BURLINGTON, Vt. – Nine players from three different junior hockey leagues will join the Vermont men's hockey program for the 2016-17 season. Matt Alvaro (Toronto, Ontario), Ross Colton (Robbinsville, N.J.), Max Daigle (St. Lambert, Quebec), Cameron Klein (Alpine, N.J.), Stefanos Lekkas (Elburn, Ill.), Derek Lodermeier (Brooklyn Center, Minn.), Jake Massie (St. Lazare, Quebec), Corey Moriarty (Palm City, Fla.), and Matt O'Donnell (Fountain Valley, Calif.) make up the Class of 2020. The class features four forwards, four defensemen, and one goaltender.

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"On behalf of our returning players, staff members, and UVM Brothers of the Gut, I am pleased to introduce our newest family members," said head coach Kevin Sneddon. "Associate head coaches Kevin Patrick and Kyle Wallack continue to recruit student-athletes that will help our program continue to grow. They deserve all the credit for putting together another excellent class."
 
Matt Alvaro
Forward | 5'8 | 173
Toronto, Ontario | Youngstown (USHL)

Alvaro comes to Burlington after two seasons with the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL. The forward finished fifth on the team in scoring with 30 points while serving as a team captain last season. In 2014-15, he posted 33 points in 58 games with Youngstown. The Ontario native previously spent two years playing in the OJHL, registering 67 total points in 106 games for Oakville and St. Michael's.
 
Sneddon: "I had the chance to see Matt play towards the end of the season and it's hard not to love his game. He has exceptional speed, good hockey sense, and leadership potential down the road for us."
 
Ross Colton
Forward | 6'0 | 197
Robbinsville, N.J. | Cedar Rapids (USHL)

Colton was selected in the fourth round of the 2016 NHL Draft this summer by the Tampa Bay Lightning, becoming the program's highest draft pick since Mike Paliotta's third round selection in 2011. An All-USHL First Team honoree, the forward was the league's second-leading scorer last season with 35 goals and 66 points in 55 games for the regular season champion Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. Colton was named MVP of the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, scoring the event's first-ever hat trick and adding two assists to finish with five points and a plus-5 rating. The New Jersey native led Cedar Rapids to a league-best 40 wins while serving as a captain and closed the year with a team-high plus-32 rating.
 
Sneddon: "Simply put, Ross is one of the top incoming forwards we've had at UVM.  He had an amazing USHL season and was rewarded with a selection in this year's NHL Draft.  We look forward to continuing his development here at UVM and preparing him one day for the Tampa Bay Lightning."
 
Max Daigle
Defenseman | 5'10 | 197
St. Lambert, Quebec | Islanders (USPHL)
 
Daigle has skated for the Islanders in the USPHL for the last two seasons. Last year, the USPHL All-Star ranked fourth on the team with 24 assists and was its second-leading scorer among defensemen as the Islanders reached the USPHL Finals. A native of Quebec, Daigle registered eight goals and 18 assists for 26 points in 48 games during the 2014-15 campaign for the Islanders. He previously spent three years at Choate Rosemary Hall prep school in Connecticut, serving as team captain for his final season while posting 20 points in 28 contests.
 
Sneddon: "Max brings skill, mobility, intelligence, and character to our team.  He's been coached extremely well with the Islanders and because of that, he will make a smooth transition to the college game."
 
Cameron Klein
Forward | 6'3 | 212
Alpine, N.J. | P.A.L. Junior Islanders (USPHL)
 
Klein was nearly a point-per-game performer last season for the P.A.L. Junior Islanders with 27 points in 29 contests. He posted nine goals and 18 assists while adding 75 penalty minutes in his only season of Premier USPHL hockey. Klein spent the majority of the 2014-15 season at Avon Old Farms prep school in Connecticut, collecting 15 points in 26 games. The forward also skated for parts of two seasons with the New Jersey Jr. Titans in the EHL. 
 
Sneddon: "Another big power forward who has a great work ethic.  It may take some time for Cameron to get used to the speed of the game at the college level, but his work ethic and attitude will help him get there."
 
Stefanos Lekkas
Goalie | 5'11 | 170
Elburn, Ill. | Sioux Falls (USHL)
 
Lekkas joins the UVM goaltending corps after two full years as a starter with the Sioux Falls Stampede in the USHL. In 45 games last season, Lekkas owned the third-best save percentage in the league (.924) and was named to the All-USHL Third Team. He posted a 25-15-3 regular season record for the fifth-most wins in the league and finished the year with a 2.53 goals against average. The netminder starred during the 2014-15 USHL playoffs, leading the Stampede to the Clark Cup with a 2.10 goals against average and a .932 save percentage in 12 games. He registered 23 wins during the 2014-15 regular season with a 2.76 goals against average and four shutouts.
 
