The Merrimack College men’s hockey program announced on April 13 that 18 players from its 2025-26 Hockey East Championship team will return for the upcoming season. The announcement comes as the men’s hockey transfer portal opens Monday.
The retention of a large core group is significant for the Warriors, following what was described as a special year for the team. Head coach Scott Borek said, “I’m really excited that we’ve had so many players decide to return to Merrimack College for next season. It was obviously a special year for our group, and even the guys who aren’t going to be with us deserve a lot of credit for what here over the last 12 months. But having 18 of those players from that championship game return means the world to me personally, but it really says a lot about Merrimack College and Merrimack hockey. We’re excited to go forward with them.”
Key returning contributors include rising junior captain Caelan Fitzpatrick, Trevor Hoskin, Justin Gill, and Parker Lalonde. Lalonde led the Warriors in points last season with 37 (13 goals and a team-high 24 assists), ranking third in Hockey East assists. Gill scored a team-high 16 goals along with 19 assists, while Hoskin recorded 13 goals and added another 22 assists; both finished their first seasons at Merrimack tied at sixth-most points in Hockey East with totals of 35 each. Fitzpatrick contributed significantly as well with his own tally of thirteen goals and sixteen assists.
Other returning upperclassmen are Michael Emerson, Cam Kungle, Austin Oravetz, Seamus Powell among seniors; Caden Cranston, Ty Daneault, Nathan King, Ryan O’Connell, Nick Pierre and goaltender Ryan Keyes among juniors; Daniel Astapovich, Ethan Beyer, Nolan Flamand and Hunter Mayo will also come back as sophomores alongside Gill and Lalonde.
A notable departure is goaltender Max Lundgren who set a program record for saves in one season before agreeing to an entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins where he has begun practicing in Providence.
With much of its championship roster intact despite some departures such as Lundgren’s move to professional hockey ranks, observers may watch how continuity impacts Merrimack’s prospects in the coming campaign.
