2019, as a free agent from the Rangers, O'Gara signed one-year AHL contract with the San Antonio Rampage, the primary affiliate of the St. Louis Blues. Entering the 2019–20 season, O'Gara was limited to just 5 scoreless games with the Rampage, serving as a depth option to the blueline. On December 6, 2019, O'Gara was traded to the Springfield Thunderbirds, affiliate to the Florida Panthers, in exchange for future considerations.

As a free agent from the Thunderbirds leading into the pandemic delayed 2020–21 season, O'Gara was signed to a professional tryout contract to attend the Hershey Bears training camp on January 20, 2021.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2010–11 Milton Academy USHS 29 2 7 9 22 — — — — — 2011–12 Milton Academy USHS 24 5 20 25 24 — — — — — 2012–13 Yale University ECAC 37 0 7 7 32 — — — — — 2013–14 Yale University ECAC 33 4 7 11 30 — — — — — 2014–15 Yale University ECAC 33 6 15 21 31 — — — — — 2015–16 Yale University ECAC 30 4 8 12 41 — — — — — 2015–16 Providence Bruins AHL 5 1 0 1 4 — — — — — 2016–17 Providence Bruins AHL 59 4 9 13 30 3 0 0 0 4 2016–17 Boston Bruins NHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2017–18 Providence Bruins AHL 43 2 6 8 16 — — — — — 2017–18 Boston Bruins NHL 8 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2017–18 New York Rangers NHL 22 0 3 3 6 — — — — — 2018–19 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 47 3 8 11 64 — — — — — 2019–20 San Antonio Rampage AHL 5 0 0 0 6 — — — — — 2019–20 Springfield Thunderbirds AHL 20 3 3 6 4 — — — — — 2020–21 Hershey Bears AHL 26 1 3 4 33 — — — — — NHL totals 33 0 3 3 6 — — — — —

Awards and honors Award Year College All-Ivy League Second Team 2013–14 All-Ivy League First Team 2014–15 ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Defenseman 2014–15 All-ECAC Hockey First All-Star Team 2014–15 NCAA (East) First All-American Team 2014–15 All-Ivy League First Team 2015–16