David Wolff is already talking about being a collegiate All-American, winning an NCAA National Championship, playing professionally and then representing the United States on the global front in the Olympics.
But first, he wants to win another Illinois High School Hockey State Championship for New Trier Green, where the 18-year-old center is, at 6-foot-7, 200-pounds off skates, one of the most intimidating players in the state.
Yet his long-term sporting drive is in volleyball as he will play this spring for the Trevians, then start spiking at Stanford University.
“I am super excited to start playing there,” Wolff said. “On other (college) visits, I felt like something was missing or didn’t quite feel right. When I visited Stanford over the summer, Coach John Kosty made me feel like Stanford could be a new home for me. His vision as a coach and the goals he has for the team align perfectly with my own. Stanford is the top school for student-athletes, and it is easy to see why. They have academic advisors for every team, athlete dining halls and a beautiful campus with modern amenities. It feels fantastic to have my effort pay off. Volleyball has given me an incredible opportunity, but my hard work on and off the court has contributed immensely to my success.”
Wolff, who lives in Wilmette, joins a Stanford program that has won two NCAA National Championships (1997 and 2010), plus earned NCAA runner-up twice – and he is part of the sport’s Junior National Team Training.
“USA Volleyball runs a camp four times yearly called NTDP, the National Team Development Program. These camps are 4-6 days long and have been nationwide,” Wolff said in early-January while in Anaheim, California, for the winter training series. “Typically, they have about 25 to 35 of the best guys from my age group and 5-8 NCAA Division I volleyball coaches who run them. There are two groups split by birth year, U19 and U21.”
Wolff is now training to make the U21 team.
“Eventually, these teams feed into the Olympic team, something I have my eyes on and hope to be a part of after college,” he said. “Collegiately, I hope to make an immediate impact at Stanford. I want to be an All-American and win a national championship. If I want to play in the Olympics one day, I will have to play volleyball professionally overseas, which is intimidating. However, if the opportunity presents itself, I would be all for it.”
Wolff has played hockey since he was a mite and skated for Wilmette, the Falcons and the Bulldogs before joining the tradition-rich New Trier Hockey Club. He played for the JV as a freshman, New Trier White as a sophomore and is now in his second season on New Trier Green.
Wolff has been a state champion at mite and squirt levels and is now the Trevians’ assistant captain.
He started playing competitive volleyball in seventh-grade because a few of his friends had started playing. “I figured I might as well use my height for something if I wasn’t playing basketball,” he said, laughing. “It began as something I did for fun and I didn’t start taking it seriously until after my freshman season at New Trier. One of my coaches encouraged me to start playing club volleyball. It was a tough decision at first
because the club volleyball and New Trier hockey seasons directly overlap, so I would have to split my time between the two while also balancing school. At first, the club players intimidated me, but I quickly found my stride. By the end of my sophomore year, I started gaining recognition from college coaches and the national team pipeline. I had to sacrifice most of my summer sophomore and junior year to go on official visits, play in tournaments, and keep training with the Junior National Team.
“I would say it has all been worth it.
“I have a great path ahead of me in college. I loved my visit to Stanford and the coaches and players there made me feel at home. Now, I am an outside hitter for (my local club) and a captain on the New Trier varsity volleyball team.”
He is entering his third varsity volleyball season, which begins, oh, about an hour after the Illinois High School Hockey State Championship Game.
“I was one of the only people to make the varsity (volleyball) team as a sophomore, which was a huge risk for my coach. However, I would say the risk was worth it, as I was named all-conference and helped lead our team to the state quarterfinals. We had 13 seniors on the team, so I learned a lot about being a leader and the importance of everyone being ‘bought in,’ which is something New Trier Green hockey coach Adam Cheris encourages.
“My role changed drastically (last volleyball season); I was asked to be captain. I was nervous to lead a team, especially being on a team with just four seniors. I had to mature a lot last year to gain the respect of my teammates. I think my leadership in volleyball has helped me lead this year on Green, and I am excited for the school volleyball season to start.”
Wolff said that hockey helps him more for volleyball than vice versa. The training and conditioning for the ice helps during long volleyball rallies. “Most of the other guys get exhausted faster than me,” he said. “Further, the hand-eye coordination that hockey has instilled helped me develop faster in volleyball. Most tall guys are naturally uncoordinated, so hockey gave me a unique advantage. On the ice, volleyball has helped me become a better leader. I am thankful that my teammates voted me an assistant captain this year; I am a natural leader thanks to my extreme competitiveness.”
Yep, he is – and has been – extremely competitive. He always wants to win and be the best at … everything. Even in kindergarten, his teacher called Wolff’s mom to report he was a great student but was too competitive during a drawing competition and made a classmate cry. “This competitiveness has stuck with me and I use it as motivation for every game,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if we are playing the best team in the state or the worst, I always give 100 percent effort and do everything I can to win. I also use this competitiveness to succeed in the classroom and on the volleyball court.”
