Another NHL draft pick is on the way to Orono.

Carolina Hurricanes fifth-round draft choice (156th overall) Justin Poirier, who scored 122 goals in 181 regular season games over the last three seasons for Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, will be playing for the University of Maine this coming season.

The 5-foot-9, 183-pound Poirier scored 43 goals and added 37 assists in 58 games for Baie-Comeau Drakkar this past season after leading the league in goals in 2023-24 with 51. He also had 31 assists for 82 points in 68 games two years ago.

He led the league in playoff goals in 2023-24 with 18 in 17 games. He had nine playoff assists.

Poirier, who will turn 19 on Sept. 4, said there were a number of reasons behind his decision to come to UMaine.

“I liked the fact the guys were all friends with each other,” Poirier said about the Black Bears locker room.

He also liked that he was coming to a winning program and he was impressed with the renovations to the Alfond Arena.

UMaine won the Hockey East Tournament last season for the first time since 2004 and has reached the NCAA Tournament the last two years for the first time since the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.

UMaine is in the midst of a $50 million renovation to the 48-year-old arena.

“There’s going to be a lounge where you can have dinner and do your homework and that’s very cool,” said Poirier, who added that he liked the fact the rink was on campus and close to the classrooms and living facilities.

Poirier will be expected to help fill a scoring void left by the departure of players who scored exactly half of UMaine’s goals last season. Sixty-two of the 124 goals were scored by players who have departed.

“That’s what I’m going to try to bring to the team, my offensive side. I’m going to keep shooting the puck and hope to score some goals,” said Poirier, who is from Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec.

According to the Elite Prospects 2024 NHL Draft Guide, Poirier “drives all over the offensive zone in search of goals, positioning himself at the far-post for backdoor plays and jumping on rebounds in front of the net.”

Poirier “instinctively knows when and where a scoring chance will arise and how to seize them all,” according to that draft guide, which adds that he “can fire in the middle of steps on the rush, directly off passes with a catch-and-release motion or with a blazing one-timer.”

The incoming right wing knows there is going to be a significant adjustment and he is looking forward to it.

“I’ll be playing against older guys and bigger guys,” Poirier said. “In Major Junior, the players are 16-20 years old while in NCAA, they’re 18-to-25. So this will be way better for my development. I want to play in the NHL so I’m excited to make this jump.”

He intends to keep working on his strength in the offseason and he is also focusing on improving his quickness, especially in tight spaces. He wants to be able to get close to full speed in as few steps as possible.

“I want to become the best hockey player I can for the entire 200 feet. Hard work is the key to success,” said Poirier.

He noted that Orono will be a much shorter commute for his family compared to when he was playing for Baie-Comeau Drakkar, and they’re excited about coming to watch him play.

“It is five and a half hours to Orono while it was nine hours the last three years in juniors,” he pointed out.

His coming to UMaine is contingent upon him being accepted into the school and meeting NCAA eligibility requirements.

Dear Crusaders,

I hope you are well and excited to recharge during the (very) slow approaching weeks of summer. As I reflect upon a year of incredible progress for Crusader Athletics, I am filled with gratitude for the dedication of our coaches and staff, skill and determination of our students, and incredible support of our Holy Cross community. 2024-25 marked the most competitively successful year for Crusader Athletics in the last decade, while also setting new highs in several areas including department GPA, community service, and event attendance among others. Simply put, our programs are getting it done here on The Hill, all while remaining true to our core values, mission and commitment to serving others. I am so proud — as I am sure you are as well — but as you already know, the best is yet to come!

Over the past five weeks, we celebrated 158 graduating student-athletes at Commencement. We made stops in Washington, D.C., Boston and New York City for our third annual Coaches Road Show. We welcomed our alumni during Reunion Weekend and our fourth annual Coaches Home Show. Our Crusader family traveled far and wide as our athletes represented Holy Cross in Chapel Hill, N.C., Jacksonville, Fla., Camden, N.J. and Amherst, Va. throughout the spring postseason. During each of these moments, it has been incredible to witness the togetherness of our community, and the tenacity and pride of our student-athletes.

Just as remarkable is the generosity of our loyal alumni, fans, and families, whose contributions have been critical to our success. This support empowers our Crusaders to excel in the classroom and in competition. As of today, we have raised over $2.72 million with $980,000 remaining to reach our goal of raising $3.7 million through the Crusader Athletics Fund before June 30. Your partnership is essential in providing a co-curricular athletic experience that is truly world-class, sustained by our Jesuit, Catholic identity. This experience is central to the education our students receive on Mount St. James. Join with over 4,200 supporters and make your gift before the June 30 deadline. Your support is essential as we continue to reach for even greater heights!!

Below, you will read about more recent highlights and some ways to continue connecting with us in the coming weeks and months. Whether at an upcoming game or golf tournament, our Crusader Community Festival, or during an unexpected trip back to campus, I look forward to seeing you all soon! 

Go Cross Go! 

Kit Hughes

Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics

Feel free to reach out — any time — with your thoughts, questions or concerns on our “Be Heard” page!

