While there weren't any New England Division 1 programs in the Frozen Four, that doesn't mean it was a lost season in local college hockey.
Far from it.
Plenty of local teams had big seasons — and it wasn't the usual suspects. While Providence College had a big season in Hockey East and won the regular season, Merrimack had a stunning turnaround to win the Hockey East postseason championship.
In the ECAC, it was all about Dartmouth. And Bentley won it all in Atlantic Hockey again.
There were some big individual performances, too.
Here we salute the region's best in Division 1 men's college hockey.
Hockey East Player of the Year
James Hagens, Boston College
Hagens followed up a solid freshman season by becoming Hockey East's leading scorer as a sophomore, logging 23 goals and 47 points in 34 games. The Hauppauge, N.Y., native increased his production by 12 goals and 10 points year-over-year and finished the season on a 14-game point streak, which included a Beanpot MVP-winning performance in February. He also ended his season at TD Garden, signing an entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins, who drafted him seventh overall last summer.
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Hockey East Coach of the Year
Scott Borek, Merrimack
Borek (Swampscott, Mass.) guided Merrimack on an impressive second-half turnaround and Hockey East playoff run in March. After sitting at 5-10-0 on Dec. 6, the Warriors — with 20 freshmen and sophomores on the roster — lost just six times the rest of the way (16-6-2) and claimed their first-ever Hockey East championship. The playoff path for Borek's team included beating the top three seeds on the way to the Lamoriello Trophy, a feat that no team in league history had previously accomplished.
Hockey East Goalie of the Year
Michael Hrabal, Massachusetts
Hrabal was a unanimous first-team All-Hockey East and an All-American selection, and it's easy to see why. The 6-foot-7 junior from Czechia posted a 1.95 goals-against average and .937 save percentage on the season, ranking in the top-five nationally in both categories. He finished with a 19-9-1 record, but earned 13 of those victories after Jan. 1, backstopping the Minutemen to second place in Hockey East and a return trip to Championship Weekend at TD Garden. He allowed more than two goals in a game only twice during the 18-game run at the end of the year.
Hockey East Rookie of the Year
Parker Lalonde, MerrimackÂ
Lalonde led Hockey East freshmen with a team-high 37 points (13 goals) in 38 games. The forward finished tied for third in scoring among Hockey East skaters and tied for second in the league with 24 assists. After nine points in his first 14 games, Lalonde caught fire, putting up 27 points (nine goals) in 24 games after Dec. 12, as the Warriors won their first Hockey East title, qualifying for the NCAA tournament.
ECAC Hockey Player of the Year
Hayden Stavroff, Dartmouth
Stavroff was the leading offensive force for Dartmouth on the way to its ECAC Hockey championship, scoring a career-high 29 goals – four more than any player in the country – and 48 points in 35 games as only a sophomore. The Ohio native finished the season with two hat tricks and eight games with at least three points. He is Dartmouth's second-ever Hobey Baker Award finalist and first All-American since 2007.
ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year
Reid Cashman, Dartmouth
The Spencer Penrose Award winner as National Coach of the Year, Cashman led the Big Green to its first-ever ECAC Hockey title and first NCAA appearance since 1980. The program's steady improvement under Cashman reached new heights as Dartmouth won a program-record 23 games. While finishing as one of the nation's top defensive teams (2.1 goals per game, 88.6 percent penalty kill), Dartmouth also had a pair of 40-point scoring sophomores in Stavroff, a Hobey Baker Award finalist, and Brunswick grad Hank Cleaves (Riverside, Conn.).
ECAC Hockey Goalie of the Year
Emmett Croteau, Dartmouth
A year after sharing the net with fellow junior Roan Clarke, Croteau carried the goaltending load during Dartmouth's historic season. He went 15-5-4 with a 1.93 goals-against average and .922 save percentage while playing in 24 of the team's 35 games, repeating as a second-team All-ECAC Hockey honoree. Croteau stopped pucks at a .953 clip during the postseason, shutting out Clarkson – his former team – in the ECAC semifinal in Lake Placid, N.Y.
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ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year
Ethan Wyttenbach, Quinnipiac
Wyttenbach arrived at Quinnipiac following a standout USHL season and took college hockey by storm, becoming just the fifth freshman since 2000 to lead the country in scoring with his 59 points in 40 games (1.48 points per game). That point total tied Quinnipiac’s single-season program record. He was also the first Bobcat to record a 25-goal season since 2007, highlighted by a hat trick against archrival Yale in February.
Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year
Felix Trudeau, Sacred Heart
Trudeau put together one of the finest seasons in Sacred Heart history, emerging as a Hobey Baker Award finalist for his efforts in leading the Pioneers to a program-record 23 wins and an appearance in the AHA title game. The Maine transfer netted 25 goals, including a nation-best 12 goals and five game-winners. He led the conference and set a career-high with 48 points and led all Division 1 forwards with 158 shots on goal.
Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year
Andy Jones, Bentley
Jones led the Falcons on another undefeated run to their second consecutive Atlantic Hockey championship in 2026, but got to host the title game for the first time by virtue of claiming the regular-season crown. Jones has built the best defensive team in the league in each of his three seasons at the helm, boasting a second straight Best Defensive Forward winner in Kellan Hjartarson. Top-scoring Winchendon product Jake Black (Pomfret, Conn.) was a first-team All-AHA selection.
Atlantic Hockey Goalie of the Year
Ajeet Gundarah, Sacred Heart
Despite missing more than two months in the middle of the season due to injury, Gundarah led Atlantic Hockey with a .928 save percentage and 2.10 goals-against average. He ranked seventh and 10th nationally in those respective categories. The sophomore finished with a 13-7-1 record, winning seven of his last nine appearances. The late-season surge included a semifinal series-clinching shutout, one of his two on the season.
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Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year
Lukas Swedin, Bentley
Swedin didn't make his first collegiate appearance until Nov. 1, but wound up becoming the go-to goalie for Bentley for much of another Atlantic Hockey title-winning season. He finished 14-7-4 with a 2.13 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in 25 games, pitching his first two career shutouts during the postseason. His stellar debut season included AHA All-Rookie and All-Tournament Team honors. The 5-foot-10, 151-pound netminder was a freshman this past season and projects to be huge for Bentley next season.
