Niagara University, N.Y.—Niagara head hockey coach Jason Lammers announced the addition of 13 student-athletes who will join the Purple Eagles ahead of the 2024-25 season. Of the 13 student-athletes, seven are freshmen while the other six are transfers.
Lammers believes this group of newcomers can add a lot to a roster that returns 15 players from a season ago. "We are excited to add this group of newcomers to our team this summer. This group brings an impressive balance of speed, size, skill and grit which will make our team exciting to watch for our fans."
"Just as importantly this group will continue to raise our high standard and be great examples on campus and in our community. We're excited to see this group come together with our determined returning core of men and make immediate contributions to our program."
Now entering his eighth season behind the Purple Eagle bench, Lammers credits Associate Head Coach Mark Phalon and Assistant Coach Nate Skidmore for a recruiting class that features characteristics that are not coachable. "Mark and Nate did a great job of finding players that have a good blend of chemistry, character, determination, leadership, and experience in post-season play" Lammers added.
Freshmen
Rainers Darzins | Forward | Tukums, Latvia | Skellefteå AIK J20 (Sweden)
Darzins joins the Purple Eagles after playing majority of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons with Skellefteå AIK J20 in Sweden. Over the last two seasons, he played in 57 games while scoring nine goals and tallying 10 assists. The Latvia native suited up for his home country at U16, U17, U18, and U20 levels on the international stage. He has played in the IIHF World Junior Championships the last three seasons for Latvia, over the three tournaments he played in 16 games.
Trevor Hoskin | Forward | Belleville, Ont. | Cobourg Cougars (OJHL)
Hoskin comes to Niagara after being named CJHL and OJHL MVP as a member of Cobourg Cougars. In 2023-24 he played in 52 games while scoring 42 goals and adding 58 assists. The Belleville, Ontario native played three seasons with Cobourg and skated in 159 games while scoring 69 goals and adding 121 assists. In December of 2023, he suited up for Canada-East in the World Junior A Challenge and led the tournament with 12 points in six games. He served as an assistant captain in his final season in Corbourg.
Ray Murakami | Defense |Tomakomai, Japan | Lone Star Brahmas (NAHL)
Murakami is coming off a Robertson Cup Championship as the captain of the Lone Star Brahmas. He played three seasons with Lone Star and played in 137 games while scoring 15 goals while tallying 44 assists from the blue line. During the three seasons, he played in 25 playoff games while scoring twice and adding five assists. The Tomakomai, Japan native suited up for Team Japan in the U20 World Championship at the Division 2 level in 2019-20.
Nathan Oickle | Defense | Peterborough, Ont. | Surrey Eagles (BCHL)
After winning the Fred Page Cup in the BCHL in 2023-24, Oickle joins Niagara after three successful seasons of Junior A hockey. His first full season of Junior A came in 2021-22 with the Trenton Golden Hawks, in 54 games he scored 10 goals while adding 28 assists from the blue line. In 2022-23 he appeared in 47 games while scoring seven times and added a career-best 34 assists. In 2023-24, he joined the Surrey Eagles of the BCHL and scored nine goals and added 22 assists in 48 games. Prior to starting his Junior A career he played for the Peterborough Petes from the U15-18U levels. He played in 48 career Junior A playoff games and scored seven goals with 32 assists.
Andy Reist | Forward | Waterloo, Ont. | Cobourg Cougars (OJHL)
Resist joins the Purple Eagles after three seasons with the Cobourg Cougars of the OJHL. During his three seasons with Cobourg he played in 149 games while scoring 90 goals and adding 103 assists. In 2021-22, he started his OJHL career by skating in 49 games while scoring 17 goals and dishing out 12 assists. In 2022-23 he scored 38 goals and added 31 assists in 48 games. In 2023-24, he closed out his Junior A career as the captain of Cobourg and scored 35 goals while adding 60 assists in 52 games. He played in the World Jr. A Challenge in both 2022 and 2023. In 2022, he totaled two points in six games with Canada East. In 2023, he captained Canada East while scoring four goals while adding three assists in six games.
Deivids Rolovs | Goalie | Riga, Latvia | Lone Star Brahmas (NAHL)
Rolovs joins Niagara following a season that saw him play in 34 games for Lone Star en route to a Robertson Cup Championship along with playing for Latvia in the IIHF World Junior Championship. In his first season in North America in 2023-24 he played in 34 games for Lone Star while going 22-7-2 with a 1.83 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage. The Riga, Latvia native suited up for his home country for the second time in his career as he made four appearances in the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships. He also appeared for Latvia in the 2022 IIHF U18 World Junior Championships in which he made four appearances.
Spencer Young | Forward | Elmira, Ont. | Collingwood Blues (OJHL)
Young rounds out the freshman class after playing three seasons with the Collingwood Blues of the OJHL. In his first season with Collingwood in 2021-22 he played in 34 games while scoring three goals and adding eight assists. In 2022-23, he appeared in 52 games while scoring 21 goals and dished out 17 assists. While serving as an assistant captain in 2023-24, he played in 56 games while scoring a career-high 39 goals while helping Collingwood to a Centennial Cup win. In his Junior A career, he played in 37 playoff games while scoring 15 goals along with 22 assists.
