About this episode

Tory Mariano discusses her athletic journey and preparation for the 2026 PWHL Draft.

Tory Mariano grew up in a household where sport was everything. Her dad took her to events across every discipline imaginable, and where she started in tee-ball, competed in multiple sports, and carries all of that athletic foundation into the way she reads the game today. And it was her grandfather, a professional tennis player and someone she never got to meet, who has been a role model and North Star through it all. "I want to be as good as him," she said. That drive led her to Northeastern, where she found the right coaching staff and the right environment to help push her to become the player she always knew she was. "Everything just kind of clicked. This is where I need to be." In Episode 117 of Rinkside Rundown, Tory shares that journey from where it all started to being on the cusp of the 2026 PWHL Draft. She talks about her first championship team in 8th grade, how competing across multiple sports shaped her hockey IQ, what drew her to Northeastern, what her year of focused preparation actually looked like, and what she wants a PWHL team to know about her before draft day. "Everything that I've done, I feel like it's starting to pay off. I'm proud of myself, and it's…

People in this episode

Host: Chris Sinclair

Guest: Tory Mariano

Topics covered

• hockey
• PWHL Draft
• athletic journey
• sports upbringing
• Northeastern University
• hockey IQ

Keywords

• Tory Mariano
• PWHL Draft
• Northeastern
• hockey
• sports upbringing
• athletic journey
• hockey IQ
• championship

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Northeastern

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