Color of Hockey: Dionicio builds road from Switzerland to Niagara in OHL

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog for the past nine years. Douglas joined NHL.com in March 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles Rodwin Dionicio, who was born in Newark, New Jersey, raised in Switzerland and plays for Niagara of the Ontario Hockey League.

Rodwin Dionicio is truly an international hockey player.
The 17-year-old defenseman was born in Newark, New Jersey, to parents from the Dominican Republic and raised in Switzerland, where his hockey career began.
"My parents lived in Newark for a few years, but my mom always wanted to go to Switzerland because she thought it would be safer and better, so we left when I was five months old," Dionicio said.
Dionico (6-foot-2, 207 pounds) is back in North America chasing his NHL dream playing for Niagara of the Ontario Hockey League after he was the No. 18 pick in the 2021 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft. He's the fourth-leading scorer on Niagara, its top-scoring defenseman and third among OHL rookies at the position with 17 points (two goals, 15 assists) in 27 games. He's No. 132 among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's
midterm rankings
of players eligible for the 2022 NHL Draft on July 7-8 at Bell Centre in Montreal.
"I was dreaming of making 'The Show' (the NHL) since I started hockey, but I realized I might have a chance was when I was drafted in the import draft," said Dionicio, who turns 18 on March 30. "Now that I'm here, I'm playing in front of so many scouts every game."

Dionicio thought he wanted to become a pro soccer player when he was younger until he followed his older brother into hockey in Herisau, a small town that produced San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier and retired NHL goalie Jonas Hiller. He scored 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) in 41 games for Bern's Under-17 and Under-20 elite teams last season, represented Switzerland at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne and the 2021 IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship in Frisco, Texas, as an underage player.
"When I moved to Bern, I just saw it's not just the pro league in Switzerland, I also want to make 'The Big Show,'" he said. "So I just tried to do my best to get seen for the CHL and now I'm here just trying to give my best for my team."
Dionicio's play at the Under-18 championship caught the attention of Niagara coach Billy Burke.
"He was playing physical, making hard plays," Burke said. "He stepped up in the neutral zone on one play and just crushed a Canadian forward. We all kind of opened our eyes and said, 'Oh, my goodness, there's certainly a player here.' And then he arrived, and we were blown away by him. He's very much a complete player."

Burke said Dionicio's offensive skills were honed by playing center in minor hockey. Dionicio switched to defenseman about three seasons ago.
"He has smooth, good hands, good vision, heavy shot," Burke said. "Obviously, he needs to continue working on his all-round game."
Part of that is adjusting to playing hockey on smaller North American rinks, Dionicio said.
"I'm lucky that I'm taller than other guys, so I have good reach so it's probably easier for me," he said. "But you have to make much faster decisions on plays and everything."

Dionicio said he doesn't have many memories of living in Newark and hasn't been back much even though he holds Switzerland and United States passports. He visited in 2008 when an uncle got him tickets to see his first NHL game live, the New Jersey Devils against the New York Rangers at Prudential Center. He had a brief homecoming last year when Niagara flew him in from Zurich and he had a layover at Newark Liberty International Airport.
"I had to wait in Newark for seven hours, so I spent time with my dad," he said. "That was cool."
Photos: Vivid Eye Photography