Freshman Friday is a Q-and-A feature with new members of the men's hockey team. This is the second installment, featuring defenseman Yanni Kaldis. Kaldis is the Big Red's lone new blueliner this season. He talks about his road to Cornell, his family ties to a non-traditional hockey country and his affinity for Bobby Orr.
Q: Whenever I see a guy come in from Quebec is, my first thought is the 'Q' (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) is everything up there, isn't it?
A: Yeah, if you talk to the French guys growing up, they don't really know what the NCAA is, so everyone kind of dreams of going to the 'Q' and they think that's the only path to get to the NHL.
Q: So how did you end up on this path?
A: Academics have always been a big thing in my family, so once we found about the NCAA when I was a little younger, I kind of knew that was the path I wanted to take. I never got drafted by the 'Q' or anything, because I was a lot smaller when I was younger. I was a late bloomer. So that was never really even an option, so my only option was really to try to play hockey and go to school at the same time.
Q: So you played at Dawson College for two years. Would you say that's the time where you started to really take off?
A: Yeah, that was really when I started growing. I grew 2 or 3 inches from my first year at Dawson to my second year, so I was growing as an 18-year-old,
and I grew another inch when I was at Nanaimo. That was when I really started to take off.
Q: When did Cornell enter the picture?
A: I actually talked to Coach Syer my first exhibition game at Nanaimo. He said he was interested. We spoke a lot, and there were a bunch of things I had to take care of academically. So it was a long process, but I knew this is where I wanted to go the whole time.
Q: How much did you know about Cornell when you first had contact with the program?
A: Everyone knows it's an Ivy League school and everything, and I knew the hockey program was good. But there was a lot I didn't know, so I did a lot of research and I was overwhelmed with everything.
Q: And yet, did you ever get to visit and see a game here?
A: I didn't, actually. It was hard for me to leave during the season, so my visit was at the end of the season, unfortunately.
Q: I've heard that Bobby Orr is your favorite player. That's going back a ways. Other than just the legend, how do you know anything about Bobby Orr?
A: My dad is a big fan of Bobby Orr, and I'm a huge Boston Bruins fan, so I watched the movie and I've read his book and everything. I'm a huge fan of his.
Q: What kind of modern players would you saying that you model yourself after?
A: I would say Torey Krug right now, because he's an undersized defenseman. So it would be someone like that. But right now, I think one of the best defensemen is Duncan Keith. So I try to play like him, see what he does and try to mimic some of the things he does.
Q: Cornell has this reputation of being a defensively-oriented program, and here you are a puck-moving defenseman. Are you excited about the idea of coming into a program that has that reputation?
A: Yeah, I'm very excited. A lot of people when they found out I was going to Cornell said, 'Are you sure that's the right decision? It's a really defensive program.' But all along I knew it was the right decision. Talking to the coaching staff, they said they needed a guy like me and the program's going to take a more offensive approach, so I think I'll fit in well.
Q: Yanni is a unique name. What's the origin of your name?
A: I'm 100 percent Greek. Both of my parents are from Greece.
Q: Do you go back to that area at all?
A: I have family there. I've only been there twice, though. I haven't been there since I was 10. My grandparents only speak Greek, so that's the only way I'm going to be talking to them.
Q: I've also heard you've played soccer. Do you still play?
A: I played until I was about 16 when I was playing AAA. And I thought I'd end up choosing soccer over hockey, because my dad was a big soccer guy. But that last year, I finally said I was going to stay with hockey. I'm sure my dad was a little devastated, but I knew that was what I wanted to do.
Q: You played two years of junior in Nanaimo, which is all the way on the other end of the country for you. What did you learn while you were there?
A: I learned a lot of lessons on the ice and off the ice. Living alone, I think that was key for me in terms of growing up and maturing. I took a big step with that. On the ice, I learned a lot with defensive play and offensively, playing against better players than I ever did. It really prepared me for here, I think.
Q: There was quite a pipeline between Nanaimo and Cornell within the last couple decades. Did you hear about that at all when you were there?
A: I did. I actually checked up on that before I committed to Cornell. But that was before my coach, Mike Vandekamp, was there. Another coach was there (Bill Bestwick).
Q: So how has Cornell been for you so far?
A: It's been great. The guys are awesome. Class has been good — not too hard, so I've been happy with that. And on the ice, the experience has been awesome.
Q: What are you studying?
A: I'm in Communication and I'm thinking of minoring in Business, but right now I'm taking Communication classes.
