Home Ice Is Now in Nashville For Kennedy Catholic’s Santini

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Steven Santini is off to Nashville after being dealt by the New Jersey Devils in one of the biggest deals at the 2019 NHL Draft in Vancouver.

The Devils traded Santini, a former student-athlete at John F. Kennedy Catholic High School in Somers, with defenseman Jeremy Davies and second-round picks in the 2019 and 2020 drafts for defenseman P.K. Subban, a three-time all-star.

Santini, 24, had five goals and 16 assists in 114 games with the Devils. Santini is now will play for a franchise that is the two-time defending Central Division champion, the 2017-2018 Presidents Trophy winner for finishing with the most points in the league and a Stanley Cup finalist two seasons ago.

Santini, a third-generation hockey player, attended Kennedy Catholic for two years before relocating to Ann Arbor, Mich., to participate in the U.S. National Team Development Program.

A second-round pick of the Devils in 2013, he played for three seasons at Boston College before signing with the Devils April 7, 2016. He made his pro debut the next day in the regular-season finale for New Jersey at Toronto.

Santini grew up attending Mass with his family at St. John the Evangelist Church in Mahopac.

“I think God played a big part of my life on and off the ice,” said Santini in a 2018 story in Catholic New York. “I grew up wanting to go to church. It worked out that I went to a Catholic high school and a Jesuit college at BC (Boston College). It helped me grown spiritually.”