By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com
Two-year P.A.L. Jr. Islanders NCDC defenseman (and four-year USPHL veteran) Coleson Hanrahan has made his NCAA Division I hockey commitment to the University of Massachusetts, it was announced on Thursday, May 16. He will report to UMass in the 2025-26 season.
A 2023 Dineen Cup champion with the Jr. Islanders, Hanrahan played 88 regular season games for the Jr. Islanders between 2022 and 2024, as well as all seven games the Jr. Isles played en route to their 2023 championship.
He scored 64 points during his time with P.A.L., which ended in February with a permanent call-up to the Tier I United States Hockey League’s Youngstown Phantoms. He played in 25 regular season USHL games and scored seven points, adding one more assist in seven playoff games.
“What made me decide to commit to the University of Massachusetts was the fact it was my dream school and I grew up not far down the road from them,” said Hanrahan, a 2005-born native of Longmeadow, Mass. “Growing up, I would go to games and always supported them so that helped my decision-making. Also, they have a very strong program, hockey-wise, as well as a very good business program and that is what I am looking forward to studying in college.”
The Jr. Islanders brought in Coleson Hanrahan in 2022 after a two-year career with the highly-regarded Springfield Pics 16U team, which played in the former USPHL 16U Division and is now in the Tier 1 Hockey Federation. With the 16U Pics, he won his first USPHL championship in 2021, taking the 16U American Division title, which was the Pics’ second in a row at that time.
Hanrahan also played in the 2021-22 season with the Pics’ USPHL Premier team, playing in a combined 28 regular season and playoff games and registering seven points. In becoming a Jr. Islander, Coleson joined his older brother Carter, a fellow 2023 Dineen Cup Champion, and this year’s Atlantic Division Defensive Forward Of The Year.
“What I loved the most about playing for P.A.L. was the development and culture. Coaches Mike Marcou, Frank DiChiara, and Greg Barnych also did a fantastic job helping me develop my game and tweak some of my skills to get me to where I am today,” said Hanrahan. “They also created such a great culture around the rink, making it so fun to show up everyday and want to get better. The P.A.L. director Ron Kinnear also had a huge part with supplying us with most of the stuff we needed, helping not only me out but the whole team.”
During his two seasons with P.A.L., Hanrahan had a combined +32 rating and registered 780 defensive takeaways and 207 blocked shots, the most for any Jr. Islander since 2022. All of this helped contribute to the Jr. Isles’ epic championship run in 2023, which saw them come back from being down one game to the South Shore Kings to win their next two at home.
“Being able to win the Dineen Cup back in 2023 was one of the best things that I have ever been a part of,” said Hanrahan. “To win something as special as that with the amazing group of guys we had was something that will stick with me for the rest of my life. I was also so happy for Coach Marcou and DiChiara, because they did so much work preparing us the whole season, so it was able to show them all that hard work really paid off.”
Hanrahan is getting ready throughout this spring and summer for what he hopes will be a huge 2024-25 season ahead of his arrival in Amherst, Mass., in 2025.
“I hope to really work on my speed and becoming an all around smoother skater as well as just getting bigger in the weight room,” added Hanrahan.
The NCDC and USPHL congratulate Coleson Hanrahan, his family, the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders and the University of Massachusetts for his commitment.
