Get to Know Stephen Halliday
3/15/2024 2:05:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
Learn more about the Senators' draft pick
Buckeye men's hockey sophomore forward Stephen Halliday, an Ontario native, was drawn into the world of hockey at age four and has never looked back. His father was the one to get him into the sport because he played as a kid and loved it, so did his best to pass the sport down to his son. Halliday lived in Canada until he was 11 when he moved to the United States, and now calls Maryland home.
Growing up, Halliday shared that because his father was a big fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he would often watch their games, but didn't have a favorite team. His favorite player when he was younger was Sidney Crosby and he explained he was a common favorite player for many kids growing up in Canada.
Alongside hockey, as a kid Halliday also played soccer, lacrosse and tennis. His father played tennis in college and Halliday enjoys the sport. He plays tennis in the summer because he explained it helps him with his footwork and other skills he can translate to hockey when he gets back on the ice.
As a kid, Halliday said his experience playing hockey was really fun and he was able to make lifelong friendships though the sport. He still keeps in contact with his friends from when he was 10 years old and even was able to go to one of his former teammate's games when he was playing at Wisconsin. He said, "It's fun keeping track of your old teammates and seeing how they are doing."
Halliday enjoys watching hockey and tries to take note of players' style of game and play to improve his own. One of his favorite players to watch is Auston Matthews on the Toronto Maple Leafs, because Matthews is one of the bigger centermen in the league. Halliday explained he tries to take pieces of multiple players games and add it to his own.
To start his hockey career, Halliday began playing with the Oakville Rangers until he moved to Maryland where he played for Team Maryland. During his third year living in America, Halliday was on a non-traditional team, where he wasn't part of a league, and just practiced and played in tournaments. He explained this team was helpful for his development as a player because of the additional practices instead of games. For his last two years of minor hockey, he played for the Toronto Marlboros and moved in with his cousins back in Canada.
For junior hockey, Halliday began at Central Illinois in the USHL, where he played for one year. After Central Illinois, he moved to Dubuque, Iowa, to play for the Fighting Saints. He played his final three years of juniors in Dubuque, where he was with some of his current Ohio State teammates. He was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
Halliday had to live with a billet family at age 16, which he said was definitely an adjustment for him. When he was playing for Central Illinois, Halliday was still young and didn't have his license, but he shared his teammates were all very helpful and welcoming to him. Halliday also said his current teammate, Joe Dunlap, who played on Central Illinois with him, would give him rides and was a big help.
For college, Halliday was originally committed to play hockey at another school but decided to explore other options. He said after he decommitted, Ohio State was one of the first schools to contact him and he thought that showed they didn't only reach out because of one great year, and truly liked his game. He said, "It was definitely an easy choice."
Halliday is majoring in family financial services. He said it is tough to balance school with hockey, but he has many support systems at Ohio State. Halliday also brought his family dog, Lucy, with him to school this year who he enjoys having around and makes things easier on him. He said, "She's happy to see you no matter how good you play, or how bad you play." He explained the hardest part of being a student-athlete is being away for games and trying to make up what he missed, but that it tends to work out.
Apart from hockey and school, Halliday has many hidden talents. He enjoys video editing and used to make hockey videos on Instagram with his skills. He is also a big Lego collector and 'hockey nerd' as he called himself. Halliday's hockey knowledge is immense, and he enjoys changing what curve of stick he uses, and diving into hockey statistics.
During the offseason, Halliday likes to play tennis and pickleball with his friends. He also enjoys doing other activities, but said tennis was his main hobby when he isn't playing hockey or hanging out with his friends back home.
Halliday wears number 19 after Clayton Keller, an Arizona Coyotes player. After seeing Keller play for the U.S. National Team Development Program, Halliday continued to follow his career and watch his games at Boston University. He loved Keller's style of game which is why he took the number 19.
Halliday is not just a hockey player; he has many hidden talents and interests that go beyond the ice, from his video editing to his tennis skills. He is constantly trying to improve his game by studying statistics, watching hockey and doing other activities that can help with his hockey skills.
Growing up, Halliday shared that because his father was a big fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he would often watch their games, but didn't have a favorite team. His favorite player when he was younger was Sidney Crosby and he explained he was a common favorite player for many kids growing up in Canada.
Alongside hockey, as a kid Halliday also played soccer, lacrosse and tennis. His father played tennis in college and Halliday enjoys the sport. He plays tennis in the summer because he explained it helps him with his footwork and other skills he can translate to hockey when he gets back on the ice.
As a kid, Halliday said his experience playing hockey was really fun and he was able to make lifelong friendships though the sport. He still keeps in contact with his friends from when he was 10 years old and even was able to go to one of his former teammate's games when he was playing at Wisconsin. He said, "It's fun keeping track of your old teammates and seeing how they are doing."
Halliday enjoys watching hockey and tries to take note of players' style of game and play to improve his own. One of his favorite players to watch is Auston Matthews on the Toronto Maple Leafs, because Matthews is one of the bigger centermen in the league. Halliday explained he tries to take pieces of multiple players games and add it to his own.
To start his hockey career, Halliday began playing with the Oakville Rangers until he moved to Maryland where he played for Team Maryland. During his third year living in America, Halliday was on a non-traditional team, where he wasn't part of a league, and just practiced and played in tournaments. He explained this team was helpful for his development as a player because of the additional practices instead of games. For his last two years of minor hockey, he played for the Toronto Marlboros and moved in with his cousins back in Canada.
For junior hockey, Halliday began at Central Illinois in the USHL, where he played for one year. After Central Illinois, he moved to Dubuque, Iowa, to play for the Fighting Saints. He played his final three years of juniors in Dubuque, where he was with some of his current Ohio State teammates. He was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
Halliday had to live with a billet family at age 16, which he said was definitely an adjustment for him. When he was playing for Central Illinois, Halliday was still young and didn't have his license, but he shared his teammates were all very helpful and welcoming to him. Halliday also said his current teammate, Joe Dunlap, who played on Central Illinois with him, would give him rides and was a big help.
For college, Halliday was originally committed to play hockey at another school but decided to explore other options. He said after he decommitted, Ohio State was one of the first schools to contact him and he thought that showed they didn't only reach out because of one great year, and truly liked his game. He said, "It was definitely an easy choice."
Halliday is majoring in family financial services. He said it is tough to balance school with hockey, but he has many support systems at Ohio State. Halliday also brought his family dog, Lucy, with him to school this year who he enjoys having around and makes things easier on him. He said, "She's happy to see you no matter how good you play, or how bad you play." He explained the hardest part of being a student-athlete is being away for games and trying to make up what he missed, but that it tends to work out.
Apart from hockey and school, Halliday has many hidden talents. He enjoys video editing and used to make hockey videos on Instagram with his skills. He is also a big Lego collector and 'hockey nerd' as he called himself. Halliday's hockey knowledge is immense, and he enjoys changing what curve of stick he uses, and diving into hockey statistics.
During the offseason, Halliday likes to play tennis and pickleball with his friends. He also enjoys doing other activities, but said tennis was his main hobby when he isn't playing hockey or hanging out with his friends back home.
Halliday wears number 19 after Clayton Keller, an Arizona Coyotes player. After seeing Keller play for the U.S. National Team Development Program, Halliday continued to follow his career and watch his games at Boston University. He loved Keller's style of game which is why he took the number 19.
Halliday is not just a hockey player; he has many hidden talents and interests that go beyond the ice, from his video editing to his tennis skills. He is constantly trying to improve his game by studying statistics, watching hockey and doing other activities that can help with his hockey skills.
Players Mentioned
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