As a kid, Shawn Leary would make the short walk from Blackwell Street to Garvey Park to play wiffle ball and kickball with his friends from St. Ann’s Parish. As scenes go, it is a far cry from where, at age 20, he finds himself playing games today – on a rink in Canada’s British Columbia province, more than 3,000 miles west of the Garvey.
Although Leary always had fun on the playing field with his friends, his passion always was to be on the ice. He took up hockey when he was four years old and over the next 16 years, he made his way, one step at a time, to the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), one of the top junior programs, where he skates for the Surrey Eagles.
While hockey is big in Boston, it seems to be just about everything in Surrey. “It isn’t really a small town. We’re only like 30 minutes away from Vancouver, so it’s pretty big, but everyone knows the Surrey Eagles,” said Leary.
“Hockey is king over here, and the fans, they’re amazing, the community is awesome, so I’d say in that aspect it’s a little different from being back home.”
The right-handed defenseman began his career playing for the Boston Jr. Terriers while attending lower schools in Dorchester, including St. Ann’s, the Kenny, and Boston Collegiate Charter.
By the age of nine, he was already turning heads, including that of Mike Mottau, a former Boston College hockey standout who won the Hobey Baker Award in 2000 as the top collegiate player in the country and later played for six NHL teams before retiring in 2014. At the time, Mottau, a Quincy, MA, native, was coaching his son on the Bay State Breakers, another youth team that competed against the Jr. Terriers.
“My son is the same age as Shawn. When I stopped playing, I got into helping out at the youth level,” said Mottau in an interview. “I was never able to coach Shawn, but I know his Uncle Pat really well. Coaching against him and seeing him develop as an individual off the ice and on the ice was pretty impressive.”
He added, “He’s always been physically gifted, even at a young age, just being able to do things some kids wouldn’t be able to do. I always kept my eye on him. He was on my radar since he was nine years old. Great kid and great character. That goes for a lot of the Dorchester kids I know.”
By the time Leary was 13, he knew he wanted to play at the next level, and soon after, he began high school at Lawrence Academy in Groton.
“It was a good experience. I’ve met great friends from there. It was awesome,” said Leary, a 2024 graduate. “Since it was a boarding school, it was a little different; everyone was on campus for our games, so the student section would be filled. All the sports were really big. It was just a great time, great experience, great teachers, everything.”
With the Lawrence experience behind him, Leary took a short detour on his way to Canada, playing part of his 24-25 season for the New Jersey Titans in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) before Mike Mottau, who had coached against him in youth hockey games in Boston, reappeared in his life.
“I started out in the NAHL and then our coach got fired,” he said, “so then I was asked to come out here [to Surrey] by the guy who actually I played against growing up. … He asked if I wanted to come out here, and it was the best opportunity, so it worked out well.”
During his first season playing under Mottau, Leary, wearing No. 21, had 6 goals and 10 assists, totaling 16 points in 31 games.
“As far as Shawn’s game, he’s offensively gifted,” said Mottau. “That’s something that immediately jumps out at you. My goal was to round out his game, ‘cause he’s a smart player, and use his physical abilities on the defensive side of the puck.”
Leary describes himself as an “offensive defenseman,” adding that “I like to be up in the play, so a lot of people joke with me that I’m the fourth forward.”
At the end of last season, Mottau said goodbye to the Eagles and headed back to the US, where he is now the assistant coach for the Chicago Steel in the United States Hockey League (USHL).
For his part, Leary, still a Surrey Eagle, said that this season is off to a bit of a slower start. “We battled through to get our first win, but it came through, and I think we’re heading in the right direction now.” The team is currently in last place in the Coastal East division with 1 win, 14 losses, and 1 overtime loss. That first win came just last week when the Eagles defeated the Powell River Kings 9 to 5.
Eventually, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound skater wants to return to Boston to play at the collegiate level and, one day, professionally.
According to the British Columbia Hockey League’s website, 449 alumni played NCAA D1 hockey in the 2024-2025 season, accounting for 25 percent of all D1 players. As of last March, there were more than 250 BCHL athletes committed to play at the DI level. There are also 19 former BCHL players in the NHL.
Mottau made out well as a hockey player at all levels, and he has hope for the young Leary. “I just feel with his skill set, and his game, he’s a Division 1 defenseman, and by continuing to develop on both sides of the puck, any team or school that realizes that is going to get a great player”.
But for now, Leary will continue to grind in Surrey while looking forward to a visit back to Dorchester for Christmas.
“I’m away a lot for hockey, so I’m rarely home, but when I do, it’s awesome. I get to come back, see everyone, just like talk to everyone, eat at my favorite spots, and stuff, so it’s awesome when I get back.”
He said his must-visit places are the Mud House, Molinari’s, and Ashmont Market, where he has to get “a steak tip sub with extra cheese.”
When it comes to younger athletes in the neighborhood, Leary wants to remind them to have fun. “At the end of the day, what you’re doing it’s not a job. Most people see it as like, ‘Oh, I have to get this done,’ but the main part of it is like it’s a kid’s sport. Just work hard and have fun, and everything will work out,” he said. “Don’t worry about the outcome.”
