UPDATE:After accusations of antisemitism, a rising US hockey star nets a teshuva-fueled comeback……..Read more

 

 

At 16, Trevor Connelly was dropped from his youth team for an Instagram post containing a swastika. The incident sparked a learning process – and an unlikely friendship with two clergy

OTTAWA, Canada — In early 2022, professional scouts had already identified 16-year-old Trevor Connelly as having the potential to one day become a superstar in the National Hockey League (NHL), the world’s premier professional ice hockey league.

Then, some of his mates from the Long Island Gulls youth team thought it would be pretty funny to create a swastika out of children’s building blocks.

His friends built a swastika, Connelly took a photo, added the caption “creations,” and posted it to Instagram.

After it was quickly brought to his attention that it may not have been a wise idea, he immediately removed the post and apologized, insisting that he did not mean to offend anyone. But the damage was done. Connelly was removed from the team.

The hockey world’s perception of his character was already very negative. Unusual for players of his ability, Connelly had bounced from team to team four times, including lasting only one week at a high school specializing in developing elite hockey players.

With the swastika incident, Connelly’s public image hit an all-time low. He was viewed as an extremely talented but very troubled and potentially “toxic” player.

Later in 2022, Connelly found his way to Nebraska and onto the roster of the Tri-City Storm of the developmental United States Hockey League (USHL), where he would try to hone his skills ahead of the 2024 NHL entry draft.

About halfway through his two-season stint there, in August of 2023, his story took an unexpected turn.

Redemption song

While at the family home in the Los Angeles suburb of Tustin, in Orange County, Connelly’s mom came across an article titled, “How to apologize when you say something antisemitic.”

Written by Cantor Olivia Brodsky and Rabbi Josh Stanton of East End Temple, a Reform congregation in New York City, the duo cited a few high-profile cases of American celebrities who had spouted antisemitic tropes in social media posts. They focused on how the perpetrators offered weak apologies, did not take responsibility for their words and actions, and missed golden opportunities to properly engage in teshuva, the Hebrew word for repentance, to generate positive change from a negative experience.

Reflecting on her son’s swastika fiasco, the authors’ message struck a chord with Connelly’s mother. She immediately contacted Brodsky and Stanton to see if they might be interested in having a conversation with Trevor to help him understand more meaningfully the impact of what he had done and how he might be able to make amends for it.

“I thought it was a helpful call for us to receive, to show that we could ‘walk the walk’ of what we had written,” said Stanton.

A Zoom call with Connelly was arranged for early September of 2023, and thus began an unlikely new relationship that none of the three involved could ever have anticipated would become as powerful and deep as it has over the last 18 months — and that they expect will continue for many years to come, as Trevor skates toward a high-profile career in the NHL.

“It’s so awesome. We’re able to talk about anything, anytime, just like good friends,” Connelly told The Times of Israel while helping Team USA win gold at the 2025 World Junior Hockey Championship in Ottawa early this year. The annual tournament showcases the world’s best players under the age of 20.