During this hockey offseason, the Union men’s hockey team has gained three players from the transfer portal and seen six other players enter the portal. Defensemen Will Felicio ‘28 and Tyler Dunbar ‘27 will suit up for Union this October. Felicio and Dunbar have confirmed their transfers to Concordiensis staff. Cameron Korpi ’28 will also transfer to Union, as previously reported by Concordiensis.
Felicio spent his first year at Michigan, where he played in 25 games, scored 2 goals, tallied 11 assists, and blocked 6 shots. Felicio is the third Michigan player to transfer to Union in the past two years; goaltender Cameron Korpi ‘28 will transfer with him, and defenseman Brendan Miles ‘26 joined Union this past year.
Notably, Felicio is eligible for the 2025 NHL draft. If drafted, he would be Union’s first NHL draft pick since the 2017 draft, when forward Parker Foo ‘21 was drafted in the 5th round, 144th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks.
“From the first phone call I had with the coaches, we had a good connection, and the opportunity there was great. I also wanted to get a strong education while playing!” Felicio said about transferring to Union.
The team will also gain Dunbar, who spent his past two years at Colorado College. The defenseman played in 31 games while in Colorado, recording a goal, an assist, and 16 blocked shots. He will reunite with defenseman DJ Hart ‘27 and Assistant Coach Mike Zannella, who played with him in the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League (USHL).
In addition to gaining players from the portal, six players on Union’s roster this past year have entered the transfer portal. Defensemen David Côté and Joe Messina, forward Eli Pilosof, and goaltender Lucas Massie have all entered the portal and are not officially committed to other schools.
Côté played in 12 games and recorded 3 blocks, and Messina played in 26 games, scoring a goal, assisting on 3 goals, and blocking 8 shots. Pilosof only saw action in the exhibition game against Providence this season. Massie played in two games, had an 80.5% save percentage, and a 5.73 GAA. Massie also has a “do not contact” tag, according to Gopher Puck Live, indicating that he does not want coaches to reach out to him.
In addition, goaltender Kyle Chauvette, who started 35 out of 36 games, has entered the transfer portal. This past season, Chauvette recorded 18 wins, had a 2.80 goals against average, a 89.6% save percentage, and one shutout. Chauvette is not officially committed to another school.
“We added Cameron. We had a talk with [Chauvette] about how that would affect his time. [I] was hoping he would want to stay here and compete and see who won the job. But he’s looking for a guarantee, and we were not able to provide that for him.” Head Coach Josh Hauge told The Daily Gazette about Chauvette’s decision to enter the portal.
Graduating senior defenseman Josh Phillips ‘25 entered the transfer portal and will spend a year skating for Canisius University. He has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining because he did not play in the 2022-2023 season. This past season, Phillips played in 18 games, assisted on Josh Nixon ‘25’s second goal at the Mayor’s Cup, and blocked 10 shots. Canisius is located in Buffalo, NY, Phillips’ hometown.
When the dust settles in the transfer portal, the team will begin play at Mohawk Harbor Events Center in October. The only confirmed home games thus far will take place on October 17 and 18 against Niagara University, according to a press release from the women’s team on February 20.