The right-handed shooting Wolff, in uniform No. 90, usually skates with senior Brendan Heneghan on the left and junior Hans Huber on the right. “We haven’t had more than just a few months together, but I think we complement each other’s styles well,” Wolff said. “Brendan is a goal-scorer and has a wicked quick
release. He helped contribute a lot to our team last year and has done an excellent job filling the shoes of goal-scorers like Landon Douthit and Butler Chessen. Hans is new to the team this year, but he brings a lot of energy and physicality. He isn’t afraid to go into corners and battle against the biggest guys. Together, we dominate other teams in the offensive zone and make it hard for them to break out. While we don’t score the most, we help set up our other lines for success while also netting goals here and there.”
Wolff has 4 goals and 6 assists in 19 SHL games played to start the 2024 slate of the season. The 19-3 Trevians are 3 points ahead of second-place Loyola Gold, 4 ahead of Glenbrook North and 5 ahead of Saint Viator.
New Trier resumes SHL action on Wednesday night, January 10, against arch-rival Loyola Gold. The puck drops at 9:10 p.m. in Winnetka, and the game will air on YouTube on the SHL Network.
“While it is a challenging task to match the success and team bond from last year, I think our team this year is doing a good job. We have a great coaching staff that genuinely cares about our players on and off the ice,” Wolff said. “With less seniority on the team, there is slightly more immaturity, which has caused some issues off the ice. However, our captains are improving at bringing the team together to play soccer or cards and build that bond. We have so much more to prove, and I think our direction going into winter break shows our potential.
“We aren’t the best at putting the puck in the back of the net, but we win lots of battles and pepper the goalie with 40-plus shots every game. We have a lot of depth and everyone can positively contribute to the team. Most nights, we can comfortably win while rolling our four lines against their best lines every shift. This helps conserve the energy of our top guys and spreads the points evenly amongst the team. I also think the younger guys on our team have been more involved with leadership. Last year, many seniors felt comfortable talking to the team, but the younger guys would stay back.”
Wolff said the Trevians’ goal is simple: return to the United Center, “and take care of business, again, and everything we do throughout the season helps prepare us to get to that game.”
He added, “We also want to be SHL regular season and playoff champions, again, which will alleviate a lot of stress on our path to the state championship.”
Personally, Wolff’s drive is leadership-focused, not statistics.
“I genuinely care about this program. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be playing. The community around the sport and the camaraderie with the other guys on the team made my decision to play another year of hockey easy,” he said.
Last year’s glory also drives the run this season, for sure.
“The best moment of my hockey career was all of last year, specifically winning the state championship at the United Center,” Wolff said. “I was nervous heading into the game, but once the puck dropped, everything went by so fast, and before I knew it, my gloves were flying in the air and we got to raise that trophy.
“My favorite part was the national anthem. We lined up on the goal line and they announced us individually to the entire stadium. Skating up to the blue line was nerve-racking, but hearing the national anthem, looking around the rink, and seeing the thousands of people there to watch you play was surreal. Last year was one of the best years of my life. Our team bond was as tight as it gets and the impression the seniors and
coaches left on me will last for the rest of my life.”
Wolff is an unselfish, pass-first grinder, always looking for a teammate. “I try to make my presence felt by using my size to my advantage. I like being the first forechecker on the puck and battling in the corners. I am more of a defensive center. I cover my defensemen as much as possible, and in our zone, I help our defensemen in the corners,” he said. “I also enjoy being on our penalty kill, as my defensive mindset helps keep pucks out of our net.”
Wolff’s size, naturally, is an important part of his play. Same for his speed, as he is one of the fastest in the league.
“As a freshman, I had a crazy growth spurt and didn’t know how to use my size as an advantage. I was one of the least physical players on the team and would be afraid of getting hit,” he said. “Now, I am the exact opposite and want people to try and take the puck off my stick.”
Wolff skates into every game with his own water bottle, filled with exactly 12 ice cubes – the lone superstation on his hockey side.
“My appearance might make some people think that I am a big bully. I don’t think this could be further from the truth. I am a sympathetic and open person, always listening to others and respecting their opinions,” said Wolff, who admits that, yes, he likes cleaning. “Most teenage boys are disorganized and have messy rooms. If I am stressed about a test or a big game, cleaning my room or the kitchen helps settle my nerves and is something my parents wish my twin, Kyle, was also intrinsically motivated to do.”
Wolff’s favorite goal to date was a year ago in Winnetka against Loyola Gold.
“Going into the game, our line had been quiet and underperforming. Every game against Loyola is a different kind of battle. Everyone knows each other from youth hockey and the environment from the fans is usually hostile. A lot of the energy is pure adrenaline,” he said. “Aidan Nolan, one of my linemates at the time, started the game off by scoring early and setting the tone for our line for the rest of the game. During the second period, we were down 2-1 and needed a goal badly. I had the puck on my stick and entered the zone by myself against two Loyola defensemen. I was just trying to get the puck on net so we would have enough time to get fresh legs on the ice. I shot from the blue line and crashed the net. Luckily, the rebound found my stick and I chipped it into the top corner to tie the game.
“The moments following are hard to remember. Everything went black; I remember celebrating with my teammates in front of our student section. As someone who was not expected to score, it felt amazing tying the game and helping change the momentum in our favor. We eventually won in overtime.
“That goal helped improve my confidence for the rest of the year and I became more involved in our offense. After that game, our line got more playing time and we had more success.”
Photo credit: Moudy Media (Max Moudy), Rob Lange, Kouk Media (George Koukios), Izabela Mazur
