Billy Constantinou, a defenseman for the Iowa Heartlanders, likes to tune up a little bit of everything in the locker room.

Before morning skates, he puts on country music. When that’s finished, he queues up Avicii. Then, ahead of games, rap songs are amplified through his speakers. Most of the time, his teammates enjoy those songs from the kid of the squad.

At 20 years old, the right-handed shooter from Ontario, Canada, is the youngest skater on the Heartlanders.

“It’s like being the little brother of the group,” Constantinou said. “So, we all get along really well. [They] take me under their wing a little bit — show me the ropes, I guess you can say — so I love it.”

But Constantinou’s youth doesn’t mean he’s been put on the bench. Instead, it’s the opposite. Constantinou had recorded 10 points through 21 games — the most on the club for a defenseman. Four of those points have come from goals.

“I like being a defenseman because you can see the whole ice from the back end,” Constantinou said. “But I also like to be creative and show my offensive side as well.”

Forward Yuki Miura applauded Constantinou’s ability to find open space on the offensive side of the ice.

“When I put a puck in the [offensive] zone, he’s always open and always tries to shoot the puck,” Miura said.

The offensive prowess Constantinou is demonstrating in his first professional season is not new. From 2017-20, he competed in his home providence as a skater in the Ontario Hockey League — a junior hockey club.

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During his three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, Consantinou tallied 22 goals with three different organizations. He also put 76 assists, including a staggering 39 during the 2019-20 campaign. The 53 points credited to his name in 2019-20 were 10th among blueliners in the league.

Now, as a professional player in the ECHL, Constantinou feels more relaxed on the ice.

He said that he initially felt pressure to not make any mistakes, but he’s felt more comfortable as he’s worked with the Heartlanders coaching staff.

Constantinou has been key on a defense that has occasionally had fewer than the usual six defensemen each game — such as the Heartlanders’ 3-2 shootout victory on Dec. 10 against the Toledo Walleye. The right-handed shooter was one of the four defensemen in the lineup, playing on the ice more than usual.

Goaltender Trevin Kozlowski has been impressed with how the Constaninou has adjusted to the professional game.

“He’s been awesome,” Kozlowski said. “I can’t say enough good things about him. It’s cool to watch him progress and develop as a young guy, and me being a bit older trying to teach him a thing or two off the ice as well, help him out a little bit. But he’s a good guy, a character. I love him to death. Funny guy for sure.”

As he spent his late teenage years playing junior hockey, Constantinou has not had the chance to attend college. He said it’s cool to live in a college town like Iowa City.

“I get to experience it in a way,” Constantinou said. “Like, football’s huge here, I’m a big football fan. So, it’s nice to have that sports town vibe around us, knowing that everyone is following everything around here.”