Playing on Home Ice: Berry Driven to Excel in Hometown

DANBURY — There was never a doubt where Billy Berry was going to start his professional hockey career. 

Just ask his former college teammate, Xavier Abdella. 

“I think it was when I was living with his family he told me ‘The only pro hockey teams I’m playing for are the Danbury Hat Tricks or the New York Rangers,’” Abdella said. “I didn’t have to recruit him too hard to come here.” 

A native of Redding, Conn., Berry has gone from a spectator at Danbury Titans and Hat Tricks games to a point-producing forward in his second-season with his hometown team. 

The Danbury Ice Arena has always felt like home for Berry. As a fan and then a player in high school at Pomfret School in Connecticut.

 “I grew up playing high school hockey in Danbury (Ice Arena), so it’s a ghost town in there when you score,” Berry said. “But when you score in front of Hat Tricks fans, that place erupts.”

Credit: Matt Rolon

As a two-sport athlete in hockey and lacrosse, Berry loved playing hockey from an early age. His older brother Charlie inspired him to first pick up a stick. Instead of continuing lacrosse, Berry wanted to find a home inside a rink. 

“Being a younger brother watching him do his thing, I wanted to be like him,” Berry said. “We played hockey together growing up going into high school and then went our own ways.”

Everything Berry invested led him to becoming one of the all-time standout players through five seasons at Wilkes University of the United Collegiate Hockey Conference of Division III. 

The former Second Team All-UCHC honoree last season first led Pomfret to a NEPSAC championship in 2017. Then he helped Wilkes reach the UCHC Tournament Finals in 2022 with a program-record 20 wins. 

Credit: Wilkes University Athletics

“I think when he got to Wilkes, sometimes guys take their time to ease their way into college hockey, and Billy was not one of those guys,” Wilkes coach Tyler Hynes said. “He came in and made an impact right away and was an integral part of our special teams. He ended up being a tremendous leader for us and grew into that as his career went and put his head down and was always a hard worker. And then, by the end of it, he was bringing guys with him and raising their levels.” 

Turning in 31 points last season, the second-most in the UCHC, Berry climbed into seventh among Wilkes’ all-time goal scorers. He would often hear from Abdella how an opportunity to kickstart his professional career in Danbury awaited him when they lived together at Berry’s house in the fall of 2022, Abdella’s first season with the Hat Tricks. 

Credit: Matt Rolon

Yet, Berry’s transition from college hockey wasn’t free of challenges. 

“Adapting to the different style of gameplay,” Abdella said. “I know when he first got here, he was struggling a little bit with that. I remember telling him how it’s a little bit slower and how he has so much skill that it’s almost going to work in his favor once the game slows down a little bit.” 

Added Berry, “What I noticed in the transition was in college, you’re kind of going 100 miles an hour all the time. It’s a ‘speed and hitting’ game. But I think now adjusting to the pros there’s a lot more structure, formation and being at the right place at the right time. I felt like if I was going 100 miles an hour, sometimes I got myself too far out of place.”

Recognized for its Commissioner’s Cup run in 2023, Danbury has also had a record of advancing players to higher levels of professional hockey. Call-ups to the ECHL and other affiliate leagues are not uncommon as the Hat Tricks saw former defenseman Daniel Amesbury and forward Michael Marchesan promoted to the Fort Wayne Komets and the Atlanta Gladiators after last season and current goaltender Conor McCollum get the promotion to the Hartford Wolfpack (AHL) earlier this season.

And with co-head coaches Jonny Ruiz and Kyle Gonzalez having played a combined nine seasons in Danbury, the opportunity of developing talent and drive to win a second Commissioner’s Cup is at hand. 

“His 200-foot game, he can defend well with his athleticism,” Abdella said. “He knows how to use that length to disrupt with the stick. And then he’s got so much skill and sees the game well. I think he knows where soft areas are on the ice. I think he just makes other people better. He’s just a super complete player in my eyes.” 

Berry has already provided eight goals and 11 assists since debuting for the Hat Tricks on March 1 last season and he hasn’t enjoyed beginning his professional career at home without giving back to Hynes’ program.

Near Wilkes’ campus, Berry owns his waffle truck business “All Belgium Waffles,” in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., which also allows him to help mentor the next set of Wilkes players at team practices. 

Credit: allbelgiumwaffles.com

“He’s close enough to where he still knows most of the team, so the guys are always asking him for advice and trying to get his opinion on things,” Hynes said. “He’s somebody that went through a lot in his career and I think everybody looked up to him. When he was here to answer questions that they have or about what I’m looking for as a coach, Billy played for me his whole career, so he knows what makes me tick.” 

As the Hat Tricks try to continue their latest winning stretch into a push for the second spot in the Empire Division, they will look to Berry’s playmaking. 

And like his teammates, Berry is determined to grow individually to make a jump to an NHL affiliate and move closer to what his idols Pavel Datsyuk and Patrick Kane accomplished. 

Still, this season, Berry is focused on building on what he saw when he first stepped foot inside the Danbury Ice Arena supporting the Titans. 

“The end goal for everybody is some hardware,” Berry said. “You see some things that fans won’t pick up on. I just remember seeing a bunch of good hockey players who love to be out there and love the game.”