Promising new talent looks to elevate the Purple Eagles' game.
2024-25 Review:
The Niagara University Purple Eagles earned an 18-16-3 record last year before losing to Army West Point in Game Three of the Atlantic Hockey America tournament on March 9
Key Departures:
2024-25 Captain Jason Ahearn transferred to UMass Lowell where he was subsequently named captain of the River Hawks. The two-team captain earned a team high 19 goals and tied Calgary Flames pick teammate Trevor Hoskins accumulating 39 points. Ahearn also finished third on his squad with 23 penalty minutes. Hoskins departed from Niagara, joining the Merrimack College Warriors. The Belleville, ON native led the Purple Eagles with 27 assists. Tyler Wallace will also be missed, heading to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. after sophomore season. Wallace is a well-balanced player whose production was an important piece of the forecheck. Through all 37 contests Wallace scored 26 points (14 goals + 12 assists) putting him second in goals.
Next Men Up:
Jacob Maillet has averaged at or above a point per game throughout juniors and Canadian USports. After five seasons in the OHL, including one as an alternate captain for the Windsor Spitfires, Maillet collected 27 points (10 goals + 17 assists) in 30 games. Another solid producer, Ivan Muranov had a respectable WHL season in 2024-25 split between the Calgary Hitmen and Vancouver Giants. The Russian forward averaged about half a point per game with 37 points in 61 games. At the time of publication, Muranov leads the Purple Eagles, earning has 4 points in 3 games. Marshall Finnie is a third WHL alum headed to Niagara. Finnie is as tough a defenseman as they come with a 6’2” and 194 pound frame. His 115 penalty minutes last season as an Edmonton Oil Kings alternate captain was 5th in the entire WHL. After being a depth forward on Maine’s tournament run last season, Nicholas Niemo comes to Niagara hoping to replicate numbers he put up at Bentley as a freshman. The native of Middlebury, VT accrued five points in 23 games. However, as a freshman at Bentley, Niemo led the Falcons with 8 goals and 22 points. Niagra would benefit for that level of production in his senior year. The Ontario Junior Hockey League’s (OJHL) Collingwood Blues won back to back league championships in 2023 and 2024 including a 2024 Centennial Cup. Defenseman Cameron Eke was a large contributor in those two title runs. Last season, Eke received the both the Canadian Junior Hockey League(CJHL) and OJHL Awards for Top Defenseman. He also led all OJHL Defensemen in points for the 2024-25 Season. Needless to say, the sky is the limit for Eke with the Purple Eagles.
The Road Ahead:
The Purple Eagles look to have plugged the holes from departing players last season with transfers and newly eligible CHL graduates. With three non-conference wins out of the gate, Niagara appears to be a stingy defensive team with a good amount of potential.