Men's Ice Hockey

2025-26 UCHC Men's Players to Watch - Season Preview

The United Collegiate Hockey Conference announced its Players to Watch for the 2025-26 season. A total of 27 men’s players from the league’s nine institutions were selected. The list serves as an annual preseason honor roll of players expected to make an impact on their teams, and on the conference picture as the season gets underway this weekend.
 
Albertus Magnus College
  • Bobby Barrasso, Jr., F, Mountain Lakes, NJ – Barrasso tallied eight points on three goals and five assists.
  • Chace Hale So., G, Pittsburgh, PA – Hale, a two-time New England Hockey Conference Rookie of the Week in 2024-25, recorded a 2.54 goals against average and a .922 save percentage in 17 games played. He made 45 saves in a 3-2 overtime win over NCAA Champion Hobart.
  • Zane Kindrachuk, Gr., F, Calgary, Alberta – Kindrachuk led the Falcons with 10 goals and was plus-8 last season. He scored three overtime game-winners in 2024-25, including one against 2025 NCAA Champion Hobart.
Team Notes: Albertus Magnus College makes its UCHC debut in 2025-26 for head coach Kyle Wallack, who enters his sixth season behind the bench for the Falcons. Albertus Magnus is receiving four votes in the 2025-26 USCHO.com preseason poll and are picked to finish . The Falcons finished with 12 wins last season, including a 3-2 win against three-time defending national champion Hobart College on Jan. 31, 2025.
 
SUNY Brockport
  • Schuyler Flansburg, Jr., F, Saratoga Springs, NY – Schuyler Flansburg led the Golden Eagles with seven goals in 2024-25.
  • Spencer Flansburg, Jr., F, Saratoga Springs, NY – Twin brother Spencer Flansburg tallied 11 points on five goals and six assists last season.
  • Aidan Taylor, So., F, Oakville, Ontario – Taylor was named to the 2024-25 UCHC All-Rookie Team after recording 11 points on four goals and seven assists.
Team Notes: SUNY Brockport, who celebrated 50 years of hockey last season, has 21 players back from last season’s team that advanced to the opening round of the UCHC Tournament. Twin brothers Schuyler and Spencer Flansburg, along with 2024-25 UCHC All-Rookie Team selection Aidan Taylor will lead the way. Jacob Gates and team captain Dominic Chirico are set to lead Brockport on and off the ice.
 
Chatham University
  • Nick Cyprian, Jr., F, Aledo, TX – Cyprian was named the UCHC Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Sid Watson Award as the Division III Player of the Year. He led all UCHC skaters with 1.26 points per game, recording 34 points on 14 goals and 20 assists in 27 games played. In 20 UCHC regular season contests, he led the league with 28 points on 12 goals and 16 assists to go along with three game-winning tallies and four power-play markers.
  • Jake LaRusso, Jr., F, Colts Neck, NJ – LaRusso played the last two seasons with Division I Stonehill College. He scored three goals in 2023-24, including his first collegiate goal against the University of Michigan.
  • Tyler Samodral, So., F, Indianapolis, IN – Samodral was named to the 2024-25 UCHC All-Rookie Team after collecting 16 points on eight goals and eight assists.
Team Notes: Chatham, picked to finish third in the 2025-26 UCHC Preseason Coaches poll, is also receiving one vote in the USCHO.com Division III preseason poll. The Cougars won 10 games last season and advanced to the UCHC Semifinals. Nick Cyprian became the first Chatham student-athlete to earn UCHC Player of the Year honors and be named an All-American. The Cougars return 21 players from last season and bring in a group of highly touted newcomers, including Kowin Belsterling, Ian Norkevicus, Caden Pendo and Charlie Smith. The Cougars will look to win their first league title in 2025-26.
 
