Recruit Report takes a look at all the incoming student-athletes for each program ahead of their 2025-26 athletic season and highlights all incoming student-athletes who filled out the recruitment form available to them during the summer of their first season at Post University.

WATERBURY, Conn. -- Just over a week away from kicking off the 2025-26 season, Head Coach Tim Richter, who enters his fourth season at the helm of the Post University Men's Ice Hockey program, will have some new faces on his team with the addition of seven players, six of which are freshman with one sophomore in the mix as well. Post is coming off a historic season, tying their program record for most single-season wins at 11 with the 2021-22 team that made it all the way to the Northeast-10 Conference Championship Game, and setting numerous other records along the way.

Cayden Sweitzer
One of a few players from the Midwest, Cayden Sweitzer comes to the Eagles from Elgin, Illinois, and played hockey for both Burlington Central as well as the Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings for club hockey. Throughout his high school career, Sweitzer totaled 62 points, scoring 22 goals and adding 40 assists, while for his club team, he put up similar numbers. 

Will Hawkins
From nearby Rhode Island, Will Hawkins is another offensive weapon being added to Coach Richter's squad from Smithfield, where he also played for the Seahawks Hockey Club. In his senior season, Hawkins was named the Team MVP and finished with 16 points. 

James Hope
Joining Sweitzer from the Midwest as well is James Hope from Naperville, Illinois, where he attended Naperville North High School and the TPH Academy. Hope is no stranger to Connecticut either, as he played for the Connecticut Junior Rangers, where he played in 101 games, scoring 10 goals and adding 47 assists for 57 total points, while also having 200 penalty minutes. Hope's team won the USPHL National Championship in its second year with the team in 2024, and while attending Naperville North for two seasons, his team won their division in his sophomore year.

John Simon
Adding depth to the goalie position, John Simon comes from Fargo, North Dakota, and Northstar Christian Academy, located in Alexandria, Minnesota. Simon played club hockey for the Sheridan Hawks and over the course of his four seasons playing between high school and club, accumulated a 39-15-1 record in net. During his two high school seasons, Simon had a combined 22-10  record with a .907 save percentage and 1.875 goals-against average. The following two seasons with the Sheridan Hawks saw him register a 17-5-1 record with a .9175 save percentage with a 3.00 goals-against average. 

AJ Guzzardi
Native to Connecticut, AJ Guzzardi has spent the last three seasons playing hockey for the EHLP and EHL New Hampshire Avalanche after playing a season with Xavier High School in Connecticut. In three seasons, with the first two split between the Avalanches' EHLP and EHL teams, Guzzardi played in 75 total games, scoring 23 goals with 37 assists for 60 total points and only two penalty minutes as a right winger. Last season with the EHL team, he appeared in 45 games, splitting his goals and assists evenly with 14 each for a total of 28 points. 

TJ Haas
The lone player who enters as a sophomore, TJ Haas, transfers in from Division III Arcadia University in Pennsylvania. Haas is originally from Hartland, Wisconsin, having attended Arrowhead High School, where he was a three-year member of the team that finished with the best record in school history and won a conference championship. In his lone season with the Knights, Haas appeared in 12 games, scoring once and recording one assist for two points.

Cole Ranta
Another Connecticut Junior Ranger from the Midwest, Cole Ranta, hails from Marquette, Michigan, where he spent two seasons playing 23 games at Marquette Senior High back in 2019-20, scoring nine goals and adding five assists. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Ranta appeared in 23 more games for the squad, scoring eight times and assisting on 13 goals, while also playing seven games for the Kenai River Brown Bears 18U AAA Team. The freshman has also spent time with Belle Tire 18U AAA, the USPHL Premier's Florida Eels and Hudson Havoc, and, most recently, the Connecticut Junior Rangers, where he had 10 goals and 15 assists in 40 games.