BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – Bellows Falls native Elliot Groenewold, a local student athlete and son of David and Suzanne Groenewold of Springfield, was recently drafted by the Boston Bruins in the fourth round of the 2024 National Hockey League (NHL) draft. Groenewold is a left-handed-shooting defenseman.
“Elliot has always had the dream to be in the NHL, like many young hockey players do,” Suzanne Groenewold said in a recent interview. “He has been extremely dedicated to his sport, rarely missing a practice or game throughout his career. He has worked extremely hard to improve his game, and sticks to a strict workout routine year round.”
Elliot’s hockey life started at 3 years old, learning to skate while his two older brothers played local youth hockey for the Pleasant Valley Hockey Association (PVA) in Saxtons River. He participated in coach Mike Snide’s “learn to play” program and off he went, playing for the PVA team’s “mini mites” and “mites” programs.
By age 10, Elliot was participating in extra offseason tournaments, connecting with and playing for the New Hampshire Avalanche (Hooksett, N.H.), and the Manchester (N.H.) Flames. During his time with the Avalanche, Elliot got to play at Boston’s TD Garden, in between periods of a Bruins’ game, in their Three Minutes of Fame program.
During his time at Bellows Falls Middle School, Elliot played for the Top Gun organization (Salem, N.H.) in the Eastern Hockey League, and also started participating in international tournaments with Legacy Sports based in Exeter, N.H. He had the privilege of traveling to play hockey in the Czech Republic, Italy, and France.
Groenewold attended high school and played hockey at Bishop’s College School, a private school in Quebec, Canada, and committed to playing NCAA Division I college hockey at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn.
After high school, Elliot was drafted by the Cedar Rapids Roughriders of the United States Hockey League, and had five goals and 16 points in 57 games, good numbers for the young defenseman. Additionally, Elliot had the honor of playing for Team U.S.A. at the World Junior A Challenge in Canada, with U.S.A. earning the silver metal.
On June 28, Groenewold took the next big step in fulfilling his lifelong dream of playing in the NHL, when his favorite team, the Boston Bruins, selected him in the fourth round (110th pick overall) of this year’s NHL draft in Las Vegas. In fact, the Bruins had previously shown interest in Elliot, and even made a trade to move up in the draft in order to select him.
“Our family traveled to Las Vegas for the draft, knowing Elliot had been projected to be drafted in the third or fourth round,” Suzanne added. “The Bruins asked for one more meeting the day of the draft, and Elliot left that meeting feeling really good, but nothing was guaranteed.
“As lifelong Bruins fans, the family was so thrilled to hear his name called for the Bruins. The Bruins put on the jersey with his name on the back and he was whisked away to meet the management team and media. Our family was invited to a reception welcoming him to the organization and we met Don Sweeney [Bruins general manager], before they headed out to the team’s developmental camp the same night.”
In a recent interview, Groenewold expressed his excitement and gratitude, as he gets ready for his upcoming college season at Quinnipiac University.
“Hearing my name called, especially by the Bruins, was just an unbelievable feeling…it was surreal,” Elliot stated. “We had talked to the Bruins last year as well, so I knew they were interested in me, but then I met with them the day before the draft and I really felt good after that meeting.
“The Bruins developmental camp was just a great experience. You do some testing, I got to work with the strength and conditioning coach, they tell you what your strengths and weaknesses are and what to work on, it was just a great learning experience for me. So, from here, I’ll be working with my college team through the summer to get ready for my freshman season, and we’ll see where things go from there.”
Hopefully, Elliot will be continuing to work his way up the hockey ranks, so that he can one day add to that Three Minutes of Fame he experienced on the TD Garden ice when he was 10.