Dante Caravaggio is a 21-year-old senior at the University of Southern California majoring in Chemical Engineering with a Petroleum emphasis. Born in Southern California, Dante has moved around the map but most recently calls Newport Beach, California home. He has three siblings: Alex, 19 (and also a goalie for USC); Lauren, 16; and Nicholas, 15.
Growing up, Dante played soccer and swam competitively. However, when the future ‘SC defenseman saw “The Mighty Ducks” movies in first grade, he began playing roller hockey, then in second grade he made the transition to Ice Hockey where he played for the “Irvine Ice Puppies.”
Having played forward most of his life, Dante came to the realization that he was better suited as a defenseman and ultimately became more successful on the ice after making the switch. “At a certain point, though, you find out if you are capable of scoring goals at higher levels [.] I was physical but lacked the ability to produce consistently. Defense kept me playing at the higher levels through high school.”
Not surprisingly, the hockey world in Southern California is quite small, so it should come as no surprise that Dante and USC teammate, senior Adam Zacuto, unknowingly crossed paths when they were much younger. They skated together during the Under-16 and Under-17 USA Pacific Development Camps in Washington. This camp was a distinct honor as only the top 30 players of each position from six states are invited to participate.
Dante also had the privilege of playing AA Midget in Calgary for the Bruins during his junior and senior years in high school. At USC, he was Rookie of the Year (2009), Defensive MVP (2009, 2010), and was named Second Team All PAC 8 in 2010, which he says, “was a surreal experience.”
With more than enough memories to last a lifetime, Dante feels that some of his “favorite hockey memories stem from skating on lakes and outdoor rinks with friends and family when we lived in Calgary, Alberta. Alex and I loved how unique of an experience it was [.] We can’t get that type of atmosphere in California, Houston or anywhere else we’ve lived.”
Family is near and dear to Dante’s heart and he cites his family as his source of inspiration that pushes him and ultimately keeps him going. “I draw inspiration from a lot of sources, but my family has always kept me pushing my limits. I helped train my brother Alex in high school for his junior year. He had already won several awards on previous teams, but he continued to set his sights higher […] He has given up everything since age 12 to play hockey, and somehow he isn’t sick of it. This really kept my love for hockey alive, as I have been prone to injury throughout my life, and sometimes it’s hard to find motivation to keep the skills high.”
After graduating this May, Dante will move to Dallas, Texas where he will work for Encana as a petroleum engineer. A hockey player in every sense of the word, he hopes to find an adult hockey league there to continue playing the game he loves.
- Full name: Dante Matthew Caravaggio
- Favorite NHL team? Calgary Flames or Anaheim Ducks
- Best advice you ever received? Don’t always live in the present, or you’ll lose your way.
- Favorite pre-game meal? Spaghetti & Meatballs
- What do you do to pass the time on the plane when you fly to away games? Sleeping, reading, and listening to music, typically. I love flying.
- What do you do to pass the time between games when you are on the road? Every guy on this team I’ve met over the four years has been hilarious. Between games on the road, going out anywhere is usually a good story.
- Favorite away game location? Oregon
- Before each game, I must…stay focused or I’ll end up too loose on the ice.
- What would I find in your refrigerator right now? Frank’s Red Hot sauce, leftover pad thai, and a bottle of wine. Not much else, actually.
- If you could trade places with any NHL player, living or dead, who would it be and why? Jerome Iginla because he lives the dream. Calgary loves him, and I hope they never trade him.
- If Hollywood were to make a movie about your life, who would play you? Ben Schwartz
- What would the title of your movie be? Livin’ La Vida Loca
- If you could time travel to any time before our own, which would it be and why? Yesterday. I’m now rethinking my choice of going to Chipotle and El Cholo in the same day.
- Cats or Dogs: Dogs
- Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate
- Favorite pasta shape: Penne
- What is your favorite language other than your native language? Italian, unfortunately I do not speak it.
- Your favorite color M&M? I eat them so fast I couldn’t tell you.
- The Zombie Apocalypse is here! Who on your team survives, is the first killed, the one who has a plan to survive such an event, and the one who has secretly been a zombie all along. Everyone in the hockey house dies except Hite and Alex because they have zombie plans. Ernst dies prior to infection while cooking up too much crack. Elliot and Noah die by trying to bite zombies themselves. Mowrey and I fight until we’re starving and tired, and then get lazy and superman dive into a pile of zombies. Yen dies while dancing in the common room. Dave was a zombie the whole time. James was missing.
- Favorite holiday. Why? Christmas. Everyone is happy during the Holidays.
- If you owned your own hockey team, what would you name it? Cheese Wranglers
- Coke or Pepsi? Coke
- Do you prefer hot or cold weather? Hot
- Do you have a nickname? Nope.
- What is your signature dish? Kraft Dinner
- Most recorded show on your DVR? Sadly I don’t record TV
- If you were an animal which would you be? Pterodactyl
- What is the last book you read? The Sun Also Rises – Ernest Hemingway. Surprisingly no, it wasn’t for a class.
- What super power would you have? Fly
- Favorite pick up/wing-man line? –Without any introduction: “Have you met my friend?” compliments of Mike Mowrey
- Your favorite meal? Chipotle Burrito
- How did you decide on your jersey number? I chose 2 because it’s been a frequent part of my hockey life. Somehow, tryout after tryout and camp after camp, the number 2 always came up. I decided not to fight it, and just wear number 2.
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