The Sacred Heart Pioneers fell just one goal short of the championship last season, a narrow miss that has set the stage for a major roster overhaul. In response, the program is bringing in eleven freshmen, each hoping to contribute immediately to a team hungry for its first Atlantic Hockey title.
A Fresh Batch of Talent
Coach Dan Lacroix has emphasized depth and versatility in the recruitment class, noting that the newcomers arrive from a variety of junior leagues across North America. Their diverse experiences are seen as a way to inject fresh energy into a program that has come close to the summit but has yet to cross it.
Among the arrivals, Brigley brings a proven offensive spark after five seasons with the Red Deer Rebels, where he captained the side in his final year and posted 38 points. Chouha, a Clark Cup champion with the USHL, adds 14 points from his junior career and brings a championship pedigree. Ashton Dahms, who transitioned from the Des Moines Buccaneers to the Tri‑City Storm, has already shown he can be a steady scorer, while Flynn led the Coquitlam Express with 49 points in his first full season on the West Coast.
Greenberg, a California native, made the jump from the BCHL to the OHL and topped the Owen Sound blueliners with 48 points, while Hanson secured second place on the Oil Kings with 24 goals and a +32 rating, underscoring his offensive upside. Taos Jordan spent the 2025‑26 campaign in the ECHL’s Jacksonville team, where he served as one of Duval’s top enforcers, and O’Brien, after a journeyman path through several clubs, now joins the Maine Nordiques.
Roberts, known for his physical play and a tie for the most penalty minutes in Owen Sound, and Semeniuk, who captured the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2024 with the Vancouver Giants, round out a group that also includes Emmanuel Vermette, who averaged over a point per game in his final two seasons with the Saguenéens and finished among the top four in goals, assists and points.
The coaching staff believes that the blend of offensive talent, defensive reliability and gritty competitiveness will give the Pioneers the depth needed to challenge the established powers in the Atlantic Hockey conference. With the new roster set to be announced on the athletics website, the team’s fans are eager to see how these fresh faces will mesh with the returning veterans and whether the added firepower can finally translate into a championship.