STANDISH, Maine – Fueled by a talented and deep roster and a breakout sophomore campaign from Remijo Wani, the Saint Joseph’s College men’s basketball team delivered its most successful season in over two decades in 2024–25. Under fourth-year head coach Tyler Ackley, the Monks captured their first GNAC Championship since 2008, returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 16 years, and posted a 24–5 overall record—the program’s highest win total since 1999. Behind a core of award-winning contributors and an 18-game winning streak, Saint Joseph’s emerged as one of the top teams in New England Division III, blending milestone individual performances with a long-awaited championship breakthrough.

REGULAR SEASON:

Saint Joseph’s opened the 2024–25 campaign with a 2–2 mark after splitting contests in the Wheaton College and WPI Ted Coughlin Memorial Tournaments. The Monks quickly found their rhythm, posting convincing wins over in-state rivals Husson (109–76), UMaine-Farmington (118–78), and Southern Maine (98–86) to improve to 5–2. The victories secured both the Alumni Cup and Costello Cup, respectively.

St. Joe’s suffered its lone GNAC loss on December 7th at the University of Saint Joseph before bouncing back with a 97–78 rout of Endicott and closing the calendar year with a tough road setback at Bates on December 30th.

The Monks started 2025 with a bang, winning the Middlebury College Invitational behind impressive victories over SUNY Cortland (83–69) and host Middlebury (93–82). Those wins sparked an 18-game winning streak—the second-longest in program history behind the 1999 team’s 23-game run.

As of the end of the season, Saint Joseph’s shares the longest active home winning streak in NCAA DIII Men’s Basketball (18 games) with Keene State. The Monks have not lost at the Harold Alfond Center since January 13, 2024 (vs. Albertus Magnus).

POSTSEASON:

Finishing the regular season with a 21–4 overall record and a 13–1 GNAC mark, the Monks earned the top seed in the conference tournament. They cruised through the playoffs with a 115–85 quarterfinal win over Mitchell and an 85–71 semifinal victory over Albertus Magnus, advancing to the GNAC Championship for the second-consecutive season and fourth time since joining the conference in 2007. Facing #2 Lasell in the title game, Saint Joseph’s battled through eight ties and nine lead changes before pulling away in the second half to claim its second GNAC title and first since 2008.

Remijo Wani was named GNAC Tournament MVP after averaging 27.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 56.9% (29-51) from the field, 46.2% (12-26) from beyond the arc, and 92.3% (12-13) from the line during the three-game championship run.

The Monks faced #15 Redlands University (CA) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament and suffered a season-ending 89–79 setback to the eventual Elite 8 qualifiers, who fell to national runner-up NYU.

NOTEWORTHY INDIVIDUALS:

Following the season, Saint Joseph’s players earned a slew of postseason honors. Sophomore guard Remijo Wani became the program’s first All-American since 2001–02 and collected numerous accolades, including NABC All-District First Team, D3hoops.com All-Region First Team, GNAC Player of the Year, MMBCWA Player of the Year, and First Team All-Conference and All-State honors. Wani led the GNAC in points per 40 minutes (25.9), ranked second in total points (530), field goals made (201), and free throw percentage (88.6%), and placed top 10 in several other categories, including three-pointers made (5th, 67), points per game (6th, 18.3), steals (6th, 49), field goal percentage (9th, 50.6%), and assists (9th, 87).

Freshman guard Silvano Ismail emerged as one of the most impactful rookies in program history, earning GNAC Rookie of the Year, MMBCWA Rookie of the Year, Second Team All-Conference, and 17 total GNAC and MMBCWA weekly awards. He ranked third in the conference in assists (119) and field goal percentage (56.4%), fourth in three-point percentage (42.6%), sixth in steals (50), and eighth in points (445). Ismail also landed in the top 10 in free throws made (100), field goals made (158), and offensive rebounds (55).

Ismail’s first-year totals rank first all-time among SJC freshmen in assists (119) and assists per game (4.4), third in free throws made (100) and free throw percentage (.781), fourth in total points (445) and three-point percentage (.426), and fifth in field goal percentage (.564), rebounds (182), rebounds per game (6.7), steals (50), points per game (16.5), and steals per game (1.9).

Ismail also became the fifth player in program history – and first since 2019 – to register a triple-double when he delivered 15 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in a victory over Mitchell College on February 26th, 2025.