Three Things To Know

 

NEWS AND UPDATES

UPCOMING EVENTS

Aug. 22 | Men’s Ice Hockey Golf Outing

Aug. 30 | Football Season Opener at Northern Illinois

Sept. 13 | Football Home Opener vs. Rhode Island

Sept. 14 | Crusader Community Festival | Women’s Soccer vs. Rhode Island at 2 p.m.

Oct. 4 | Football vs. Harvard | Homecoming

Oct. 25 | Football vs. Colgate | Hall of Fame Dinner

Nov. 1 | Football vs. Lafayette | Family Weekend

Nov. 22 | Football vs. Georgetown at Fenway Park

2025 Season Ticket Membership deposits are open now!

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
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CHARLOTTE – Charlotte Women’s Golf Head Coach C.C. McMahan has completed the 2025 recruiting class that features one freshman and two transfers. Emma Heyman and Wawa Booncharn join Charlotte after two seasons of college golf meanwhile Maia Hattrell signs as a freshman from England.

MCMAHAN ON THE NEWCOMERS

“We are thrilled to officially welcome these three outstanding young women to our program. Each one brings a unique spark that fits the culture we are committed to that is rooted in character, competitiveness, and a growth mindset.”

EMMA HEYMAN

Heyman comes to Charlotte after two seasons at Idaho. She competed in all 10 of the team’s tournaments in 2024-25 with a scoring average of 76.8, totaling two top 10 finishes. At the Bobcat Desert Classic, Heyman finished in ninth individually by shooting one under par.

A native of Oskarshamn, Sweden and graduate of Birgitta School, Heyman earned multiple top 10 finishes in the summer of 2023 including coming in second at the Galvin Green Junior Open. In 2022, she played on the Swedish Championship Team and Swedish Junior Team Championship.

“I want to thank Coach McMahan for the opportunity to become a Charlotte 49er,” said Heyman. “It is great to join a team that is supportive and motivated. I am pumped to get started in August and keep pushing to get better.”

WAWA BOONCHARN

After two years at New Mexico Junior College, Booncharn will join fellow Thailand native Pinky Chaisilprungruang at Charlotte. Booncharn finished the season as the 16th ranked individual in the NJCAA and fourth regionally in the Scoreboard by Clippd rankings. She totaled six top three finishes including a 302-71-9 win-loss record. For the season, her scoring average was 76.2.

MAIA HATTRELL

A native of Essex, England, Hattrell graduated from New Hall School and was a member of the West Essex Golf Club. Hattrell was the Essex Girl’s Championship Nett Winner and helped New Hall win the ISGA British Schools National Finals, with her career low round score of 74.

 

The Ducks will be represented by at least three players at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

There, Lukáš Dostál and Radko Gudas will reprise their roles from their 2024 World Championship triumph for Czechia while prospect Damian Clara will man the net for host nation Italy.

Dostál made an immense leap forward last season for the Ducks, when he routinely saved goals above expected as the team’s most outstanding and most consistent player. Gudas took a step back on the blue line from his superb first season on Katella Ave., but also assumed the role of captain for the first time, continued to deepen his community presence and played through injuries.

Both men participated in Czechia’s gold-medal victory on home soil in the spring of 2024, when Dostál dominated the tournament, including a shutout in the final and another in the quarterfinal round. Gudas contributed to that excellence as part of the Czech defense corps, and the team effort even extended beyond the ice.

“It was a very special moment for our team and for our country as well. We haven’t been able to do that in, I think, 40 years,” Gudas said. “Everybody in the Czech Republic was cheering for us and it got the whole country together rooting for one thing.”

For Dostál, it was a springboard toward a season that established him as an NHL starter and may make him a wealthy man as he negotiates a new contract during his pending restricted free agency. He edged out a pair of more established NHL netminders for the gig in goal last spring.

“Getting the chance, being the youngest, people might have thought I might not be able to handle it, but I really wanted to prove everybody wrong, to show that ‘I’m here, I’m ready,’” Dostál said.

Clara, a 20-year-old prospect goaltender whose journey has taken him from Italy to Austria to Sweden to San Diego, will almost assuredly be the lone North American pro among the Italians.

“I hope I can give my best for the team and give my best for the nation,” Clara said.

With competition opening up beyond the traditional seven or so powers in ice hockey, the Italians hope to join the Swiss, Germans and other rising European sides. While Clara said he felt the program had ground to cover to close the gap on even those up-and-comers, he was enthused at some talent in the pipeline and hoped to be an exemplar within the program.

“I hope I can be a little bit of a role model in that you don’t have to start out big, you just have to go somewhere, try your luck and give it your all,” Clara said. “I know I’m not supposed to be here, given where I came from.”

On Monday, each of the 12 qualifying countries named half a dozen participants, with the bulk of the rosters to be determined ahead of the February games. That could send additional Ducks to Italy. Most notably, new addition Chris Kreider skated for the United States at 4 Nations Face-Off, where promising pivot Leo Carlsson filled a depth role for Sweden.