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11/15/2023 10:43 AMHans Forselius has always had an interest in ice hockey. After elevating his way to success at the high school level, the Guilford native landed an opportunity to pursue the sport he loves on the college scene, and has since made a quick impact with the St. Michael’s Purple Knights in Burlington, Vermont.
The St. Michael’s freshman grew up in Guilford, but attended the Pomfret Boarding School from his sophomore to senior year of high school, graduating in 2021. Upon graduation, Hans joined the Northern Cyclones in Hudson, New Hampshire before joining the Seahawks Hockey Club in Massachusetts.
Following two gap years post-high school, Hans joined the St. Michael’s Purple Knights ice hockey squad upon stepping foot on campus this fall. When trying to decide what college to attend, it was truly about feel for Hans, and when he visited the St. Michael’s campus, he knew it was the right fit for him, with various aspects of it reminding him of home.
“With Saint Michael's being a Catholic school and growing up as a Catholic, that was kind of important,” says Hans. “The location as well, in Burlington, is a great spot to go to college and I just love Vermont. It’s a small school and kind of reminds me of my boarding school with small classrooms, and you get really close to professors and they're really trying to help you succeed, and that's the biggest thing for me. Also they’re a strong hockey program, and I knew that this was where I needed to be.”
The Purple Knights’ season began on Oct. 27, as they traveled to Manhattanville, taking on the Valiants in a two-game series over the course of two days.
Hans saw some action in his first game as a freshman, and although he was nervous to play in his first collegiate game, he said his teammates gave him the confidence to play, which helped calm him down and stay locked in.
“I was a little nervous, I felt the nerves in me in my first college game, it was a lot faster and quicker,” says Hans. “But my teammates let me know before the game that I’ll be fine and to work hard, and they gave me that confidence to play. I think I kinda got into it by the second period, and at that point, I realized, you know, I'm in a college hockey game, and I was able to play and fortunately we came out to win.”
Two games later, Hans would notch his first career collegiate goal in the Purple Knights’ first game against Southern New Hampshire in a 5-4 victory. He also recorded his first career goal assist in the contest.
“Scoring my first goal was obviously great and it just kinda came out of nowhere,” Hans says. “It was kind of a broken play, and I was just fortunate I could help the team that way. I wouldn't be able to score without my teammates, they set me up on some plays and it was a relieving feeling to get the first one.”
Hans then added another goal in St. Michael’s’ 3-2 overtime victory over Southern New Hampshire the very next day on Nov. 4. With his two performances against Southern New Hampshire, in which he recorded two goals and an assist, Hans was recognized for his efforts by being named the NE10 Rookie of the Week.
“Obviously it feels great, it gives me confidence that the hard work does pay off,” says Hans. “The recognition is nice, but it's not really that important to me. Honestly, I'm more concerned with our team winning and stuff like that. But it's nice to get the recognition, and it gives me reassurance that when you put in those times in the gym or during workouts, it will pay off.”
It’s that selfless attitude and team-first mentality that set Hans apart from other athletes, and St. Michael’s mens’ ice hockey Head Coach Damian DiGiulian has seen his skills shine through in a variety of ways.
“Hans has been an immediate contributor to our program. Not only has he been a model citizen in our program, his contributions on the ice thus far have been great,” DiGiulian says. “His vision and skill are what separate him from some of the other first-year players in the league, and I expect him to have a terrific career here both on and off the ice.”
Through the first six games of the season for St. Michael’s, the team has enjoyed a 5-1 record. Hans credits the culture of the program as the primary reason for the early success.
“The culture that they create on our team, every guy is willing to sacrifice for each other and no matter what, we're so close with each other,” says Hans. “Every game we know that we're gonna give it our all and everyone else has got our back.”
As one of the younger hockey players on the team and playing his first season collegiately, Hans has said the transition to college has made him mature as a player, and has taught him how to overcome adversity. He learned this by playing in his gap years and figuring out how to go through the stressful process of choosing which college to play for. He also adds that he feels like he’s grown into his body with the years off, and that he feels comfortable playing collegiately with the size of his body now.
“I would say the biggest thing for me is just the maturity that I've gained, physically and mentally,” Hans explains. “I was a little undersized in high school, and I kind of grew into myself now. I think also mentally, the biggest thing for me was just getting through adversity.”
The Purple Knights’ next game will be Friday, Nov. 17 at Saint Anselm college in Manchester, New Hampshire.