NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY | Thursday, August 8th – 2021: The Niagara University Purple Eagles are proud to announce the 10th and final addition to their 2021-2022 incoming recruiting class, forward Kellan Rosenbaum. Rosenbaum, 22, spent the entirety of last season competing within Marian University’s NCAA Division 3 ice hockey program in Wisconsin. The Niagara On-The-Lake, Ontario native was set to begin partaking in classes / on-ice workouts with the Purple Eagles, last fall. However, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, he sought out an opportunity that would allot him guaranteed game-action throughout the 2020-2021 regular season. Just a season ago, Rosenbaum led the Niagara Whalers in scoring with an impressive 103 points in just 43 regular season games. In addition to his statistical success, he served as their captain and team-voted MVP. He is expected to step-in and make an immediate impact on the lineup, right out of the gate.

Head Coach, Tom Mooradian had this to say about the newest Purple Eagle to land on Monte Eagle Ridge:

“Kellan is a tremendous competitor with a substantial amount of offensive upside, all-while possessing a very unique 3-zone hockey IQ. When he and his family originally reached out and expressed interest in returning to Niagara in the fall, we were happy to welcome him back with open arms. He is the type of player that provides us with versatility from top to bottom. He can score, create plays, generate a tremendous amount of offensive buzz etc. Yet, he’s an incredibly disciplined hockey player who’s hard on pucks, unforgiving on the forecheck and incredibly defensively responsible. When our captain [David Christopher] originally approached me back in 2019 about Kellan, he was very high on his former teammate’s on-ice ability. For us, it’s his overall completeness as a player that has the coaching staff excited for his upcoming debut as a Purple Eagle. If we expect to contend for an NECHL championship and shot at the ACHA Division 1 Men’s National Tournament each and every year, Kellan is going to be one of the players who we rely on the most.”

Rosenbaum will compliment an offense that has been rebuilt from the graduation of former captains Ryan Peters, Chris Gasiewicz, David Fish and Robbie McNamara. He will join Tristan Taillefer, AJ Campbell, Rylan Clemons, Austin Robinson, David Bunn, Connor Dunn and Zachary Hauseman on the list of Niagara forwards set to make their in-uniform debut during the ’21-’22 season.

Kellan Rosenbaum on why he chose to land back at Niagara:

“Being able to get a first-class education while continuing to play hockey on an amazing campus like Niagara made the decision unanimous. It’s a perfect fit.”

Covid-19 has taken a major chunk out of Niagara’s hockey protocol over the last 12 months. However, it’s evident that they’re doing everything they can to ensure an optimal compete level once they do eventually return to game-action in September of this year. As of last week, the team has resumed on-ice workouts in a limited capacity, here at Dwyer Arena. They are set to return to full-team practices at the beginning of next week, barring any changes in Covid-19 protocol. Follow our social media pages for the latest team updates as we navigate through the back-half of this year. [@NUachaD1]