WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes University men's ice hockey team is set to begin their 2026-27 campaign on Friday, October 30 against Manhattanville University for a 6:30 p.m. puck drop. The head coach of the Colonels entering his eighth season is
Tyler Hynes, who will be looking to improve upon their 15-8-3 record during the 2025-26 season.
The Colonels welcome eight first-years as well as one transfer, including
Royce Butler (Spring Lake, MI),
Noah Rogers (Fairbanks, Alaska),
Cooper Caby (Greenwood Village, CO),
Austen Pomerleau (New Dundee, ON), and
Owen Hardy (Ottawa, ON) to the forwards. The Colonels add
Alek Brudek (Northville, MI),
Drew McCandless (Victor, NY), and
Harrison Kinne (Swampscott, MA) to the defensive line. A goaltender,
Derek Wood (Louisville, CO), rounds out the newest additions to the roster for this season.
"We knew we needed to get faster, I felt like last year we were pretty fast but we want to be really fast," Hynes explained his thoughts behind his recruiting process. "That was one thing we looked for in recruiting and the other thing is competitiveness. Our league is the most improved league in NCAA Division III hockey, and it is only getting better and better each year… We want to go into every night knowing that it is going to be a dogfight. We brought in guys that reflect that and are ready to go from puck drop."
Wilkes returns 22 players looking to fill in crucial roles on the ice after graduating key forwards and defenders. In the sophomore class, there are seven forwards, four defenseman, and two goaltenders returning. The sophomore forwards consists of
Bryan Weissler (Floral Park, NY/),
Caiden Mech (San Clemente, CA/),
Connor Movalli (Frisco, TX/),
Owen Penny (Livonia, MI/),
Justin Filipelli (Massapequa, NY/), and
Cooper Owens (Colorado Springs, CO). Defenders
Liam O'Donoghue (Canonsburg, PA/),
Ryan Dann (Windham, NH),
Trevor Belak (Pittsburgh, PA/), and
Brennan Lashomb (Malone, NY/) return as well as goaltenders
Jeffrey Fillion (Chicoutimi, QC) and
Ryan Hacker (Elgin, IL/).
The juniors welcome back five players, forwards
Cooper Owens (Colorado Springs, CO),
Jake Kloss (Hershey, PA/),
Nick Del Gaizo (Basking Ridge, NJ/), and
Easton Stafford (Broomfield, CO/Colorado Connections Academy) and one lone defenseman
Tyler Boudreau (Raleigh, NC).
Five seniors make up the senior class, including defenseman
Nate Terski (North Grafton, MA/) and
Cam Perez (West Hartford, CT). Forwards
Miles Harrington (McDonough, GA/) and
Daniel Nau (Wake Forest, NC/) and the sole senior goaltender
Duncan Rolleman (New Hamburg, ON/) make up the seniors.
"Last year we went in with a proven roster with guys who have done it before, and I think that's exciting this year we have younger guys stepping into roles that were previously taken," Hynes explained, "These younger guys got the opportunity to watch that for a year, understand our culture, observe it, and now they are at the point where they should be enhancing it, and I've been really pleased with the effort and intensity during practice…We're used to being the hunted here, it's a cool place to be now that we're the hunters now."
The team graduated six of their top goal scorers last season, but are looking for their seasoned veterans to make an influence on the attack. In the backline, Terski is looking for another impactful season after making first team All-MAC selection. During the 2025-26 season, Terski was a defensive powerhouse, leading the team in blocked shots (44) and finished the season with four goals and 11 assists. Goaltender Rolleman also returns after a great season as he was named MAC defensive player of the week. He played in 17 games with a 9-6-2 record and a .928 save percentage, allowing only 2.20 goals per game.
"Two teams we are very familiar with, Manhattanville from our time with UCHC. Their rink is very unique, it's small, it's tight, and a lot of hand-to-hand combat goes on in that rink. You can't really escape, so that should be a really great start to the season. Then, playing a team that is expected to be a top-10 team in the country in Cortland the following night. We're focused on Manhattanville and starting the season off the right way," Hynes concluded.
The season begins on the road at Manhattanville University on Friday, October 30 at 6:30 p.m. The next day the Colonels will play in their home opener against SUNY Cortland for a 7:10 p.m. start.