Sneddon: "Many coaches in the USHL referred to him as the league's MVP.  A fierce competitor, extremely athletic, and someone who wants to carry his team, Stefanos has immediately made our goaltending position better.  Like all positions, we have healthy competition in net."
 
Derek Lodermeier
Forward | 6'3 | 217
Brooklyn Center, Minn. | Brooks [AJHL]
 
Lodermeier brings size to the middle of the ice after serving as a captain for the 2016 AJHL champion Brooks Bandits. A South Division All-League selection, the forward is coming off a standout offensive season with 60 points in 58 regular season games to rank third overall on a team that won a division-best 49 games. He was second on the squad with 26 goals and recorded a team-best 24 points in 13 playoff games during the AJHL championship run. The Minnesota native then added a point-per-game as he led Brooks to the RBC Cup Semifinal. Lodermeier also skated for Brooks in 2014-15, finishing with 22 points and 99 penalty minutes in 52 contests.
 
Sneddon: "We haven't had a big center in several years so it will be nice to have Derek's size and skill centering one of our lines.  He finished the season very strong culminating in his performance as one of the top forwards in the RBC.  We feel Derek has a very bright future here at UVM and beyond."
 
Jake Massie
Defenseman | 6'5 | 172
St. Lazare, Quebec | Omaha (USHL)
 
Massie was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the sixth round of the 2015 NHL Draft and his rights were traded to the Chicago Blackhawks later that summer. He and rising sophomore Liam Coughlin both attended the Blackhawks' summer development camp earlier this month. The defenseman accumulated 10 points in 44 games last season while skating for the USHL's Omaha Lancers. He spent the 2014-15 season between Kimball Union Academy and the Boston Jr. Bruins Selects, posting 31 points in 48 contests.
 
Sneddon: "Jake brings size, toughness, and mobility to our defensive core.  He finished strong for Omaha, and we think he has the ability to make an immediate impact for us this year."
 
Corey Moriarty
Defenseman | 5'11 | 175
Palm City, Fla. | Boston (USPHL)
 
Moriarty joins the Catamounts after two productive seasons with the Boston Jr. Bruins in the USPHL. He was named a USPHL All-Star last season, finishing with 24 points in 44 games and ranking second among defensemen with eight goals. Moriarty had a career-high 30 points in 50 games during the 2014-15 season and was the Bruins' second-leading scorer from the blue line. The defenseman played four years at Northfield Mount Herman prep school in Massachusetts, compiling 43 points over his final two years.
 
Sneddon: "One of our goals with this class was to identify more skill on the back end while maintaining sound defensive abilities.  Corey moves very well and can make plays at both ends of the rink."
 
Matt O'Donnell
Defenseman | 5'9 | 181
Fountain Valley, Calif. | Jersey (USPHL)
 
O'Donnell was limited to just 15 regular season games last season with the Jersey Hitmen, but posted a point-per-game average with four goals and 11 assists. The defenseman played in all seven of Jersey's playoff games as the Hitmen won the 2016 Dineen Cup as USPHL champions. In 2014-15, he skated for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the USHL and collected 13 points in 50 contests from the blue line. O'Donnell spent two years at Loomis Chaffee prep school in Connecticut and posted 16 goals and 41 points in 53 total games. He won the 2014 NEPSAC Championship while serving as team captain during his senior season.
 
Sneddon: "An undersized player, Matt plays with a lot of heart and offers speed and skill to our blue line.  He's battled some injuries during his junior hockey days, but is healthy and ready to go this season."
 
The Catamounts would like to offer a special thank you to the following teams and coaches for their role in developing these nine players:
 
AJHL
Brooks Bandits – Ryan Papaioannou
 
USHL
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders – Mark Carlson
Omaha Lancers – Brian Kaufman
Sioux Falls Stampede – Scott Owens
Youngstown Phantoms – John Wroblewski
 
USPHL
Boston Jr. Bruins – Peter Masters
Islanders Hockey Club – Sean Tremblay
Jersey Hitmen – Toby Harris
P.A.L. Junior Islanders – Ed Galiani