Transfers
Pierce Charleson | Goalie | Aurora, Ont. | Alaska-Fairbanks (NCAA DI Independent)
Charleson comes to Niagara for his final year of college hockey after spending three seasons at Michigan State (B1G) and one season with Alaksa-Fairbanks (NCAA DI Independent). In his first season of college hockey, he appeared in seven games with the Spartans while having a .938 save percentage and a 2.57 goals-against average. As a sophomore in 2021-22, he made 12 appearances with a .904 save percentage and a 3.65 goals-against average. After appearing in three games for Michigan State in 2022-23, the Aurora, Ont. native played 29 games for Alaska-Fairbanks. With Fairbanks, he went 13-12-3 with a .900 save percentage and 2.56 goals against average. Prior to making his collegiate debut, he played two seasons with the Brooks Bandits of the AJHL. In two seasons with Brooks, he played in 92 games with a 78-12-2 record with a .901 save percentage and a 2.42 goals-against average.
Grayson Dietrich | Forward | Calgary, AB | AIC (AHA)
Dietrich joins the Purple Eagles after two seasons with AIC. As a freshman in 2022-23 he appeared in four games while making his NCAA debut against Alaska Fairbanks. In 2023-24, he skated in 19 games for the Yellow Jackets while scoring two goals and adding an assist. He scored his first goal of his career against the Purple Eagles on Feb. 9. Prior to college, he played three full seasons with the Drumheller Dragons of the AJHL. In those three seasons, he played in 113 games while totaling 77 points. In his final season of Junior A he skated in 52 games while scoring 17 goals and added 28 assists.
Braden Doyle | Defense | Lynnfield, Mass. | Northeastern (HEA)
Doyle comes to Niagara following two seasons at Northeastern from 2022-24. He started his collegiate career in 2021-22 with Boston University before finishing the season with the Penticton Vees of the BCHL. With BU he played in eight games while tallying an assist. In his first season with Northeastern in 2022-23 he played in 23 games while scoring once while adding seven assists. In 2023-24 he appeared in 14 games with the Huskies while scoring a goal against No. 1 Boston College on Dec. 1. Prior to the 2019-20 season in which he played 51 games with the Dubuque Fighting Saints he was selected in the sixth round of the NHL Entry Draft by the LA Kings.
Kyler Kleven | Forward | Moorhead, MN | Minnesota Duluth (NCHC)
Kleven spent the last three seasons as a member of the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs of the NCHC. As a freshman in 2021-22, he played in 27 games while scoring twice. He scored his first collegiate goal against Western Michigan on Nov. 5, 2021. After not appearing in a game in 2022-23, he played in 25 games in 2023-24 while scoring once and adding a pair of assists. Prior to college, he played the 2020-21 season in the USHL with the Waterloo Black Hawks. He scored 13 goals and added 12 assists in 53 games with Waterloo.
Brett Roloson | Forward | Tampa, FL | Lake Superior State (CCHA)
B. Roloson joins Niagara as a senior after playing three seasons with Lake Superior State from 2021-24. Over the last three seasons, he played in 74 games while scoring twice and adding 10 assists. He made his collegiate debut with the Lakers in 2021-22 and scored his first career goal on Oct. 9, 2021, against No. 3 Michigan. In 2022-23, he played in a career-high 30 games while totaling three points. In his final season with the Lakers, he tallied a career-high six points in 15 games. Prior to joining the Lakers, he played three full seasons of Junior A with his final season coming in the NAHL with the Minot Minotauros. With Minot, he scored seven goals and added 15 assists in seven games.
Ross Roloson | Defense | Woodbury, MN | Lake Superior State (CCHA)
R. Roloson joins his older brother Brett with the Purple Eagles after starting his collegiate career with Lake Superior State in 2023-24. With the Lakers last season, he played in 37 games while scoring four goals and adding 10 assists from the blue line. Before entering the college ranks he played in the NAHL, USHL, and BCHL from 2021-23. He closed out his junior career with the Surrey Eagles in 2022-23 as he appeared in 51 games while scoring three goals and adding 23 assists. During his three year junior career he played in 141 games with three goals and 31 assists.
The Roloson brothers are the sons of former NHL goalie Dwayne Roloson. D. Roloson had a 16-year NHL career while playing in over 600 games between the Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Roloson brothers are the sixth set of brothers to ever play together with the Purple Eagles joining the Mylymok's (2023-24), the Mills' (2018-19), the Edwards' (2014-16), the Zanette's (2009-11), and the Bozoian's (2001-02).
Tyler Wallace is Niagara's top returning scorer as he notched 30 points in his first season with the Purple Eagles. Niagara returns five players who tallied 20 or more points last season while 13 players who tallied five or more points return. Mitchell Day is the lone returning goalie after making six appearances as a freshman. He went 1-1 with 113 saves in just 222 minutes.
The Purple Eagles enter the 2024-25 season after notching back-to-back seasons over .500. Niagara opens the season with an exhibition game against Ohio State on Oct. 6. The regular season opens on Oct. 11 with a road game at Clarkson. To view the full schedule click here.
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