NAHL mourns the loss of Jr. Blues broadcaster Defreitas

Zach Defreitas was hired by the Jr. Blues in 2018 as the director of marketing and communications.

The Springfield Jr. Blues of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) are sad to announce the passing of a great friend and colleague, Zack Defreitas.

Zack was a valuable and loved member of the Jr. Blues family for almost five years, and his dedication to the organization and hockey will continue to inspire all of the Springfield hockey community.

Zack came to the Jr. Blues in September of 2018 and breathed new life into the team’s communications with his humor, wit and love for the game and the players. His knowledge of the sport and skill, set a new standard for the organization that will forever be embraced.

In his second year with the team he began sharing his unique brand of broadcasting for road games and was going to begin broadcasting full time for the 2022-23 season. His natural delivery of the game connected fans to the team and game in a way only he could do.

Zack’s organic style of communication for hockey was a true talent that was fostered through playing the game as a youth in Springfield and as a junior player. He had the complete hockey experience through playing, writing, broadcasting, managing and being an ambassador in all of his work.

The Jr. Blues are so very thankful for all that Zack gifted us. We will miss his presence in the room but we will carry him with us in all that we do.