Elmira College
  • Brody Haynes, Sr., G, York, PA – Haynes finished the 2024-25 season with a 6-6-1 record, 2.70 goals against average and a .914 save percentage while logging a career-high 733:52 minutes in net.
  • Tyler Schwindt, Sr., F, New Hamburg, Ontario – Schwindt tallied two goals, one assist, 19 shots, and 88 faceoff wins during the 2024-25 season and will be counted on to play a larger role in 2025-26.
  • Matthew York Sr., D, Ottawa, Ontario – York recorded a total of 36 blocked shots during the 2024-25 season. He added four assists, including a multi-assist game against Castleton
Team Notes: Elmira makes its return to the UCHC after spending the last four seasons with the New England Hockey Conference. The Soaring Eagles won the 2021 UCHC Championship and most recently advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24. Overall, Elmira has made 19 trips to the NCAA Tournament, earning national runner-up honors in 1980 and 1988. The Soaring Eagles return 16 players from last season for head coach Aaron Saul, who played for the Soaring Eagles from 1994-98, enters his 17th season as head coach at Elmira with 228 victories.
 
SUNY Geneseo
  • Alex Dameski, Sr., F, Oakville, Ontario – Dameski , a two-time UCHC Player to Watch, earned All-UCHC second team accolades last season after recording 25 points on 15 goals and 10 assists. He has 38 goals and 61 points in 81 career contests.
  • Sean Melso, Jr., D, Philadelphia, PA – Melso earned AHCA Third Team All-American honors, All-USCHO.com Honorable Mention accolades and was the 2024-25 UCHC Defensive Player of the Year and an All-UCHC first team selection. He put up 25 points on eight goals and 17 assists and was plus-32 in 30 games played.
  • Filip Wiberg, Jr., F, Trondheim, Norway – Wiberg had 34 points on 17 goals and 17 assists last season on his way to earning UCHC Championship Most Valuable Player and All-Tournament Team honors.
Team Notes: SUNY Geneseo, the defending UCHC Champions, begin the year as the preseason favorite in the 2025-26 UCHC Coaches poll and is ranked third in the USCHO.com Division III Preseason Poll. The Knights return 20 players from last season’s team that went 24-5-1 and advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four. Junior defenseman Sean Melso was an AHCA Third Team All-American and leads a deep group of veterans, including forwards Alex Dameski, Filip Wiberg, Luke Panchisin, Dakota Zarudny and goaltender Jacob Torgner, who went 10-2 between the pipes. Head Coach Chris Schultz was the 2025 UCH Coach of the Year and enters the season 323-140-31 in 19 seasons at his alma mater, having won the Edward Jeremiah Award as Division III Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2016. The Knights have now made five trips to the NCAA Frozen Four since 2014.
 
Manhattanville University
  • William Billequey, Jr., G, Montreal, Quebec – Billequey was the 2024-25 UCHC Co-Goaltender of the Year and First Team All-UCHC selection. He finished second in the conference and tied the program’s single-season record with a .930 save percentage last year.
  • Corey Popowcer – Sr., D, Parkland, FL – Popowcer garnered All-UCHC second team honors in 2024-25 after recording career-highs in goals (5), assists (13) and points (18); tied for second on the Valiants in assists last year and will serve as a leader
  • Nicholas Rogers – Jr., F, Broad Channel, NY – Rogers garnered All-UCHC second team honors last season after leading the league with 18 goals (three game-winners) last year to go along with 24 total points. His 18 goals were the seventh most in a single-season in program history.
Team Notes: The Valiants return 22 players from last season’s team that advanced to the UCHC Semifinals. Manhattanville returns three All-UCHC selections in forward Nicholas Rogers, defenseman Corey Popowcer and William Billequey. Billequey returns as the UCHC Goaltender of the Year. Veterans Johno Hoins, Ryan McKenna and Lane Paddison in addition to talented newcomers Brandon Paluszak, Emil Grinsvall and Jack Roberts will look to push Manhattanville to its second league title since the UCHC was formed in 2017.
 
Nazareth University
  • Daisuke Egusa, Junior, D, Tokyo, Japan – Egusa has played in 51 career games on defense and has emerged as a leader on the blueline.
  • Blake Frost, Sr., F, Stoufville, Ontario – Frost recorded 16 points on six goals and 10 assists last season. He has 19 goals and 38 assists in his first three seasons with the Golden Flyers and is a two-time UCHC Player to Watch.
  • Logan Tobias, Sr., F, West Seneca, NY – Tobias earned All-UCHC second team honors in 2024-25 after leading Nazareth with 27 points on 12 goals and 25 assists. He was named to the UCHC All-Rookie Team in 2022-23 after exploding for 20 goals that season. Tobias has 71 career points on 46 goals and 25 assists.
Team Notes: Nazareth enters a new era in 2025-26 under head coach James McDonald, who replaced George Roll, who retired after starting the Nazareth men’s program in 2012. The Golden Flyers return 17 players from last season’s team and are just two seasons removed from winning 18 games, while advancing to the UCHC Championship game. Senior Logan Tobias enters his final season with 46 career goals and 71 points.
 
