Men’s hockey seniors seem to be making a splash in pro hockey, even while we’re still in school.

Captain Mike Paliotta is enjoying his time with the NHL’s Blackhawks, playing in one game so far and recording an assist in his first game on fellow UVM alum Patrick Sharp’s goal. “I’m obviously very excited about the opportunity I have in Chicago,” Paliotta said. “The guys have all been great so far in terms of helping me get adjusted to the NHL.  Having a UVM alum in Sharp has been pretty cool as we’ve talked about some of our college experiences and seen how they overlapped.”

“I think that it’s cool that I can watch players like Paliotta on TV now in the NHL,” first-year Matt Agranat said.

It was not the easiest year for senior Kyle Reynolds. After suffering a season-ending knee injury in the first game of his junior year, Reynolds was in and out of the lineup for most of the season.

“Coming back from a knee injury was a very hard test for me,” Reynolds said. “This year was not what I had planned personally but it was great to be a part of a very strong team here at UVM. I tried to be a good leader every day, especially to the younger guys who were getting hurt and things like that because I could relate to what they were going through.” Reynolds is still trying to play hockey professionally, but he has not signed with a team yet.

Nick Luukko is playing with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League. Meanwhile, Colin Markison plays with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League. In two games, Markison has a plus 2 rating with no points and no penalty minutes. Jake Fallon has not signed with a professional team as of now.