MILTON, Mass. – The Curry College Hockey team enters the 2017-18 coming off a 2016-17 campaign that saw them earn a trip to the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) quarterfinals. The squad finished 2016-17 with a 14-10-2 overall record with a 11-5-2 mark in the CCC. The Colonels will count on their captains with a mix of experienced returners and talented newcomers to lead them this season. 

Read Head Coach TJ Manastersky's Season Outlook below:

Players To Watch On Your Team

Our team is led by our strong leadership, starting with our team captains: Defenseman, Phil Kiss will be counted on for his steady and reliable play in all situations. Jarret Kup brings an explosive skating style and offensive instincts and is looking to build on his Second Team All-Conference selection from last season. Forwards: Shane Tracy is a dynamic power forward who creates offense with physical ability and a great shot, Ryan Fitzgerald is a strong skater and physical player with a skill set to match. Adam Valadao protects the puck very well and has excellent vision making him one of the premier centerman in the league.

 

In addition to the captains, junior defenseman Mack Heisinger is building on his back-to-back Conference Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-Conference selections. He is a great shooter from the blue line and is important to our power play.

 

We have 11 freshman and it will be excited to watch them grow. We have two players (Viktor Jansson and Kasper Kjellkvist) who have never played a game in North America. They have a great hockey IQ and skill set so it will be fun to watch them adapt to the style of play. Both of them played in the very competitive Swedish Super Elite J20 league.

We expect that all the other freshman will contribute to our team on a nightly basis.

 

I expect us to keep getting better each week and use the leadership of our seniors and the enthusiasm from the younger players to help push our development. Our team has tremendous chemistry and I feel confident we will be able to maximize this group

 

Assistant Coach Mike MacDonald returns as the lead assistant. He brings tremendous experience as a player and character as a person. Having the opportunity to work together for another season allows us to do more things and hit the ground running. His role will continue to increase.

Curry alum, Joe Dawson '13 is back for his second season as a goaltenders coach. We are fortunate to have his passion for the Curry hockey program and how he provides excellent 1:1 coaching and support for our goaltenders. His coaching puts our goaltenders in position to reach their potential.

We are adding Dave Mackenzie to the coaching staff this year. His primary role will be as video coach and analytics. His work in the area will be crucial in helping us determine our strengths and weaknesses to help drive player development.

I feel very fortunate to be surrounded by such great people on my staff.