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HOBART HOCKEY 2026-2027; from Hunted to Hunter
- Thread starter Bartman
- Start date
From the Finger Lakes Times(6/17/25)
The Hobart hockey-to-France pipeline continues as two more Statesmen are headed overseas to begin their professional careers.
Goaltender Damon Beaver ’26 and forward Kahlil Fontana ’26 have signed with Yetis du Mont-Blanc of France’s Division I Hockey League, allowing the longtime teammates to continue playing together in the French Alps.
“I’m really excited for these two,” Hobart Head Coach Mark Taylor said. “It’s great to get paid to continue to play, to do it in Mont Blanc, in the French Alps, is a bonus, but to do it with a current teammate and best friend will be memories for a lifetime.”
Beaver and Fontana become the third and fourth members of Hobart’s Class of 2026 to sign professional contracts in France. Forward Tanner Daniels signed with Cholet, while Mavrick Goyer will play in Valenciennes. Over the past two years, seven Statesmen have moved on to play professionally in France. Former Hobart standout Zach Tyson ’22, MSM’23, also played for Mont Blanc during the 2023-24 season.
Beaver leaves Hobart following one of the most decorated careers in program history. The 2026 Sid Watson Award winner posted a 20-1 record this season with a 0.99 goals-against average, a .951 save percentage, and seven shutouts. He led the nation in winning percentage, goals-against average, save percentage and shutouts.
Over 79 career games, Beaver compiled a 73-5-1 record with 26 shutouts, a 1.02 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage. He set Hobart career records for wins, shutouts and save percentage, while also establishing the NCAA Division III career record for shutouts.
Fontana, a team captain, earned AHCA All-America East First Team honors following his senior season. He led Hobart with 21 goals and finished second on the team with 42 points in 31 games. He matched a program record by scoring four goals in a game during a win over Skidmore and ranked among the nation’s leaders in both goals and points per game.
The 2025 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Fontana, finished his Hobart career with 88 points on 42 goals and 46 assists in 116 games. He was also named the SUNYAC Men’s Hockey Scholar-Athlete of the Year in April.
Beaver and Fontana were key members of a senior class that set a program record with 116 wins and a .944 winning percentage. During their careers, the Statesmen reached four national championship games, captured three NCAA Division III national titles, and posted a perfect 68-0 record at home in The Cooler.
The Hobart hockey-to-France pipeline continues as two more Statesmen are headed overseas to begin their professional careers.
Goaltender Damon Beaver ’26 and forward Kahlil Fontana ’26 have signed with Yetis du Mont-Blanc of France’s Division I Hockey League, allowing the longtime teammates to continue playing together in the French Alps.
“I’m really excited for these two,” Hobart Head Coach Mark Taylor said. “It’s great to get paid to continue to play, to do it in Mont Blanc, in the French Alps, is a bonus, but to do it with a current teammate and best friend will be memories for a lifetime.”
Beaver and Fontana become the third and fourth members of Hobart’s Class of 2026 to sign professional contracts in France. Forward Tanner Daniels signed with Cholet, while Mavrick Goyer will play in Valenciennes. Over the past two years, seven Statesmen have moved on to play professionally in France. Former Hobart standout Zach Tyson ’22, MSM’23, also played for Mont Blanc during the 2023-24 season.
Beaver leaves Hobart following one of the most decorated careers in program history. The 2026 Sid Watson Award winner posted a 20-1 record this season with a 0.99 goals-against average, a .951 save percentage, and seven shutouts. He led the nation in winning percentage, goals-against average, save percentage and shutouts.
Over 79 career games, Beaver compiled a 73-5-1 record with 26 shutouts, a 1.02 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage. He set Hobart career records for wins, shutouts and save percentage, while also establishing the NCAA Division III career record for shutouts.
Fontana, a team captain, earned AHCA All-America East First Team honors following his senior season. He led Hobart with 21 goals and finished second on the team with 42 points in 31 games. He matched a program record by scoring four goals in a game during a win over Skidmore and ranked among the nation’s leaders in both goals and points per game.
The 2025 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Fontana, finished his Hobart career with 88 points on 42 goals and 46 assists in 116 games. He was also named the SUNYAC Men’s Hockey Scholar-Athlete of the Year in April.
