By Steve Bigham

Newtown resident Peter Zingoni will be heading to Providence College in Rhode Island this coming fall, where he will play ice hockey on a full scholarship.

After that, though, he plans on taking his talents to the National Hockey League.

Last weekend, the standout athlete was the No. 2 pick in the eighth round of the Columbus Blue Jackets during the NHL entry draft in Calgary. The Blue Jackets are one of two new expansion teams joining the NHL this winter (the Minnesota Wild is the other) and Zingoni expects to become a Blue Jacket following his days at Providence.

He would then become what is believed to be the first Newtown resident ever to reach the professional hockey ranks.

And this is no long shot, either. Zingoni is the real deal.

After three highly-successful seasons at Notre Dame of Fairfield – where he led the state in scoring twice – the 19-year-old went on to star for the New England Coyotes in the very competitive Eastern Junior Hockey League where he was twice an all star.

“I’m just so happy just to get drafted by anybody,” said the 19-year-old Zingoni, a down-to-earth kid who simply loves to skate. Zingoni watched the draft on ESPN2 from his parents’ home. He received a call from the Blue Jackets’ general manager moments before his name was announced.

Prior to the draft, Zingoni had considered declaring for free agency, therefore freeing himself up to be drafted a couple years down the line. However, after receiving word that the expansion teams were interested, the high-scoring center kept his name in the pool.

“I felt that that by getting picked by an expansion team would be a great opportunity to really hop right in. I’m looking forward to starting up with a bright franchise,” he said.

For now, though, Zingoni says he remains focused on Providence College, where he is expected to be an immediate impact player for coach Paul Pooley and the Division I Friars.

“I’ll take it as it comes. I really hope to step right in when I’m ready. There’s really no rush,” he said.

These days, Zingoni is laying low at his parents’ home on Saddle Ridge Road. The past year has been a long, hard road for the Newtown resident. It all started last summer when he lost his best friend and fellow hockey star in a car accident. He then missed 18 games for the EJSCU season due to mononucleosis.

“I got off to a slow start this past season. It kind of took the wind out of my sails,” he explained.

 But with his friend’s spirit helping to drive him forward, Zingoni returned to the Coyote team and helped lead it to the league championship. The 6-0, 180-pound skater recorded two assists in the contest, including the game winner in overtime as New England defeated the Walpole Stars, 3-2.

“We were friends since I was eight,” Zingoni said of his friend. “I remember as kids the two of us dreaming of being drafted in the NHL. It’s almost like I owe everything to him right now.”

The son of Ronald and Patricia Zingoni, Peter has practically been living in a pair of skates since the age of three. Back then he was living in Milford, just down the road from a hockey rink. And everyday he was up early and out on the ice.

The hard work has truly paid off. By the age of 6, Zingoni (not to be confused with Zamboni™) was already playing with kids nearly twice his age in the Mites Division and would soon lead his Squirt teams to a pair of state titles.

“I was playing with some of the best players in the state,” Zingoni recalled.

The Newtown resident had taken the Connecticut hockey world by storm with his incredible speed, agility, tenacious attitude and slap shot that struck fear into the hearts of area goaltenders. After three dominating seasons at Notre Dame of Fairfield, Zingoni decided he needed to take his game to the next level. While working hard to improve his grades, Zingoni joined the Coyotes and quickly showed the world that he was NHL material.

 Zingoni says he likens his game to that of NHL star Pavel Bure – also known as the “Russian Rocket.”

But unlike Bure – who has been linked to tennis star and fellow Russian Anna Kournikova – Zingoni simply doesn’t have the time for girls these days. Skates and books are all Zingoni has time for these days.

Zingoni, who attended Newtown schools up until the eighth grade, is the oldest of three. His two little sisters are Janey, 15, and Christie, 12.