St. John Fisher University
  • Sam Ciappa, Fr., F, Baldwinsville NY – Ciappa earned National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) All Division honors and finished sixth in the NCDC in scoring with 63 points in 53 games.
  • Elijah Devereaux, Sr., F, Webster NY – Devereaux is a transfer from Manhattanville where he played in 26 games and scored 10 points. He was the UCHC Player of the Week on Nov. 6, 2023.
  • Charlie Robinson, Fr., D, Kenmore NY – Robinson recorded 29 points in 36 games in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL). He ranked 18th among OJHL defenseman for points for game.
Team Notes: St. John Fisher makes its NCAA Division III debut in 2025-26 for head coach Reid Lesswing. The Cardinals, who play at a newly constructed rink out of the Rochester Ice Center in Fairport, NY, have 29 players on its debut roster. Lesswing, a former assistant at perennial power SUNY Plattsburgh, has 23 first-year student-athletes, one sophomore, three juniors and one senior on the roster, including former UCHC standouts Elijah Devereaux and Sebastian Woods. Woods, a goaltender, was named to the 2022-23 UCHC All-Rookie Team, while at Manhattanville.
 
Utica University
  • Drake Morse, Jr., F, Grand Rapids, MI – Morse earned All-UCHC second team honors in 2024-25 and enters the season with 53 career points on 19 goals and 24 assists. He had 30 points and was plus-26 last season.
  • Aydin Parekh, Jr., D, Nobleton, Ontario – Parekh was a 2024-25 All-UCHC first team selection. He dished out 23 assists last season.
  • Eric Vitale, Jr., F, Toronto, Ontario – Vitale was the UCHC Rookie of the Year in 2023-24, earned UCHC All-Rookie Team honors that season and was named to the 2025 NCAA Division III Men’s Hockey All-Tournament Team. Vitale, who scored the overtime winner against Curry in the NCAA Semifinal last season has 46 career points (24 goals and 22 assists) in two seasons.
Team Notes: Utica, picked to finish second in the 2025-26 UCHC Preseason Coaches poll, enters the season ranked No. 2 in the USCHO.com Division III Preseason poll. The Pioneers, who advanced to the NCAA Division III Championship game last season, has won nine consecutive league Regular Season Championships between the ECAC West and UCHC. The Pioneers will look to win their sixth UCHC Championship this season. Utica has 13 players returning from last season and head coach Gary Heenan has a very talented group of newcomers looking to lead the Pioneers to their first NCAA National Championship. This is the 25th season of Utica University hockey. Heenan has been at the helm since the program’s inception and begins the 2025-26 season with 396 career victories. The Pioneers will take on Hobart College in a pair of 2025 NCAA National Championship game rematches on Nov. 6 and Nov. 8. In addition, Utica’s annual Teddy Bear Toss game will take place on Dec. 6 against SUNY Oswego.
 
The 2025-26 regular season kicks off the weekend of Oct.31-Nov. 2. UCHC conference play starts on Nov. 14-15. The top six teams advance to the 2025 UCHC Championship Tournament, which takes place with first round play on Feb. 25, semifinals on Feb. 28 and the league championship March 7. The UCHC Champion earns an automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Championship, in which the national semifinals an championship game will be played at Utica’s Adirondack Bank Center on March 27-29.
 
ABOUT THE UNITED COLLEGIATE HOCKEY CONFERENCE
The United Collegiate Hockey Conference provides a competitive environment and structure for NCAA Division III men's and women's ice hockey in the Eastern United States. The UCHC will enter its ninth season in 2025-26 with original member Elmira College returning, along with newcomers Albertus Magnus College, Hilbert College, and St. John Fisher University joining second-year members SUNY Brockport and SUNY Geneseo, in addition to founding members Chatham University, Manhattanville University, Nazareth University and Utica University. For more on the UCHC, visit the league's homepage at http://www.theuchc.com/.
 
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