O’Donnell, 29, joins Jonathan Feigen on the short list of Delaware Blue Hens in the Houston media contingent. He grew up in suburban Philadelphia and broadcast games for the minor league Idaho Steelheads before coming to Houston.

“(Hockey is) my first and, really, only passion,” he said. “I did one baseball game in college, and it was terrible, and I did a few minutes of a basketball game, and it wasn’t for me. I decided that hockey was the only path I would take. It’s the game I love the most. I’m pretty hardcore.”

As is the case with the players he’s covering, O’Donnell’s goal is the NHL. En route, though, he’s found Houston to be a salubrious layover.

“I talked to people I knew in the league and they thought (the Aeros) had a well-run organization,” he said. “I didn’t want to leave Boise for the sake of leaving Boise. I wanted to be sure it was the right job with an organization that is well-run in a city that you want to spend time.”