Photo credit: Scott Kinville/315 Hockey.
By Scott Kinville/315 Hockey.
The Utica University Men’s Hockey Team enjoyed another successful season in 2022-23, rising all the way to the number one ranking in the USCHO poll during the regular season. They went undefeated in the UCHC, winning the regular season crown and the tournament championship. The Pioneers were upset in their first game of the NCAA Tournament by the University of New England in what would have to be considered one of the season’s most exciting games not only for the teams involved but also in all of Division III hockey.
The 2022-23 Pioneers team was a veteran-heavy squad, with a total of eleven players either graduating, transferring, or moving on to professional hockey after their college season ended. Replacing the likes of Connor Fedorek, Jaxon Rutkowski, Justin Allen, Lucas Herrmann, Mic Curran, Regen Cavanagh, Dante Zapata, Brandon Osmundson, Remy Parker, Buster Larsson, and John Moncovich won’t be easy, but nonetheless, a new season will be here sooner rather than later.
There is more to an AHL roster than meets the eye: AHL Off-Season Primer: Explaining Contracts, Waivers, and the Development Rule.
With preparations underway for the 2023-24 season, Utica Head Coach Gary Heenan, Assistant Coach Nick Therrien, and the rest of the staff have been hard at work bringing in the next generation of Pioneers. They have already begun bringing in players that hope to be in the lineup when the new season begins in October. Below is a look at the five players that have already committed to play their college hockey in navy blue and orange.
- All statistics used in this article are from https://eliteprospects.com.
- Position: Center.
- Height: 5′ 11″. Weight: 154 pounds.
- Age: 21 years old. Hometown: Mississauga, Ontario.
- 2022-23 Team: Milton Menace of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL).
- 2022-23 Statistics: Regular Season 53GP, 31G + 45A = 76 Pts, 70 PIM. Playoffs: 9GP, 7G + 3A = 10 Pts, 18 PIM.
- Notes: Played five seasons in OJHL. His first season was in 2018-19 with the Burlington Cougars and the last four have been with the Menace.
- Position: Center/Left Wing.
- Height: 6′ 0″. Weight: 174 pounds.
- Age: 21 years old. Hometown: Caledon East, Ontario.
- 2022-23 Team: Georgetown Raiders of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL).
- 2022-23 Statistics: Regular Season 53GP, 25G + 58A = 83 Pts, 26 PIM. Playoffs: 8GP, 3G + 6A = 9 Pts, 8 PIM.
- Notes: Played three seasons in the OJHL, all with the Raiders. He served as the Raiders Captain in 2022-23.
- Position: Right Shot Defenseman.
- Height: 5′ 9″. Weight: 190 pounds.
- Age: 21 years old. Hometown: Nobelton, Ontario.
- 2022-23 Team: Georgetown Raiders of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
- 2022-23 Statistics: 55GP, 10G + 38A = 48 points, 80 PIM. Playoffs: 8GP, 3G + 6A = 9 points, 4 PIM.
- Notes: Played five seasons in the OJHL, mostly for the North York Rangers before playing the second half of this season for the Georgetown Raiders.
Austin D’Orazio
- Position: Left Shot Defenseman.
- Height: 6′ 0″. Weight: 185 pounds.
- Age: 21 years old. Hometown: Vaughan, Ontario.
- 2022-23 Team: Trenton Golden Hawks of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
- 2022-23 Statistics: 51GP, 14G + 40A = 54 points, 45 PIM. Playoffs: 13GP, 0G + 0A = 0 points, 8 PIM.
- Notes: Played the last two seasons in OJHL between the Markham Royals and the Golden Hawks. In 2020-21, he played for three NCDC teams: the Connecticut Jr. Rangers, the Islanders Hockey Club, and the Philadelphia Hockey Club. Per the Golden Hawks website (https://goldenhawks.ojhl.hockeytech.com), D’Orazio was quoted as saying: “I am excited about what the future holds in Utica. My family and I looked at a few schools, but for us, Utica University stood above the rest. I will be studying business.” D’Orazio added, “The Pioneers hockey program gets about 3,000 fans a game. That will be incredible to be able to play in front of.”
- Position: Right Shot Defenseman.
- Height: 5′ 11″. Weight: 181 pounds.
- Age: 21 years old. Hometown: Elmira, Ontario.
- 2022-23 Team: Stratford Warriors of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.
- 2022-23 Statistics: 49GP, 14G + 37A = 51 points, 87 PIM. Playoffs: 25GP, 6G + 23A = 29 points, 20 PIM.
- Notes: Played four seasons in the Central Canada Hockey League prior to playing for Stratford this past season. He was named the Defenseman of the Year for the Midwestern Conference of the GOJHL in 2022-23. Per the Warriors website (https://stratfordwarriors.hockey), Coach Heenan said of Oliver committing to Utica “We are very excited to have Reid join Pioneer Nation. He can be a shutdown guy and run the top of the power play. What sold us was when Coach Williams praised his leadership and character. The future is bright for Reid Oliver”.
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