Junior forward Wani Donato became the first player in program history to earn GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and was also named to the MMBCWA All-Defensive Team. He averaged 14.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game while ranking fifth in the GNAC in field goal percentage (55.0%).

Junior guard John Paul Frazier earned Second Team All-GNAC honors after leading the league in three-pointers made (97) and ranking fifth in three-point percentage (41.4%), eighth in points (434), and 13th in field goals made (148). He reached two major milestones in 2025: netting his 200th career three-pointer in a win over Elms on January 25th and becoming the 45th player in team history—and just the 14th junior—to score 1,000 career points, doing so in his 71st career game during a win at Emmanuel on February 12th.

Senior guard Julian Llopiz wrapped up his collegiate career averaging 11.1 points per game and ranking third on the team with 53 made three-pointers. Despite having never started a game prior, he reached the 1,000-point milestone with a 24-point outburst in just 16 minutes against Norwich on February 18th. Llopiz also finishes among the program’s all-time leaders in career three-pointers made (197).

Finally, fourth-year Head Coach Tyler Ackley was named the 2025 GNAC and MMBCWA Coach of the Year after leading the Monks to their most successful season since 1999. Since taking the helm prior to the 2021–22 campaign, Ackley has orchestrated an impressive program turnaround. Saint Joseph’s improved from a 9–18 mark in his first season to 15–12 with a GNAC Tournament win in 2022–23, followed by an 18–10 record and a GNAC runner-up finish in 2023–24, culminating in a 24–5 season and a conference championship in 2024–25.

RECORDS & MILESTONES:

Team Season Record: most three-point field goals attempted (896)

SJC Single-Season Record: Remijo Wani – free-throw percentage record, .897 (61-68)

Remijo Wani: 300 field goals made (320), 100 three-pointers made (101), 800 points (838), 300 rebounds (320), 150 assists (150)

Wani Donato: 300 field goals made (333), 700 points (799), 400 rebounds (427)

John Paul Frazier: 1,000 points (1,094), 200 three-pointers made (239), 300 rebounds (309), 100 assists (113)

Julian Llopiz: 1000 points (1,032), 300 field goals made (346)

Teagan Hynes: 200 field goals made (201), 500 points (559), 300 rebounds (209), 250 assists (286)

NCAA RANKINGS:

Team: The Monks ranked second in NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball in assists per game (22.6), fourth in rebound margin (+11.2), fifth in scoring offense (91.4) and rebounds per game (44.72), and seventh in both defensive rebounds per game (30.28) and scoring margin (+15.6). They also placed ninth in field goal percentage (48.4%) and three-pointers per game (11.1), 10th in three-point attempts per game (30.9), 14th in winning percentage (82.8%), and 18th in offensive rebounds per game (14.45).

Individual: John Paul Frazier ranked fifth in NCAA DIII in three-pointers made (94), eighth in three-point attempts (227), 12th in three-pointers per game (3.24), and 22nd in three-point percentage (41.4%)

This article is part of a series of stories stemming from a lengthy interview with Colorado College coach Kris Mayotte in mid-June.

Over the past week, Colorado College hockey has revealed several players on its incoming class for the 2025-2026 season. 

Earlier this month, Tigers coach Kris Mayotte called the incoming group the “best class we’ve had since I’ve gotten here.”

To recap the announcements, CC officially welcomed forwards Merril Steenari, Connor Hvidston, Tomas and Mateo Mrsic, Brayden Schuurman, Ryan Alexander, Wilson Björck, Brandon Lisowsky, as well as defensemen Seth Constance and Colton Roberts, and goaltender Jackson Unger.

The full list of incoming Tigers has not officially been revealed as the process is ongoing. That’s due in part to a change to college hockey this season, which allows players from the Canadian Hockey League to be eligible for the NCAA. 

On Nov. 7, the NCAA Division-I Council voted that players who skated in one of the Canadian Hockey League’s three leagues — the Western Hockey League, the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, and the Ontario Hockey League — could play in the NCAA this upcoming season, provided they were not compensated beyond necessary expenses before college. 

Previously, CHL players were considered professional and could not skate for NCAA teams.

According to Mayotte, the inclusion of CHL players beginning in November has extended the recruiting season. 

“We basically built this class, the majority of it, starting in March,” he said. 

CC has taken full advantage of the change, bringing in a bevy of skaters from the WHL. 

