Aidan O’Brien with Gov. Gina Raimondo during an awards ceremony at the State House on Tuesday. Aidan was named the Hobey Baker High School Award winner for Portsmouth High School.

PORTSMOUTH — Aidan O’Brien has been named the Hobey Baker High School Character Award winner for Portsmouth High School. 

The honor, which is bestowed upon one player from each participating hockey team, goes to players who exemplify the Hobey Baker ideal that "Character Builds Excellence." 

Aidan was honored during an awards ceremony April 5 at the State House, which was attended by Gov. Gina Raimondo and state lawmakers.

Candidates for a High School Hobey Baker Award are selected by their coaches, based on the following criteria: 

• Integrity and positive attitude

• Coachability

• Outstanding sportsmanship

• Community spirit

Each year, a single senior hockey player from each participating high school is selected by his or her coach to be honored by teammates and celebrated by the school and the community for outstanding individual performance on and off the ice.

Hobart Amory Hare "Hobey" Baker (1892-1918) was an American amateur athlete of the early 20th century. Considered the first American star in ice hockey by the Hockey Hall of Fame, he was also an accomplished American football player. 

Aidan has been a defensive player on the PHS Patriots hockey team for the past four seasons. The senior plans on studying architecture at Roger Williams University next year.