TSU announced its intention to establish a men’s hockey program on June 28, 2023, at the NHL Draft in Nashville and has been in building mode ever since.
It hired Abercrombie, a Washington, D.C., native who began playing hockey for the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, an affiliate of the NHL’s Hockey Is For Everyone initiative and the oldest minority-oriented youth hockey program in North America, on April 18, 2024.
Abercrombie’s trajectory has taken him from a wide-eyed youth player to a highly regarded coach who was an assistant at NCAA Division III Stevenson University and has had internships/guest coaching stints with the Arizona Coyotes, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
The college switched its sights from club hockey to the NCAA and Abercrombie has been scouring the U.S. and Canada for talent. He’s been fundraising, too, for the start-up program on a campus that’s dealing with a financial crisis. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump pledged $10,000 to TSU hockey on Tuesday and took to social media asking others to join him.
Skerlick said he has spoken with Wongus and Ocean Fancy, a Maine defenseman of Indonesian heritage who also committed to TSU on Jan. 22, about what it’s like to be part of a new college hockey program, and shared his experiences as a forward for Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania when its men’s team shifted from club to NCAA Division III in 2016-17.
“I told them at first it’s a little confusing because everybody comes in, they’re all recruited to something that’s new,” Skerlick said. “ ‘Ethan, your work ethic is contagious, Ocean, your swagger is contagious. So when you go down there (TSU), my biggest word of advice to you guys is, be yourself, and don’t try to be more so than the team. There’s a bunch of guys transferring in, a bunch of guys who are going to be freshmen just like you. You want to snag that family feeling quickly and build a culture.’ ”
Wongus said he’s ready for the challenge.
“I just think it’s a great opportunity for everyone, not only players of color, but for everyone, to have a D-I hockey team there,” he said.
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