As previously reported, CC welcomed Tomas Mrsic June 19, the leading scorer for the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders a season ago. Hvidston earned 56 points on 19 goals and 37 assists for the Calgary Hitmen, also in the WHL. Lisowsky was a top-10 goal scorer in the league, playing for the Saskatoon Blades and the Victoria Royals last season. He earned a total of 74 points on 40 goals and 34 assists. Roberts played for the Vancouver Giants, earning 36 points on six goals and 30 assists. Schuurman played for the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Seattle Thunderbirds. He recorded 38 points on 13 goals and 25 assists. Finally, Unger comes to CC by way of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, where he posted a .909 save percentage. He was also at Moose Jaw where he had a .887 save percentage. 

In recruiting these new players, Mayotte reaffirmed his commitment to bringing in talent whose values align with the Tigers’ program. 

“We know there’s a whole new crop of players available to college hockey, but we wanted to make sure and be really intentional that we weren’t simply chasing a points total,” he said. “You still need to make sure you’re recruiting the right people and the right players and the right guys for your locker room.”

Mayotte credited assistant John Lidgett with spearheading the team’s recruiting efforts in this unique offseason, saying his knowledge of Western Canada, the coaches, agents, and families therein, has been crucial to the creation of this incoming class and making sure that the new Tigers have character as well as talent. 

The team hopes for great contributions from the newcomers outside the WHL as well. Björck’s arrival was first reported in April . He was the second-highest scorer in Sweden’s J20 Nationell league with 67 points on 28 goals and 39 assists.

Steenari played in the United States Hockey League last season, earning 41 points on 29 goals and 12 assists for the Fargo Force. 

Alexander and Constance are the team’s additions from the transfer portal. Constance, a rising sophomore, played for Northeastern University last season. Alexander comes to CC from National Collegiate Hockey Conference foe Arizona State where the rising senior earned eight points on three goals and five assists.

Björck selected by Vancouver, adds to several NHL picks skating for Tigers 

Wilson Björck was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the fifth round of the 2025 NHL draft on Saturday. 

Here’s a list of CC Tigers who will have an NHL Logo next to their name on game days:

Returners

Klavs Veinbergs (Tampa Bay, 2022, seventh round)

Owen Beckner (Ottawa, 2023, seventh round)

Fisher Scott (Detroit, 2024, seventh round)

Newcomers 

Tomas Mrsic (St. Louis, 2024, fourth round)

Connor Hvidston (Anaheim, 2022, fifth round)

Wilson Björck (Vancouver, 2025, fifth round)

Brandon Lisowsky (Toronto, 2022, seventh round)

Colton Roberts (San Jose, 2024, fifth round)

Petr Mrazek’s goaltending odyssey now takes him to the Anaheim Ducks. Essentially John Gibson’s less expensive replacement, Mrazek will be counted on to play quite a bit as a backup to Lukáš Dostál so that his young countryman doesn’t wear down in the No. 1 role.

“We’re certainly going to be counting on him for at least 30 starts,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. “I think the cool thing is Lukáš and Petr, they were teammates at the world championships. They’re very familiar with one another. They’re good friends.

“Petr’s very competitive. Having that relationship, I feel that they’re going to push each other real hard to be the best. I think it’ll be a good tandem.”

At times inconsistent and unpredictable in his 13-year career with five teams, the 33-year-old Mrazek will have some work to do as the Ducks had a strong tandem of Dostál and Gibson in their 21-point improvement over 2023-24 that put them on the fringe of playoff contention in the second half of the season. Mrazek finished the season with the Detroit Red Wings – his second stint with the club – after making 33 starts with the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Ducks saw Dostál ascend into a full-fledged No. 1 goalie last season but also witnessed him wear down in the second half as his numbers began to plummet. Mrazek has a career .906 save percentage but he’s been a sub-.900 goalie in three of the last four seasons.

“Seeing Lukáš play 54 games probably helped last year,” Verbeek said. “I’m not sure (or) ecstatic that I want him to play that many. It’s a lot of games and so bringing in Mrazek, he’s carried the load for different teams at different times. That experience that he has in that area made it more comfortable to be able to do that.

“We had a really good tandem and I wasn’t really crazy about breaking up the tandem. But I think with getting a goaltender that I felt comfortable with coming back that could support Lukáš made the difference.”

BOSTON — James Hagens hasn’t decided whether he’ll be back at Boston College for his sophomore season or whether he’d ready to turn pro yet.

After earning All-Rookie status in Hockey East as a freshman at Boston College, the Bruins picked Hagens with the No. 7 overall pick in Friday’s NHL Draft.

