On and Off the Ice with Hockey Captain Davis Bone

Author Ava Zajczenko '27 is a Nonprofit Management major with a focus on food insecurity and works as a student assistant at JWU, contributing to JWU News.

Johnson & Wales University students not only spend their time at Johnson & Wales University in classrooms, labs, residence halls and exploring their cities, but also on fields, in gyms and (in this case) in rinks.

Enter Davis Bone '26, a Biology and Biomedical Engineering major, captain and center of JWU's men's ice hockey team. He splits his time between his studies and leading his teammates both on and off the ice.

Why JWU?

When deciding where to attend college, Bone shares that JWU "had the programs I was interested in, as I was definitely interested in biology and biomedical engineering." He wasn't interested in one specific major at the time, but here he had space to explore multiple programs.

Hockey was also a factor for Bone: "I really liked the coach from the start, and I thought Providence, not being rural but not a big city either, was a good fit for me personally."

When it comes to studying his major at JWU, Bone expresses, "The Biology department at JWU is awesome. The faculty we have is amazing, each in their own different ways."

Bone speaks highly of the faculty, sharing that his professors, such as Dr. Rosler and Dr. Urban, really impacted him. "There's really a bunch of helpful professors that feel like your mentors."

Being from California, Bone says, "Having [these professors] feels like that guide you have in person, even when you're so far away from home, that you can talk to about academic and career advice."

Bone developed deep relationships with his professors, who helped him stay on track throughout his studies, saying, "You could say I see them as role models. It develops into a friend or somebody that you can go to with personal problems who is there to check in on you."

Finding Community Among Other Athletes

Bone states the best thing about being a part of the JWU men's ice hockey team: "The community and social piece that you get."

He explains, "This year we have 28 players, and you see them throughout the season almost every day. You're there with those teammates when things are going well, when things aren't going well, when the weather is great and when it's horrible, but you're all doing it together."

Being surrounded by the same players every day provides Bone with something he values: "the community and social aspect that I really value in sports."

"It's important to me to have that built-in network," he shares. "It doesn't mean you have to stay in that network, but you do have that base of people that you interact with all the time. I think that's really a special thing to have on any team."

Proudest Moments on and off the Ice

For an athlete, there are many instances where a player can feel proud of their commitment and dedication to their sport. For Bone, two distinct moments, one on and one off the ice, stand out in his hockey journey.

Off the ice, Bone shares that the men's ice hockey team has a Team Impact athlete. "Team Impact is a nationwide organization that matches children with physical or mental disabilities with a college athletics team," shares Bone.

Team Impact participant Matthew, who is matched with the men's ice hockey team, has been with the team since Bone was a first-year student. "Matthew has been with the team as long as I have. Seeing the way our team interacts with him and his parents would be the thing that I am most proud of off the ice, for sure."

"We see Matthew as a member of our team," Bone expresses. "Making a kid that may feel different from his peers feel like a part of our group and comfortable is what I'm most proud of."

Notably, Bone is one of three Team Impact-designated people on campus. "What we do is we're a voice or representatives for Team Impact within the greater Rhode Island community."

Bone shares how the designees set up fundraisers and events. "We're working toward doing some more events with Team Impact, as an athletics association, later during the year. It's like being a liaison between our campus and the broader Team Impact organization."

On the ice, Bone's proudest moment was in a game against New England College. "This was my sophomore year, and we played New England College at home towards the end of the season. It was a great comeback win at the end of the game."

Bone feels that this game captures how JWU's team always gives their all and competes no matter what the score is. "Even if we're losing, late in the game, still seeing my teammates trying to win and giving it their all is something I'm most proud of."

Growing Leadership Skills Through Hockey

When the men's ice hockey team takes the ice for a game, Bone is the last player to step onto the ice. Why? "It's a symbolic thing for me; everybody goes out for the game, and I'm the last guy. I try to prepare this team as best as I can to perform in this game. So, me going out last feels like this is our group. We've tried to build them up into this group, and now it's time to perform, and this is what we show everybody as a team."

Eric Graham, Bone's head coach, illustrates not only how Bone is a leader on the ice but also through his academics. He shares, "First, he is a role model as a person and as a student. He is double majoring in biology and biomedical engineering, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA."

This dedication to his academics gives Bone key skills as a leader that he utilizes on the ice, with Graham expressing, "He is extremely organized and time-efficient, which allows him to have success as a student while providing strong operational and administrative support for the team. He receives feedback well and applies it through a strong work ethic and practical application, setting an example for his teammates."

Bone also has a strong leadership personality, which shows through his actions. "Davis never shies away from a difficult conversation with his teammates or coaches. While this can be perceived as negative at times, his transparency and ability to connect with his peers authentically ensure there is strong communication throughout the team."

Graham shares that Bone's "transparency and ability to connect with his peers authentically ensure there is strong communication throughout the team."

Leadership Through the SAAC on Campus

Aside from the men's ice hockey team, Bone is the president of the Student Athletic Advisory Council (SAAC). "Every NCAA institution, whether it's D1, D2 or D3, is required to have a SAC organization on campus," he says, "I've been pretty involved with SAAC since my sophomore year."

Bone describes SAAC: "It's the student government for student-athletes. Yet, it has structures at the university, conference (Conference of New England or CNE) and national (NCAA) levels. So, SAAC is really an opportunity to change and further the student-athlete experience at one of these levels."

He shares some examples of what this means for student athletes: "Working to extend dining hall hours for athletes if they have late practice, or addressing parking so students aren't getting tickets when they park for practice. These small things can create a big impact for the student athletes' experiences, and I've gotten more involved with that."

As SAAC president, Bone is responsible for multiple tasks within the council, such as running the group and executive board meetings, including creating an agenda for each meeting, and being the spokesperson for the group's advisors and athletic administration. He expresses, "This has been a push, especially this year, to place the operation of the meetings largely on the president as opposed to the faculty mentors of SAAC."

As for SAAC's goals, there are many. Bone expresses how SAAC "hopes to have a Field Day this spring during D3 Week in April to host team vs. team contests such as tug of war, water balloon toss or similar type events." The council is also in the process of trying to adopt SAAC stoles, which Bone says would "honor all student-athletes at graduation regardless of GPA." SAAC is important to Bone in many ways: "To me, SAAC is the opportunity to drive changes that enhance the student-athlete experience and speak up to try to create change if you believe that it is needed."

Post-College Plans

After graduation, Bone is interested in applying to medical school and is currently studying for the MCAT. "The application cycle is you apply in June, and you don't start until the following fall, so there's a whole year in between."

During that time, he will be applying to one-year master's programs mostly in biomedical engineering. Due to having a medical redshirt (which allows a college athlete to participate for an extra year due to an injury that prevented them from participating before), Bone will try to incorporate hockey into that year as well.

Bone adds, "I would like to play sports somehow when I am in medical school, and just have a balance of studying medicine, engineering and research."

In the meantime, whether it's being involved as the captain of the men's ice hockey team, being involved with Team Impact to make everyone feel welcomed or creating change for athletes on campus, Bone has left his positive mark on JWU.

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