Episode 83: From the NTDP & USHL to Ivy League Baseball w/ Mike Vilardo

NTDP, USHL, Ivy League baseball and a path that was anything but straightforward.

Scott and Jamie sit down with Subject founder Mike Vilardo to talk about a unique athletic journey that took him through AAA hockey, the U.S. National Team Development Program, the USHL, and Division I baseball at Penn and Purdue.

Mike talks candidly about struggling when he went from a top-line player to a fourth-line role, walking away from hockey, coming back to the USHL, and the decisions he’d make differently today. He also gets into why his dad prioritized ice time and puck touches over chasing the best team, and the value of letting kids work through adversity themselves.

The conversation also gets into playing multiple sports, navigating seven schools in five years, and how Mike’s experience as a student-athlete eventually helped shape Subject and its work in education.

In this episode:

Making the jump to the NTDP
Going from a top player to a fourth-line role
Choosing ice time over the “best” team
The value of playing multiple sports
How Mike’s athletic and academic path helped shape Subject

This one is about adversity, second chances, and realizing there’s rarely one right path.

Subject: https://subject.com

Mo's Smile: https://mosmilefoundation.org/
CHD/MSK Donation Page: http://mskcc.convio.net/goto/chdmsc2026

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