These veteran skaters are making a final collegiate push, bringing leadership, grit, and scoring prowess to their teams.
Sometimes you need one last run. These five impactful graduate players are lacing up the skates at the collegiate level for a final season. As usual, they are listed in alphabetical order and are not ranked.
Jay Ahearn: forward, University of Massachusetts-Lowell
It says a lot about a player if he is a captain at two different institutions. That’s exactly the case for Jay Ahearn, who wore the C as a senior with Niagara University in 2024-25 before being named captain in his graduate year at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. Last season he had his best collegiate season with19 goals, 20 assists, and 39 points. These marks were first on Niagara in both goals and points. His guidance could help the Riverhawks down the stretch.
Michael Citara: forward, University of Alaska-Fairbanks
After spending the past two seasons at Merrimack, Citara joins a Nanooks roster with a lot of young players and only six seniors or graduate players. He has a similar play style to Mark Hiller, and the two often played on the same line while at Merrimack. We will discuss Hiller later on. Citara plays a gritty physical style while also producing points from the greasy areas. His presence will no doubt have an impact on some of the underclassmen who are just joining the collegiate ranks.
Alex Gaffney: forward, University of St. Thomas
With 15 departing players for the University of St. Thomas at the end of last season, the Tommies needed reinforcements. One of those came in the form of Alex Gaffney. After 4 years at Harvard, Gaffney took his talents to a St. Thomas team looking to build upon an impressive 2024-25 campaign. He is dogged in his pursuit of the puck in all situations, which is admirable, and he will inject experience into an underclassmen heavy Tommie roster.
Mark Hillier: forward, Merrimack College
This is a player I have had my eye on for a while. Mark Hillier is a scrappy player with a team-first mentality. Watching him progress over his collegiate career and how he is bouncing back from missing the 2024-25 campaign due to injuries has been a treat. Hillier is intense but disciplined, taking ten total penalty minutes in four college seasons. He has given everything to Merrimack, and I am excited to see how Hillier plays down the stretch.
Alton McDermott: forward, Canisius College
Alton McDermott is a warrior making up for lost time. After missing the entire 2023-24 season due to a back injury, he came back like he never left and increased his point production from 11 to 15. McDermott was rewarded for his dedication and leadership, being named an alternate captain. His renewed production should galvanize and inspire a Canisius team that has ambitions of a deep playoff run in Atlanta Hockey America.
Honorable Mentions: Connor Androlewicz, Nic Belpedio, Evan Orr