Men's Hockey | 6/18/2013 11:30:00 AM

ROCHESTER, NY – Head Coach Wayne Wilson is proud to announce the RIT men's hockey Class of 2017 on Tuesday, June 18. For the second straight season, eight student-athletes will join the squad, which includes four forwards, three defensemen, and a goaltender. Five players hail from Canada, while three are from the United States, including two from the greater Rochester area.

"This is a big freshman class in both size and numbers, and everyone will be able to contribute right away," said Wilson, now entering his 15th season at RIT in 2013-14. "This group will give us depth and roster competition that we haven't had in a while which will make us a better team. Hopefully, this group will help us get back on track to reach our goal of making the NCAA Tournament."

Forwards Garrett McMullen (Churchville, NY/Trail Smoke Eaters), Danny Smith (Edmonton, Alberta/Sherwood Park Crusaders), Todd Skirving (Thunder Bay, Ontario/Sioux Falls Stampede), and Caleb Cameron (Sunridge, Ontario/Listowel Cyclones) will bolster an already potent RIT offense that was ninth nationally in goals per game in 2012-13.

McMullen, RIT's second homegrown recruit from the suburb of Churchville, was a former teammate growing up with current Tiger Dan Schuler (Webster, NY/Powell River Kings), a Penfield native. Last season, McMullen served as captain for the Trail Smoke Eaters of the British Columbia Hockey League, recording 44 points on 21 goals and 23 assists in 53 games, while leading the way with five game-winning tallies. In 2011-12, McMullen recorded 36 points on 17 goals and 19 assists in 53 games. McMullen, who stands 6-foot-1, also recorded 147 penalty minutes in 107 games in two seasons.

Smith, a speedy 5-foot-11 winger, played the last three seasons for Sherwood Park of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) recording 138 points on 62 goals and 76 assists to go along with 184 penalty minutes in 176 games. His best offensive season came in 2011-12, when he tallied 27 goals and 32 assists for 59 points with nine power-play goals in 60 games. He also added 10 points in 10 playoff games that season. Last year, Smith, an assistant captain, led the team in scoring with 20 goals and 48 points, including nine power-play and three game-winning tallies. Smith was also the team's Rookie of the Year in 2010-11.

Skirving joins the Tigers after playing the last two seasons with Sioux Falls of the United States Hockey League (USHL), scoring 40 goals and 70 points during the span. After recording 17 goals and 25 points in 58 games during the 2011-12 season, Skirving, a sturdy 6-foot forward, improved those numbers tremendously last season, tallying 23 goals and 22 assists for 45 points in 56 games. He tied for the team lead with seven power-play and two shorthanded tallies and served as a team captain.

Cameron comes to RIT after winning both the Midwest Junior Hockey League and Ontario Junior Hockey League Most Valuable Player honors for the Listowel Cyclones in 2012-13, recording 90 points on 35 goals and 55 assists in 48 games.  An OJHL First Team All-Star, and team captain, Cameron had a point in 40 games, at least two points in 27 contests, and 44 power-play points. In 2011-12, Cameron recorded 64 points on 29 goals and 35 assists. In three seasons with Listowel, Cameron recorded 189 points on 82 goals and 107 assists to go along with 188 penalty minutes in 147 games.

"Garrett (McMullen) has really grown as a player, and can play in all situations. Danny (Smith) is a great skater and, like Garrett, is capable of playing 5-on-5, on the power-play, and shorthanded," said Wilson. "Todd (Skirving) is an excellent offensive talent, who is a natural goal scorer. Caleb (Cameron) was a prolific scorer in a very competitive league that has produced great players for us such as Tyler Brenner (Linwood, Ontario/), Bobby Raymond (Lucknow, Ontario/Owen Sound), and Jordan Ruby (Tavistock, Ontario/Wellington Dukes), among others."

On defense, Dustin Fostvelt (Edmonton, Alberta/Spruce Grove Saints), Michael Holland (Cambridge, MA/Chicago Steel), and Alex Perron-Fontaine (St. Mathieu de Beloeil, Quebec/Chilliwack Chiefs) will join an experienced unit and look to contribute right away.

Fostvelt joins RIT after playing the last four years with Spruce Grove of the AJHL. Fostvelt, who stands 6-feet tall, was a finalist for the league's top defenseman in 2012-13 after recording 37 points on 10 goals and 27 assists in 60 games, including four power-play and three game-winning tallies. Fostvelt, who served as an assistant captain in 2012-13, recorded 75 points on 18 goals and 57 assists to go along with 136 penalty minutes in 170 career games. He was an AJHL All-Rookie Team selection in 2010-11.

Holland, who stands 6-foot-1, is a strong, stay at home defenseman, who has played the last three seasons in the USHL with three different teams. Holland, who was a defensive partner with current Tiger Alexander Kuqali (Pittsburgh, PA/Sioux City Musketeers) with Sioux City in 2011-12, played 61 games during the 2012-13 season with Chicago and Sioux City, recording two goals and 11 points to go along with 114 penalty minutes in 61 games. Holland recorded four goals, 22 points, and 263 penalty minutes in 151 games over the last three years.

Perron-Fontaine played the last two seasons with the Chilliwack Chiefs of the BCHL, recording 44 points on six goals and 38 assists to go along with 88 penalty minutes in 91 games. After tallying 20 points in 2011-12, Perron-Fontaine, a 5-foot-10 offensive-minded defenseman, battled through injuries to record 24 points (3-21-24) in 39 games last season.

"Dustin (Fostvelt) had a very strong year, and is an excellent two-way defenseman, and strong leader," said Wilson. "Michael (Holland) is a physical, dependable, extremely strong defensive-minded player, who played in Sioux City with Alexander Kuqali (Pittsburgh, PA/Sioux City Musketeers). Alex (Perron-Fontaine) is a slick, offensive-minded defenseman, who skates and moves the puck really well."  

In goal, Mike Rotolo (Rochester, NY/Cedar Rapids Roughriders) is RIT's first local goaltender since Jeff Ozminkowski (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit), who played from 1994-99. Rotolo, who stands 6-foot-2, played the last two seasons with the Green Bay Gamblers and Cedar Rapids Roughriders of the USHL. Last season, Rotolo was among the league leaders with a 19-14-4 record, two shutouts, a 2.78 goals against average and .902 save percentage in 41 games. In 2011-12, Rotolo was 13-2-1 with a 2.15 goals against average and .922 save percentage, helping lead Green Bay to the Anderson and Clark Cup Championships. Before juniors, Rotolo attended nearby Greece Athena High School and helped lead the Greece Thunder to a 27-0 mark and 2009 New York State Championship.

"Mike is coming off two really strong seasons in the USHL and is a big, athletic goaltender, who takes up a lot of net," said Wilson. "He will vie for playing time with Jordan (Ruby) and Ken (MacLean) right away."

The Tigers finished 15-18-5 last season and advanced to the Atlantic Hockey Association Quarterfinals for the sixth straight year. RIT is 145-90-30 since the start of the 2006-07 season. The 2013-14 season will RIT's last at famed Ritter Arena before moving into the 4,500-seat Gene Polisseni Center in 2014-15.