A shot in the right direction

The town of Island Park has more reason than usual to look forward to the upcoming NHL season as resident Anthony Bitetto was recently drafted 168 overall by the Nashville Predators.

Skating on the ice at a mere nine years old and playing for the Long Beach Apple Core by the age of three, hockey has always been an important part of Anthony’s life. A graduate of West Hempstead High School, Anthony played for the New York Apple Core until he was drafted by the Indiana Ice of the United States Hockey League in 2008. There, the six foot, one inch, 210 pound defenseman played in 82 games and helped lead the team to win the Clark Cup championship in the 2008-2009 season.

“It was a wild experience,” Bitetto said,“ and helped transition me into a real good defenseman.”

Playing for a team in the National Hockey League is a dream come true for Anthony, who has considered it a life goal of his for as long as he can remember. “Every day I wake up and work hard,” he said. “I have to keep moving forward.”

Influenced by San Jose Sharks defenseman Doug Murray, Anthony is known to be a hard-hitting defenseman who plays physical, scoring 44 points in the last season while also ranking up a team high of 118 minutes in the penalty box. Next up for Anthony is Northeastern University in the fall, where he will enroll as a freshman.

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