In the 2021-22 academic year, international student and Sports Business Management major Connor Bowey ’23 will take to the ice for the first time since 2019—this time as an Arcadia Knight.

Winnipeg, Manitoba resident Bowey barely recalls a time when he wasn’t on the ice. He started skating when he was four years old and joined his first hockey team at five. As one of the first recruits for the men’s ice hockey team, Bowey has over 15 years of experience on the frozen pond. Throughout his junior career, Bowey played for the British Columbia Hockey League for the Surrey Eagles.

In 2015, Bowey sustained injuries to his neck and suffered a concussion in a car accident in British Columbia that left him unable to play for the rest of the season. A year later, he was traded to the Minnesota Thief River Falls Norskies—where he had his highest goal scoring seasons. In his final season on defense with the Norskies, Bowey had a career high of 16 goals and 46 assists. 

Last year at Trine University in Indiana, Bowey was unable to play as he recovered from complications related to his accident, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and a neck injury.

“I always watched my older brothers, Madison and Nathan, play when I was a kid,” said Bowey. “I love the environment of coming to the rink every day. You have to be on your toes at all times. Your brain always has to be on and focused. You have to be ready for that next play or what you’re going to be doing with the puck. I love the speed of the game as well.”

Bowey hopes to play pro hockey after graduation, following the legacy of his father who played professionally in Germany and his brother, Madison, who plays on defense for the Detroit Red Wings. However, he’s also making backup plans to use his degree—and already planning for internships once he moves to the Philadelphia region next year.

“I’ve heard such great things from Arcadia, and it will help me get as many opportunities as I can after school,” said Bowey, who will be learning from his home in Canada this fall. “Seeing my brother play with the Red Wings pushes me to want to play pro hockey, whether that’s in Europe or North America. Arcadia enables me to have both opportunities after I graduate though.”