Built for the Next Level: Scooter Brickey’s Hockey Journey
Scooter Brickey’s path through hockey has never been about shortcuts. It’s been about growth — level by level, year by year — and learning what it takes to survive in a game that only gets faster, stronger, and more demanding.
From junior hockey to college at Ohio State and now into the professional ranks, each step has added something to his foundation. “It was huge. It’s a lot more games, but just the knowledge you get from coaches and playing so much, it definitely prepares you for that higher level.”
Photo Credit: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
That preparation became clear during his time at Ohio State, where Brickey developed not only as a defenseman but as a leader. Wearing a letter for the Buckeyes wasn’t something he took lightly. “It's a tremendous honor. I mean, especially Ohio State. You know, that's one of my favorite places on earth. I'll keep telling everybody that. Being able to have the guys trust me to lead the room with Patrick Guzzo as my co-captain. Means a lot to me, and being that figure to those guys truly meant a lot.” Leadership at that level goes beyond the ice. It’s about setting a tone in practice, in the locker room, and during pressure moments late in the season.
That hunger only intensifies in professional hockey. Brickey was signed to an ATO with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and then signed to an AHL contract for the 2024-2025 season. He was signed to another extension in September of 2025 for the 2025-2026 season. Brickey came into Wilkes during a playoff push in the 2023-2024 season. “Anytime you get good games like that, especially towards the end of the year and a playoff push and even in playoffs, you learn a lot about yourself and a lot about the next level. I mean, it's a tough league. It's Always Hungry League, you know what I mean? So, guys are going full out every night, and it's great to be there.”
The transition to professional hockey tested Brickey in ways he hadn’t previously experienced — especially physically. Injuries, something he hadn’t dealt with much in his earlier years, became part of the learning curve at the next level. Instead of derailing him, they reshaped his perspective. “Pro hockey's tough, I didn't deal with a lot of it, as I was growing up, and even in USHL, in college, so it definitely turned into growing and having those injuries happen wasn't ideal, but, I mean, it's adversity. It's nothing I've never been through before. Take it one day at a time, just getting better.”
Adversity has a way of revealing a player’s identity. For Brickey, that identity is rooted in physical play and reliability — traits that define his presence on the blue line. “I just like to play physically, have a good stick, enjoying to play when I can. I think that's my big strength.” Defense is about detail. It’s about reading situations in split seconds and committing to the right decision. “A two-on-one rush, it honestly depends. My job would be to take away that pass; it could be a shot. That's the main objective.” Communication is equally critical, especially with goaltenders who rely on defensemen to manage pressure behind the net. “We have stuff that we run, you know, especially when his back’s turned, and he's going out to play the puck, so a lot of that is set up where the defense is calling the play there. We've got to make the right read. He's got to trust us, which he does.”
Through every stop in his career, Brickey has also leaned on the people around him — teammates who push him and help him grow. “It was unbelievable. Ronnie Attard and Brandon Bussi, except Halliday, were my roommates. Halli [Stephen Halliday] and I were really close at school at Ohio State. Such a great group of guys. You know, everywhere you always find a great core of guys, and those guys are especially great. It's great to learn from them, too, especially from Ronnie, being a defenseman.” That willingness to learn — from coaches, teammates, and experiences both good and bad — defines Brickey’s journey more than any single game.
Each level has demanded more. More speed. More strength. More resilience. But with every challenge, he has responded the same way: by embracing it.
From the pride of leading at Ohio State to battling through injuries in pro hockey, Scooter Brickey’s career has been built on preparation, trust, and physical, detail-oriented defense. And in a sport where nothing is given, that steady approach continues to carry him forward — one shift at a time. Brickey has dressed in 13 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and has tallied one assist. During the season, he was reassigned to the Wheeling Nailers and dressed in eight games for the Nailers, notching three goals and two assists.
-Samantha Wismer/Olde City Sports Network
- Photo Credit: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