Beaver and Fontana were key members of a senior class that set a program record with 116 wins and a .944 winning percentage. During their careers, the Statesmen reached four national championship games, captured three NCAA Division III national titles, and posted a perfect 68-0 record at home in The Cooler.
Just starting to wake up to the coming 2026-27 Hobart season. The team roster is already up. The good news is the returning team scored 66% of the goals last year. The challenge is someone has to fill Beaver's skates, but with the Hobart Defense, the transition should be easier. So Hamilton gets 2 million $$ grant from the state to spruce up their rink, unfortunately HWS did not. So, the longest home ice winning streak will have to be extended the way the Cooler is. It has been working for us so far 
The 2026-27 season is only a few weeks away. A recent article ranked Hobart as the No.1 program in D3 Hockey . The Cooler is looking forward to hosting a new season and continuing its NCAA record winning streak of 69 games
Last week, Frank Zawrazky of The Hockey News recognized Hobart's recent run of success. In his article, he talks about the Statesmen's achievements both in the classroom and on the ice. Zawrazky also mentions the recent establishment of the Thomas B. Poole '61 and Family Head Coach of Hobart Hockey in honor of Mark Taylor and what that means for the program. Zawrazki also noted about Hobart's reputation and winning culture and how that attracts recruits.
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Hobart has gone 136-12-4. The Statesmen have won three national championships, been to four straight national title games, captured four straight conference tournament titles (3 NEHC, 1 SUNYAC) and been to five NCAA tournaments. Hobart has won 69 straight games on its home ice, a record across all divisions of college hockey. The Class of 2026 contributed heavily to that run, going 116-6-2, including a perfect 68-0-0 at The Cooer. Hobart has been selected to 11 straight NCAA tournaments, the longest active streak in Division III.
The accolades have piled up for the Statesmen over the past five seasons. Taylor has been named the national coach of the year three times and Damon Beaver '26 won the Sid Watson Award last year as the national player of the year. Fifteen players have garnered AHCA All-America East recognition and 31 have earned all-conference recognition, including 11 conference players and rookies of the year. Nine Statesmen have signed to play professionally in Europe after graduation, highlighted by Matthew Iasenza '25 helping Cholet capture the French Division I championship last year.
Last week, Frank Zawrazky of The Hockey News recognized Hobart's recent run of success. In his article, he talks about the Statesmen's achievements both in the classroom and on the ice. Zawrazky also mentions the recent establishment of the Thomas B. Poole '61 and Family Head Coach of Hobart Hockey in honor of Mark Taylor and what that means for the program. Zawrazki also noted about Hobart's reputation and winning culture and how that attracts recruits.
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Hobart has gone 136-12-4. The Statesmen have won three national championships, been to four straight national title games, captured four straight conference tournament titles (3 NEHC, 1 SUNYAC) and been to five NCAA tournaments. Hobart has won 69 straight games on its home ice, a record across all divisions of college hockey. The Class of 2026 contributed heavily to that run, going 116-6-2, including a perfect 68-0-0 at The Cooer. Hobart has been selected to 11 straight NCAA tournaments, the longest active streak in Division III.
The accolades have piled up for the Statesmen over the past five seasons. Taylor has been named the national coach of the year three times and Damon Beaver '26 won the Sid Watson Award last year as the national player of the year. Fifteen players have garnered AHCA All-America East recognition and 31 have earned all-conference recognition, including 11 conference players and rookies of the year. Nine Statesmen have signed to play professionally in Europe after graduation, highlighted by Matthew Iasenza '25 helping Cholet capture the French Division I championship last year.
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Tom Coughlin
5x NCAA Champ/2x Super Bowl Champ
This is arguably more impressive than 3 straight NCAA championships with how difficult it is to make the tournament. Maybe not quite more impressive, but it's close IMO.
Mark Taylor has done a remarkable job attracting players every year and molding them into a consistent unit. They have also had successful careers as they leave their active playing days. I don't know how long it can last, but it is a fantastic run, for sure.
Fishman'81
Black Bear since D-2
I'm surprised that Beaver wasn't offered a minor league contract here in the States. Or was he..?