Canisius hockey has seen some success under head coach Trevor Large. The Golden Griffins brought in six new freshmen who all have a chance to play a large role as soon as next season.
Canisius Golden Griffins’ head coach Trevor Large is heading into his 10th season as the team’s bench boss. It will also be the fourth season since Large helped lead the Griffins to a conference title in the 2022-23 season.
The team lost all three members of their captaincy group; it will be up to the entire group to step up and fill the void. Despite having six freshmen coming in, the program will have no players under 20 years old this season. With a lot of fresh faces heading into the program, let’s take a look at this year’s freshman group. All entry years are from CollegeHockeyNews and are subject to change. Players are listed alphabetically by last name.
Benjamin Brunelle – Left Winger, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL)
Brunelle brings a six-foot-four frame and an impressive playoff resume while he was playing in the QMJHL. His regular-season point production isn’t anything special; in his last season with the Huskies, he posted 18 goals and 30 points in 61 games.
What makes him so intriguing is how he performed in the playoffs this past season: in 17 games, he put up 11 goals and 19 points, which ranked him third in goals and 10th in points.
Ryan Franks – Left Winger, Maryland Black Bears (NAHL)
Homer shares the same six-foot-four frame as Brunelle, and he tore up the NAHL, just like his now-teammate, Zach Homer. In 43 games, he put up 31 goals and 59 points. His season ended with the Robertson Cup, where he and the Black Bears took down Homer’s Wilderness team.
Franks finished that playoff run seventh in playoff points with 13.
Nico Grabas – Left Winger, Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL)
Grabas spent the last four seasons in Chilliwack playing for the Chiefs, where he saw steady growth in his point production every season. In year one, he finished with seven, year two: 23, year three: 47, and year four he broke out for 31 goals and 76 points.
Grabas brings high offensive upside along with 48 playoff games in the BCHL.
Zach Homer – Right Winger, Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL)
Homer was an amazing player in the NAHL last season for the Minnesota Wilderness. He finished with the most goals on his team and second in the entire league, only behind Long Island University incoming freshman Luc Bydal.
39 goals in 57 games is a big deal no matter what league you’re in; for Coach Large and his staff, they’ll do whatever they can to try and translate his goal-scoring over to the college level.
Jack Lisson – Goalie, North Bay Battalion (OHL)
Lisson is the only freshman goalie joining the program, and it’s after a successful rookie year in the OHL. He played 12 games for North Bay in the 2024-25 season, where he finished with an .875 SP. He came back even stronger, finishing this season with a .913 SP and a 24-11-3 record.
He continued that into the playoffs, where he went 4-2-2 and posted a .924 SP.
Luke Mackenzie – Right Winger, Melfort Mustangs (SJHL)
Mackenzie split time in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. He was never a huge point producer, as his career high is 20 points, which he achieved in the 2023-24 season.
Mackenzie will have time to add to his six-foot-one frame to eventually become a solid bottom-six player for the Golden Griffins.
