RIT will have to navigate life without Wayne Wilson behind the bench for the Tigers. With a whole lot of recruits stepping onto campus, how can they bring some life to a program that won the AHA in 2024, and can they do it as soon as next season?
RIT alumnus Matt Thomas will be the team’s head coach for the entire year after coming in to fill the shoes of longtime head coach Wayne Wilson. With Thomas bringing in a batch of recruits, how will they fit into his system, and will the Tigers head back to winning the AHA as soon as next season?
All entry years are from CollegeHockeyNews and are subject to change. Players are listed alphabetically by last name.
Zachary Bowen –Goalie, Brampton Steelheads (OHL)
Bowen is the first of two Brampton Steelheads to be on this list, and unfortunately for Bowen, due to team success, he only had one winning season in the OHL, and that was his rookie year with the London Knights, where he went 17-4.
His last OHL season was with the Steelheads, where he had an 18-24-5 record with a 3.14 goals-against-average and a .899 save-percentage.
Julian Demigilo –Center, Brampton Steelheads (OHL)
Demigilo played 105 games in the OJHL with the Stoufville Spirit before getting the call to Brampton this year; he must have impressed them with the five games he played for them in the 2024-25 season.
In 67 games on a struggling Steelheads squad, he had 14 goals and 30 points.
Alexander Hebblethwaite –Left Winger, Toronto Patriots (OJHL)
Hebblethwaite played a season in the OJHL and then made the move to the BCHL, where he eventually came back to the OJHL after just one season with three different teams in the BCHL.
With the Patriots this past year, he played 41 games and had 16 goals and 52 points.
Jack McAra –Center, Cowichan Valley Capitals (OJHL)
McAra played a season and a half with the Capitals, combining for a total of 67 games. In his final year, he played 47 games with 24 goals and 61 points, while being an assistant captain.
In 13 playoff games, he also kept up the production with four goals and 17 points.
Braedyn Rogers –Defenseman, Owen Sound Attack (OHL)
Rogers played four seasons in the OHL with the Owen Sound Attack, where he totaled 242 games in that period.
He was able to get a combined 53 points over his last two seasons, and in his final year, he had six goals and 25 points for the Attack.
Lucas Romeo –Right Winger, Cape Breton Eagles (QMJHL)
Although he’s from Oakville, Ontario, Romeo played his major junior hockey in the QMJHL, where he split time with the Charlottetown Islanders and the Cape Breton Eagles.
This past season, he posted 16 goals and 32 points in 61 games for the Eagles. He also had a career-high in penalty minutes with 86.
Ryan Shaw –Left Winger, Rochester Jr. Americans (NAHL)
Shaw had 25 points in 30 games during the 2024-25 season and then had 12 points in 12 playoff games, which set him up for the production he would have this past season.
In 53 games as an assistant captain, he had 38 goals and 77 points.
Matthew Wang –Left Winger, Oshawa Generals (OHL)
Wang played 10 games with the Flint Firebirds this season before they shipped him to Oshawa, who ended up as the last-place team in the Eastern Conference.
Wang started the season hot with seven points in 10 games, but he saw a dip in production with the Generals, where in 22 games he had two goals and three points.
