Can Vermont Finally Climb Out of the Hockey East Basement? Season Preview

To locate Vermont among the top three teams in the Hockey East standings, you’d have to refer back to the 2007-08 season, the one and only occurrence. Across the last four seasons, the Catamounts finished dead last in three.

Needless to say, success hasn’t come easily. Every year is a fresh slate, but it hasn’t exactly felt like it for Vermont. Every preseason poses a similar question: Is this the year things turn around?

Given the current state of the team, the answer remains the same: unlikely. Vermont is coming off another forgettable season with just one goal scorer and two assisters reaching the double-digits. On the bright side, both players representing those marks are returning for 2026-27.

Junior forward Colin Kessler was the star of the show, racking up 10 goals and 16 assists to lead the Catamounts in both categories. The Alaska product has topped the team in scoring during both of his collegiate seasons, so it’s a good bet he’ll do it again.

Kessler’s prowess is crucial, but he cannot do it himself. Sophomore Cedrick Guindon was the only other player to hit double-digits in either stat with his 10 assists during his freshman season. It’s going to take another handful of stellar first-year players to move the needle this time around.

Based on the numbers, it’s hard not to be excited about Felix Lacerte. The 20-year-old has been producing at absurdly high levels for years on end in the QMJHL. He played four seasons with the Shawinigan Cataractes, recording a whopping 276 points in that time. He consistently increased his goal tally every season, up to a 38-goal, 48-assist campaign most recently.

Logan Renkowski is the other exciting freshman forward arriving fresh off a USHL title with the Sioux Falls Stampede. After years of limited production across other teams, the 5-foot-9 winger had a true breakout season with 43 goals and 20 assists, along with eight goals in 13 playoff games.

The two first-year defensemen to watch are Matej Teply and Andoni Fimis. Teply, from Stamford, Conn., is staying local to New England and brings a full season of USHL experience with both the Sioux City Musketeers and Youngstown Phantoms. Fimis is a right-handed defenseman who bagged seven goals and 26 assists for the OHL’s London Knights last season.

In terms of transfers, the Catamounts brought in four potential difference-makers. A new goaltender, Dylan Silverstein, is the projected starter upon his move from Quinnipiac. He posted a 10-6-1 record and a .912 save percentage for a Bobcats team that was one of the best in the nation. He looks to take the job from the incumbent sophomore Aiden Wright, who did what he could with the worst scoring defense in the conference.

Vermont did manage to poach Robert Morris’ two-year captain, Cameron Garvey. He registered 25 points in the AHA last season, and it would be a big help to the forward core if he can do more of the same.

Michael Hagens, the brother of Boston Bruins rookie James Hagens, transferred from Boston College to fill a spot defensively. He appeared in nearly every single game across two years with the Eagles, so that HEA experience cannot be understated. Defenseman David Jesus from Alaska-Anchorage rounds out the transfer class.

Forward Jonah Aegerter and defenseman Sebastian Tornqvist will be important returners for the Catamounts. Aegerter posted a matching stat line of seven goals and assists apiece in his freshman season. Tornqvist transferred in from UMass and provided 13 points from his perch on the blue line, good for third-most on the team.

Jens Richards, Thomas Sinclair and Massimo Lombardi are the biggest losses, as the trio dispersed across three different ECHL teams following their college careers. They combined for 14 goals and 18 assists, tallies that should be manageable to replace with the incoming additions.

Steve Wiedler enters his fourth season at the helm with his best finish thus far being ninth place out of the 11 Hockey East teams in 2023-24. Wiedler is attempting to shift the reputation of “The Gut” back toward one of the hardest arenas to play across all of college hockey. Given recent results, expectations aren’t extremely high, but Vermont yearns for a program-altering campaign right about now.

Back at the Gut in no time!#802Hockey pic.twitter.com/5Xl8YQh0w0
— UVM Men's Hockey (@UVMmhockey) July 31, 2026

The School
Location: Burlington, Vermont
Founded: 1791
Enrollment: 13,861
Nickname: Catamounts
Colors: Catamount Green and Gold
Arena: Gutterson Fieldhouse (4,035)

The Team
Coach: Steve Wiedler, 4th season (37-61-7)
2025-26 record: 13-21-1 (8-15-1)
Last NCAA Tournament appearance: 2014
Last Frozen Four: 2009
Last national championship: None
Last conference titles: None
Key departures: F Jens Richards, F Thomas Sinclair, F Massimo Lombardi
Key returning players: F Colin Kessler, F Jonah Aegerter, D Sebastian Tornqvist
Top newcomers: G Dylan Silverstein, F Felix Lacerte, F Cameron Garvey

This is the eighth story in a series of season and conference previews for the upcoming 2026-27 season. Check out the previous story on Boston University.

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