From South Philly to the pros, this player’s hockey journey is built on community support

Vinny Borgesi didn’t get off the phone until after midnight on March 18.

“Big Vinny,” as he’s more commonly referred to in South Philadelphia, had more than 1,000 phone calls and text messages he spent more than six hours returning. It took his son, “Little Vinny” Borgesi, almost 48 hours to answer all of his messages.

Little Vinny, a defenseman, signed an entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 17, and the support the Borgesi family received was “overwhelming.”

Big Vinny was warned about the frenzy of messages they’d receive once Toronto released the post sharing the news, but nothing could prepare him for the reaction.

“It’s unbelievable. I can’t even put it into words the support we got and how me and my family felt,” Big Vinny said. “I had no idea how it was going to be like that.”

But for those who know the Borgesi family and have helped him get to this point, the level of support wasn’t as surprising.

“There’s no question. If you come across and get to know Vinny, you’re going to root for him,” Northeastern University coach Jerry Keefe said.

Little Vinny grew up in South Philadelphia where not many kids played hockey, and none went on to play professionally. But early on, it was clear to his coaches that he wasn’t like most kids.

His first coach was his father, until he was 13. Big Vinny, who played high school hockey for a few years, said he knew that by the time his son was 10, he was already a better hockey player than he was. But still, the idea of his son playing Division I hockey, let alone signing a professional contract, seemed far-fetched.

He wasn’t doubting his son; he was just being a realist and acknowledging what he called “the elephant in the room.” The average height for NHL defensemen is about 6-foot-2. Little Vinny is 5-9. Just five defensemen currently on an NHL roster are that short.

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But he finds ways to make up for that with a high hockey IQ and a work ethic that is “probably the best,” his youth skills coach, Jeremy Hall, says he’s seen.

“When you put those together, it’s no surprise to the people that know Vinny, that he’s gotten to the level that he’s at,” Hall said.

He started playing for the Valley Forge Minute Men and coach John Gevard at age 13. Like Hall, Gevard praised Borgesi’s hockey smarts and drive as well as his “elite” skating.

Around this time, Borgesi started having conversations about playing in college. His father, still a little unconvinced, picked the brains of those around him in the hockey world like Keith Primeau, now-Flyers general manager Danny Brière, and Guy Gaudreau. Ultimately, Little Vinny committed to Northeastern at 14 years old.

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Borgesi’s reliability was apparent during his time at Northeastern, where he led the NCAA in ice time in his junior and senior seasons (averages of 28 minutes, 4 seconds in 2024-25 and 27:11 in 2025-26).

“It was kind of neat having a few conversations with him about the minutes,” Keefe said. “It was never about the number. It was just all about, ‘Hey, I want to be out there in the big moments when you guys need me. Call my name and I’m ready.’”

Even as a freshman, Keefe said it was clear that Borgesi approached everything with the desire to do it “the right way.” He earned a letter on his sweater during his sophomore season and the captain’s “C” for his senior year. He also was the captain this winter when he played for the United States in the Spengler Cup in Switzerland, the world’s oldest invitational hockey tournament.

Being the captain of Northeastern was “an unbelievable honor” for Little Vinny. But now with the Toronto Marlies, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Maple Leafs, he’s the new kid on the block again. The Marlies currently are tied at two games each with the Laval Rocket in their second-round Calder Cup playoff series. A decisive Game 5 is Saturday.

“I’m going from being the captain to one of the youngest guys on the team and just turned pro. So it’s definitely a learning curve,” he said. “[To] just learn from the older guys and the guy that’s been a part of it for five to 10 years now and meet new guys and see how they go about their day-to-day life. Just try to try to learn things every day … at the end of the day, learn how to be a pro and learn how to get better every single day.”

Last season, Borgesi had the opportunity to sign a professional contract but decided to return to Northeastern for his final season. The decision “says it all,” about Borgesi and his loyalty to the Huskies, said Keefe.

“There’s a lot of players out there that play for their college teams, that love it, and then there’s the few guys that play for their college teams and they bleed it,” he said. “For me, Vinny, he bleeds it.”

He was the same way as a teen playing for Ryan Ward’s South Kent Selects in Connecticut, putting “everybody above himself.” Borgesi played for St. Joseph’s Prep for one year before moving north.

“The level of respect that people had for him because of his traits as a human and his empathy and the way he goes about his business, is very, very special,” Ward said.

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Now, as his career continues, his former coaches said Borgesi can be a role model to a younger generation of hockey players. Ward sees it with his own son, who tells to “look at Vinny Borgesi.”

“He’s everything that you would want your son to be,” Ward said. “His work ethic and his respect for people and his gratitude for being in the moment, having the opportunities that he does, he’s a perfect player, and he’s a leader. And it’s something that hundreds of kids and hundreds of people will look up to, and he’ll be an inspiration for them.”

Being this type of role model wasn’t always Little Vinny’s goal. But now that he is, he said “it’s an honor to be that guy.”

And while some might feel the weight of having a lot of young eyes on them, Borgesi is handling it the same way he does with anything else.

“Hockey is not really popular in Philly, so it’s kind of a big deal for me, too, because I take a lot of pride in that stuff,” Borgesi said. “I want nothing but the best for young kids in Philly playing hockey.”

While offering a path and guidance to those coming behind him, Borgesi isn’t taking the support that got him where he is for granted.

“It’s such an honor, and I’m grateful for everyone that’s in my corner,” he said. “That South Philly bond is really special.”

No one has supported Borgesi more than his fans from before he ever put on skates: his parents.

Borgesi said they provided him with these opportunities “that a lot of people don’t have,” whether it was his mom, Maria, serving as the goalie for his mini hockey games in the basement, or Big Vinny, his first coach and chauffeur to countless practices and tournaments.

“I really can’t thank them enough for everything they’ve given me,” Borgesi said. “Super excited for them to walk into this next chapter with me.”

Big Vinny said those original days of long road trips together in the car were some of the best, but this next chapter is “a dream come true.”

“He’s following his dream. I couldn’t be happier,” Big Vinny said. “I’ll keep supporting him until he says, ‘Dad, I don’t want to do this anymore.’ Me and my wife, my family, [we’re] living a dream.”

Wherever he ends up, Little Vinny’s parents, former coaches and teammates, and his home of South Philly will continue supporting his journey.

Said Gevard, his old Valley Forge coach: “Guess we’re now Toronto fans.”