Just before his 17th birthday, Carle Place resident Dinos Stamoulis left home to play on a Junior A Hockey Team in Sioux Falls, SD. During this time, he lived with a host family and finished his senior year of high school. Now, two years later, 19-year-old Stamoulis is heading off to college.

Whereas many young hockey stars learn how to skate at the same time they learn to walk, Stamoulis did not start playing hockey seriously until he was 8 years old. Regardless, Stamoulis achieved success at a young age, and has already been named Player of the Week by the North American Hockey League (NAHL) and, in 2002, took on the role of captain of the Texas Tornados.

After playing on the Sioux Falls Junior A Hockey Team in the United States Hockey League (USHL) while finishing high school, Stamoulis was drafted by the NAHL to the Texas Tornadoes where he played for two years. In 2002, Stamoulis was named captain and ranked third in NAHL defenseman scoring with 20 points in 22 games played.

His childhood hockey achievements include becoming captain of his pewee hockey team and winning the national championships as a player for the Junior Islanders. Growing up, Stamoulis also played hockey with Apple Core near Carle Place and at Ice Works in Syosset.

"Dinos is a special kid who had the natural ability to lead by example on the ice and be vocal off the ice in the locker room - the kind of player we want leading this team," said Texas Tornado coach Tony Curtale in a 2002 article posted on the NAHL website.

At the height of all his success, Stamoulis recently made the decision to attend Providence College in Rhode Island this fall, where he was granted a near full-ride scholarship to play Division I hockey as a defenseman for the Providence Friars.

By being selected to play hockey on a Division I collegiate level, Stamoulis has achieved his greatest accomplishment. "I've always wanted to play college hockey in the east," Stamoulis stated in a 2002 article posted on the NAHL website. "Providence is only three and half hours away from home, and I really enjoyed the campus and downtown Providence." Stamoulis is currently the third Tornado player in two years to join the Friars.

Stamoulis' mother, Carolyn, couldn't agree more. "Although he was looked at by a number of schools to play college hockey, especially in Michigan, I think he spent enough time in the Midwest and wanted to come home," she said. "Dinos knows the importance of a college education."

Over the summer, aside from his office job, Stamoulis helps out with summer hockey camps at Ice Works, where he learned how to skate as a youngster. According to Ms. Stamoulis, Dan Marshall, her son's longtime hockey coach at Ice Works and an employee with the National Hockey League's (NHL) NY Islanders, has had an impact on Stamoulis' hockey career.

"Dan taught him how to skate and has coached him since he was 10 years old," she said.

When asked about her son's aspirations to play professional hockey for the NHL someday, Ms. Stamoulis said, "It is very difficult to achieve, but one can only hope."