By Alexis Demopoulos
A two-year veteran for the Pueblo Bulls, defenseman Will Hofer has established himself as a distinguished player and with the help of the NCDC and his team, he has earned himself an NCAA Division III commitment to Concordia College – located in Moorhead, Minn., for the 2025-26 season. Hofer signed with the Bulls during the 2023-24 season and appeared in 52 games tallying 10 points.
He knew the Bulls staff could push him to his potential and help develop him further so he returned this season. In 22 games, he has five points for the Bulls and is a key blueliner for them.
“I have nothing but positive things to say about the Bulls organization,” said Hofer. “The coaches and staff are committed to helping develop their players on and off the ice. I decided to sign with the Bulls during the 2023 2024 season because the coaches had committed to me as a player, and I knew that Pueblo would be a good place for me to develop as a player.”
Hofer is thankful for playing in the NCDC because the league gave him the best chance to be noticed by college coaches and helped him achieve his dream of playing college hockey.
“The league gave me many opportunities to be recruited into the NCAA D3 levels,” said Hofer. “One of the biggest ways they helped me was through the NCDC Frozen Futures Showcase in Idaho Falls. This showcase helped me receive many looks from colleges.”
Choosing Concordia was a no-brainer for Hofer, as it was close to his hometown of Fargo, N.D., and he could still be close to family. Hofer has been in talks with the school since last season and this season everything fell into place.
“I started talking to Concordia at the beginning of the 2023-2024 season with the Bulls,” said Hofer.“ Concordia’s coaches liked my defensive game and my patience with the puck. When I attended campus, one thing I really liked was that it was a smaller campus and everything was really close. The hockey rink is no more than a 5-minute drive off campus, which is really nice.”
Hofer is interested in business, which is what he intends to major in next year and that played a big role in choosing the school as well. He also really liked how the team plays in the MIAC (Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) and that will allow him to play some tough competition.
“What really interested me most about Concordia was that it was close to my hometown,” said Hofer. “Academically, Concordia has a great business school, which really stood out to me. I’m interested in playing hockey at Concordia because I was impressed that they play in a tough conference, which will help me develop as a player and help push me to elevate my game.”
For the remainder of this season, Hofer is focused on improving his game every time he steps on to the ice so he can be a threat next year at Concordia.
“For me, I think I’d consider myself a defensive-minded player who prioritizes solid positioning, plays hard on the puck, and makes sure I’m hard to beat in one-on-one situations,” said Hofer. “As I continue my career into college, some parts of my game I would like to continue to improve on would be my offensive game to make me a more dynamic and consistent threat.”
Hofer has one more thing he wants to accomplish before making the jump to college and that is to win a championship with his Pueblo Bulls team.
“I hope to help lead this team to win a championship and establish a winning culture and be a part of something special that fans of this community can be proud of,” said Hofer.
The NCDC congratulates Will Hofer, his family, the Pueblo Bulls and Concordia College for his commitment.
