The continued growth of Atlantic Hockey will be showcased both figuratively and literally this season.
After Canisius won its second league championship last season, the league is getting set to return Robert Morris University to its ranks and will compete with 11 programs again.
The upcoming campaign also will feature a new coach and the first full go-around in a new arena for two of the league’s New England-based teams.
The opening of new arenas and greater funding for programs have produced results in terms of parity and success, with three straight league champs reaching the second round of NCAA tournament play from 2017-19.
Here are five things to watch in Atlantic Hockey:
Robert Morris is back in the fold
After its men’s and women’s programs were discontinued because “they were no longer financially sustainable” in May 2021 and then reinstated by the end of that year, Robert Morris is now set to make its long-awaited return to the ice.
The Colonials were readmitted into Atlantic Hockey and have Derek Schooley back to his position as the only head coach the program has ever known. Schooley has guided the Colonials to six conference tournament championship games, and his teams averaged 20 wins a year from 2012-19.
While the roster includes 10 transfers and 13 freshmen, veterans Cameron Hebert, Matt Hutton and Gavin Gulash form a core of the Robert Morris team, having remained on the Pittsburgh-area campus since the team last played in 2021.
The Colonials rostered two graduate defensemen from Hockey East programs in Mitch Andres (Boston College) and Luke Johnson (Providence), while Chad Veltri and Francis Boisvert are veteran goalie additions from league rival Niagara and St. Lawrence, respectively.
Jones takes over Falcons
A new era is underway at Bentley.
After alum Ryan Soderquist (Stoneham, Mass.) led the program for 21 years through its transitions into Atlantic Hockey and a new on-campus arena, the Falcons introduced former UMass Lowell associate head coach Andy Jones as their new leader in late June.
Jones spent the past eight seasons in Lowell where he served as Norm Bazin’s assistant, helping the River Hawks to three NCAA tournament appearances and three Hockey East championship games. He was a key part of player development and defensive structure with which some of Lowell’s most successful teams played.
Bentley will look to build upon the success of Jones’ former teams, and the addition of Lowell transfer forwards Josh Latta and Nik Armstrong-Kingkade will provide a veteran boost to the lineup. The Falcons welcome back their second-leading scorer in senior defenseman Nick Bochen, while the goaltending duo of senior Nicholas Grabko and sophomore Connor Hasley started every game last season.
New look in the winner’s circle
For the first time since 2018-19, American International is entering a season without the title of defending Atlantic Hockey champion. The Yellow Jackets have posted five consecutive winning seasons under coach Eric Lang, but RIT broke a run of four regular-season titles before Canisius won last season's championship.
AIC will have to move forward without the league’s leading scorer in Blake Bennett, who tied the program’s single-season record with 22 goals last season. Senior Jordan Biro looks to build off his own 30-point season, while the top four defensemen — including former Robert Morris transfer Brian Kramer — and goaltender Alex Aslanidis all return.
RIT is set to run it back with reigning Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year Carter Wilkie, whose 40 points and 1.03 per game last season were tops in the conference. No other player averaged over a point per game.
Former UMass transfer Gianfranco Cassaro also was an All-Atlantic Hockey first-team pick with 14 goals on defense for RIT, while Aiden Hansen-Bukata and Cody Laskosky were honored as the Best Defenseman and Best Defensive Forward, respectively. Hansen-Bukata had a league-leading 30 assists last year.
Canisius boasts a pair of fifth-year veterans in defensemen David Melaragni and Hudson Lambert, the former who notched a career-high 25 points last season and dished out four assists during the title run.
Holy Cross building off last year
Holy Cross is looking to keep its positive momentum rolling after making its first appearance in the Atlantic Hockey title game since 2006 last winter.
The Crusaders finished the season on a 14-9-2 run, knocking off the top two teams in the conference before dropping the ultimate tilt at Canisius. Third-year coach Bill Riga’s (Westboro, Mass.) club has plenty of tools back with that postseason experience in hand.
No Atlantic Hockey player was as important in the postseason as junior Liam McLinskey, who scored a league-record nine of his 21 goals during the run. That goal total is tied for the returning league lead with Army West Point junior Joey Baez. McLinskey also led the league with six game-winning tallies.
Led by McLinskey and senior Jack Ricketts, seven of the team’s top nine top scorers from a year ago are returning. Mack Oliphant was an All-Rookie defenseman. The team’s entire goaltending group also remains intact.
Sacred Heart looking to stand out
This season will mark Sacred Heart’s first full campaign in the Martire Family Arena after the sparkling on-campus building in Fairfield, Conn., opened last January in front of a packed house against Hockey East foe Boston College. The Pioneers finished last season with 17 wins and their first record of .500 or better since 2019-20.
This year’s SHU slate includes visits from Colgate, Princeton and New Hampshire in addition to Atlantic Hockey competition.
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On the ice, while All-Atlantic Hockey first-team forward Neil Shea (Marshfield, Mass.) and the top three scorers overall will have to be replaced, C.J. Marottolo’s club developed an All-Rookie forward in Marcus Joughin and will have junior Hunter Sansbury helping to anchor the defense.
The Pioneers have added five freshmen and also continued to be busy in the transfer market. Among the additions are former Quinnipiac goaltender Chase Clark (Williamsville, N.Y.), Boston College grad forward Liam Izyk.
Rankings
Here’s how we project the Atlantic Hockey contenders at the start of this season.
- RIT
- AIC
- Sacred Heart
- Holy Cross
- Canisius
- Army
- Niagara
- Mercyhurst
- Bentley
- Air Force
- Robert Morris
