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When Christian Sementis was 4 years old, he noticed one of his brother’s friends playing hockey and told his mother he wanted to give it a try.
The Smithtown native soon laced up his skates, watched more hockey, took lessons and eventually fell in love with the game.
His dream, like that of fellow Long Islanders Adam Fox, Charlie McAvoy, Shane Pinto, Sonny Milano and Marshall Warren, is to one day play in the National Hockey League.
After a stellar run with the Long Island Royals organization, Sementis is on that path as a defenseman for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program’s U18 team, which will face Long Island University on Friday night at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow.
Please join us next Friday October 23 for Youth Hockey Night where the Sharks will face off against Team USA! And stay postgame to Meet and greet the Sharks! #collegehockey #ncaahockey #longislandhockey #longisland #liu https://t.co/BlNMxP76C8
— LIU Men’s Ice Hockey (@LIUMHockey) October 13, 2026
And it will be quite the homecoming.
Sementis has spent much of this week handling ticket requests from family and friends who plan to fill the stands at Al Arbour Rink.
“I’m so excited,” said Sementis during a phone interview with Greater Long Island earlier this week. “Getting to see them after the game is going to be really special.”
His parents, Pete and Jennifer, along with his brothers, Jack and Thomas, will be in attendance. So will cousins, other family members and many of his former teammates from the Long Island Royals.
Sementis, who turned 17 on Oct. 14, stands 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 174 pounds. He proudly wore the Royals jersey from the time he was 5 until his final season with the 14U team in 2023-24.
Now, the smooth-skating defenseman wears the red, white and blue, with USA across the front of his jersey.
“It’s super cool to represent your country every single day,” said Sementis. “Just to be able to wear the colors is such and honor. It’s everything that a kid has ever dreamed of just to play for your country. You’re playing for more than just hockey. You’re playing for your entire country.”
The U18 National Team has been facing a demanding schedule against college programs, a slate that continues Friday against the Division I LIU Sharks.
That schedule has already taken Sementis and his teammates to Denver for a matchup against the University of Denver.
“That was a cool experience,” said Sementis. “You’re playing the defending national champions for their home opener so it’s pretty sick. It was really surreal.”
Through 11 games this season, Sementis has recorded two goals and an assist for the NTDP’s U18 squad. Last season, the left-handed defenseman tallied two goals and 19 assists in 45 games with the U17 team.
But his hockey journey began on the ice at Superior Ice Rink in Kings Park, home of the Long Island Royals.
Over his final two seasons with the organization in 2022-23 and 2023-24, Sementis totaled 20 goals and 19 assists in 37 games with the 13U AAA and 14U teams.
His time with the Royals helped shape not only his hockey career but also the person he has become.
“They taught me everything I knew from being a good person and a good human to being a hockey player,” said Sementis.
Much of that guidance came from Tony Columbo, who coached Sementis for eight seasons and currently serves as the Royals’ assistant hockey director and head coach of the 13U AAA team.
For Sementis, Columbo has remained much more than a coach, even after his departure from the Royals.
“He’s like a second dad to me,” said Sementis. “He always has been. He’s always there for me when I need him. He’s always willing to talk on the phone and get me on the ice whenever I need during the offseason. He’s always there for me. I can talk to him about anything.”
Some talented young athletes might believe their ability alone is enough to carry them to the next level.
Sementis has never approached the game that way.
He understands the importance of hard work, accountability and earning every opportunity, lessons reinforced during his years playing for Columbo.
“He was just an unbelievable coach,” said Sementis. “He was always hard on me and that’s some that I always thought I needed was someone to be hard on me. I didn’t want everything given to me.”
Friday night’s homecoming will carry another special meaning for Sementis.
He’ll be skating on the same ice where his beloved New York Islanders practice.
Northwell Health Ice Center is the Islanders’ official practice facility, and the franchise’s four Stanley Cup championship banners will provide the backdrop when the U18 team takes on LIU.
Embed from Getty ImagesInterestingly, Sementis didn’t inherit his Islanders fandom from his parents.
“Both of my parents are actually Rangers fans so I guess they hate me in the house,” chuckled Sementis. “I think I just hung around too many Islanders fans when I was growing up. I just followed my friends around and I was like I don’t care what (his parents) think I want to be an Islanders fan.”
Perhaps one day he’ll even wear an Islanders jersey.
For now, the goal remains reaching hockey’s highest level, regardless of which NHL team comes calling.
“I think every kid wants to play in the NHL when they get older,” said Sementis, who will be eligible for the 2028 NHL Draft.
One player he enjoys watching is Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, last season’s Calder Trophy winner as the NHL’s rookie of the year.
Sementis sees similarities between their offensive-minded styles of play.
“He loves to have the puck on his stick,” said Sementis.
His favorite NHL player, however, is Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes.
“He might be a little more shifty than me but I just feel like our games overall round up close to each other,” said Sementis.
For now, Sementis is focused on developing his game with the U18 National Team, a journey that brings him back to Long Island on Friday.
His college plans remain undecided as he and his family weigh their options and continue looking toward the 2028 NHL Draft.
“Keeping my options open,” said Sementis. “Me and my family don’t think there’s a rush to commit anywhere yet because a lot of things could change no matter what happens.”
What could happen is that this young defenseman from Smithtown eventually represents the United States on an even bigger stage, perhaps at the World Junior Championship, before realizing his NHL dream.
For now, he’s returning to the place where it all started, this time with USA across his chest.
Top: Christian Sementis playing for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program’s U18 team. (Credit: Rena Laverty)
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