BROOKVILLE, N.Y. — The LIU men's hockey team will welcome 10 incoming freshmen for the 2022-23 season.
Arriving on the Island are forwards Daniel Baldassarra, Austin Brimmer, Patriks Marcinkevics, Riley Wallack and Josh Zary, defensemen A.J. Casperson, Cade Mason and Valtteri Piironen, and goaltenders Jackson Glassford and Jan Škorpík.
Marcinkevics (Latvia), Piironen (Finland) and Škorpík (Czechia) all have represented their national teams.
Baldassarra played with the OJHL's North York Rangers and Mississauga Chargers in 2021-22. He graduated from St. Andrews College preparatory school in 2020 as a three-year honor roll member and won a pair of CISSA and National Independent School championships as well as the MacPherson Tournament championship in 2019. He previously played for the OHL Cup finalist Vaughan Kings.
Brimmer played the past two seasons with the NAHL's Shreveport Mudbugs, captaining the team. He tallied 20 goals and 35 assists in 54 regular-season games in 2021-22.
A native of Riga, Latvia, Marcinkevics played for the NCDC's Jersey Hitmen in 2021-22, tallying 34 goals and 62 assists in 49 games. He competed in the World Junior Under-18 Championships Division 1A Tournament in 2017-18, helping Latvia win gold, and also played for SK Riga.
Wallack played four seasons in the BCHL, serving as captain and primarily with the Langley Rivermen. He produced 22 goals and 21 assists in 38 regular-season games this past season, then added another 10 goals in the playoffs for the British Columbian team.
Also in the BCHL, Zary played with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs as an alternate captain. He tallied career highs with 26 goals and 29 assists in 51 games during his final season.
On defense, Casperson played junior hockey with the NAHL's Janesville Jets for two seasons, tallying a career-high 36 points (3 goals, 33 assists) in 2021-22. He also has played for perennial national championship contender Dallas Stars Elite in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League. As a senior defenseman at the Salisbury (Conn.) School, he won the 2020 New England Championship.
Mason brings five years of experience with the Drumheller Dragons and Grande Prairie Storm of the AJHL. He appeared in 40 regular-season games and tallied four goals and 24 assists this past season.
Hailing from Joensuu, Finland, Piironen arrives at LIU after three seasons with the USHL's Sioux Falls Stampede, where he served as an alternate captain. In 2021-22, he appeared in 47 games.
Between the pipes, Glassford played junior hockey for the AJHL's Blackfalds Bulldogs this past season, appearing in 16 regular-season games and recording a 7-7 record, 3.12 GAA and .894 save percentage. He previously played two junior seasons with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL), and graduated from West Vancouver Secondary School in 2019.
A native of Czechia, Škorpík played in 16 games with the NAHL's Lone Star Brahmas this past season, producing a 10-3-3 record, 2.22 GAA and .890 save percentage. He previously played with the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL.
"We are thrilled to welcome these 10 young men to our program," coach Brett Riley said. "Each individual brings a unique set of qualities that will help the program grow in our third season of play, both on and off the ice. We look forward to welcoming them to Long Island this fall."
