Canisius hockey head coach Trevor Large announced the addition of incoming freshmen Keegan Langefels (Eden Prairie, Minn/New Mexico Ice Wolves (NAHL)), Alton McDermott (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Blades (OJHL)) and Matthew Vermaeten (Ottawa, Ontario/Shreveport Mudbugs (NAHL)) to the Golden Griffins roster for the 2021-22 season.
“We are excited to welcome Keegan, Alton and Matthew to the Canisius hockey program,” Large said. “These three possess all the skills needed to compete at the Division I level and will be counted on to compliment the depth that we have returning to our roster. Our culture is one of the pillars that the foundation of our program is built upon. These additions will help guide our program towards achieving our goals, both on and off the ice.”
Langefels joins Canisius after playing the past two season with the NAHL’s New Mexico Ice Wolves, amassing 37 points (15g, 22a) in 101 regular-season games played with the franchise. Prior to making his way to juniors, the Eden Prairie, Minn., product played two seasons at Eden Prairie High, serving as team captain during his senior season in 2018-19. In two seasons with Eden Prairie, Langefels tallied 12 goals and 20 assists in 47 regular-season games while chipping in two goals and four assists in seven postseason contests.
McDermott makes his way to Main Street after spending parts of four seasons in the OJHL, the majority of it with the Oakville Blades. In 103 career regular-season games, McDermott tallied 46 goals and 35 assists for 81 points. The Oakville, Ontario, native added eight points (4g, 4a) in 18 playoff games, all of which came during the 2018-19 season when the Blades set a franchise record for wins, captured both the OJHL and the Dudley-Hewitt Cups and advanced to the semifinals of the National Jr. A Hockey Championship.
McDermott comes from a notable hockey family as his grandfather, Paul Henderson, played more than 1,000 games during 18 seasons split between the National Hockey League and the World Hockey Association. Elected into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 2013, Henderson is best known for scoring the series-winning goal in the final game of the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union.
Vermaeten heads to Canisius after capping his junior career in 2020-21 with the Shreveport Mudbugs, tallying 21 points (13g, 8a) in 40 regular-season games before appearing in 10 postseason contests as he helped the squad capture the Robinson Cup. Prior to his time with the Mudbugs, the Ottawa, Ontario, native played three seasons with the CCHL’s Rockland Nationals, serving as team captain for the 2019-20 season. In 149 regular-season games with the Nationals, Vermaeten tallied 47 goals and 55 assists while contributing five goals and an assist in 13 postseason contests.
Canisius is slated to open the 2021-22 season with a two-game series at Penn State. The home opener is scheduled for Oct. 29-30 against Ferris State while Atlantic Hockey Association play gets underway with a series at Bentley Nov. 4-5.