Barring an injury, he’s likely to spend at most one more year in Chestnut Hill, but if he and the Bruins, both agreed he was ready, he could turn pro now.

Last month Hagens was non-committal about his future before he knew what team he’d be with.

“Just have to see what happens. There’s no decision made yet,” Hagens said on a Tuesday morning Zoom call. “That’s a discussion that me and my family and the team would have to have after the draft.”

On Friday, he offered a similar response.

“It’s a talk that sure I’ll have with the staff when I, when I see them,” he said. “Good thing is it’s right down the street from each other, so yeah, I’m glad it all worked out.”

But pushed a little, he admitted he was eager said he’s gained weight and strength since he got to Boston College.

“I wanna play in the NHL as soon as possible,” he said. “That’s a conversation with the team, whether I’m doing that now or once the season’s once the college season’s over, that’s a conversation we have to have.”

Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney liked the enthusiasm, but pumped the breaks a bit.

“He will come right back and join us for development camp and we’ll just incrementally have discussions about where he’s at,” Sweeney said. “There will be no hurry to try and fast-track James. I’d say about every player. If somewhere between now and then that changes and we feel differently about it, as we’re evaluating, we may make that decision. I know He’d like to play right away. I’m sure every guy that was drafted tonight thinks they might be able to play in the National Hockey League, but we’ll allow that to take a more natural course and make the right decision.”

Hagens played at BC last year with Dean Letourneau, Boston’s first-round pick in 2024 as well as Oskar Jellvik and Andre Gasseau, who were later-round Bruins picks. There were 12 NHL Draft picks on the Eagles roster in 2024-25.

Bruins’ 2023 seventh-rounder Kristian Kostadinksi will be a freshman next year at the Heights.

Hagens, who was at the NHL Draft in Los Angeles, is expected to be at Bruins Develoment Camp on Monday at Warrior Arena. College players can attend development camps, but need to be signed to attend training camp.

It was a long wait to get to the first pick of the 2025 NHL draft for the Colorado Avalanche, but yet not as long as expected. As the Charlie Coyle trade provided the club with an extra selection at 77th overall in the third round. In addition to the two picks they already held in the fourth and seventh rounds, Colorado ended up with a three-pick draft class. Let’s meet the new Avalanche prospects.

77th Overall – LD Francesco Dell’Elce – UMass (NCAA) – 40 GP: 7G, 17A, 24P

With that pick the Avalanche selected Francesco Dell’Elce, a six-foot-one left shot defenseman who currently plays at UMass. He just turned 20-years-old so this means Dell’Elce was first draft eligible in 2023. He was playing at St. Andrews College, a prep school in Canada, at that time and not quite on the radar. Dell’Elce subsequently spent a year in the BCHL with the Penticton Vees before beginning his NCAA career.

Dell’Elce broke out in his freshman year at UMass putting up 24 points and averaged over 20 minutes time on ice as a freshman. With that resume he was ranked 82rd for North American skaters by NHL Central scouting and thus, expected to hear his name called this time around.

Colorado loves their overagers as a way to shortcut development and have made that investment in third round picks in previous years. Dell’Elce projects to be a similar type transition defenseman similar to Sam Malinski so perhaps the organization has found a prototype they can be successful with.

118th Overall – RD Linus Funck – Luelå J20 (Sweden) – 48 GP: 5G, 23A, 28P

In what’s clearly an effort to rebuild their prospect pool on the back end, the Avalanche selected another defenseman in the fourth round. This time they deviated from their typical strategy and looked to the Swedish junior ranks to find a big six-foot-three right handed defenseman.

Funck is a first year draft eligible at 18-years-old and was a bit of a favorite in the scouting community as someone who can play a two-way game and is growing into his large frame. He had an upward trajectory on his junior team this season and hopefully gets to keep developing in Sweden before reaching North America. Funck was the 39th ranked European skater by NHL Central Scouting.

214th Overall – LC Nolan Roed – Tri-City (USHL) – 61 GP: 27G, 33A, 60P

For the last pick in their 2025 draft class, the Avalanche went back to their familiar roots with a overage pick on the NCAA path. Left-shot center Nolan Roed had a breakout campaign in Tri-City where he led the team with 60 points and was ranked 135th for North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. The five-foot-eleven 19-year old is expected to attend St. Cloud State for the 2025-26 season giving the Avalanche yet another prospect to follow in the NCAA.

Welcome to Colorado, hope to see them all at development camp!