The 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship boasted a sizable contingent of BCHL alumni with 93 former BCHLers suiting up for their respective college teams this season on the road to the Frozen Four. Of the nearly 100 players, five spent some of their junior A careers with the Cowichan Valley Capitals.
Former Cowichan Valley Capital and Duncan product Luc Wilson, 23, just wrapped up his junior year with Minnesota State. He was one of nine former BCHLers playing with the Mavericks in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship. Wilson and his team fell to Western Michigan in overtime on March 27, to be ousted from the tournament in the first round.
Wilson played seven games with Cowichan during the 2017-18 season and went on to play another 103 regular season and 13 playoff games over the next two seasons.
A forward with the Capitals for 47 games in the 2022-23 season, sophomore Oliver Salo, 21, was one of 14 former BCHL players to play with Bentley University this year. Bentley was beaten 3-1 by the top-ranked Boston College Eagles to end their tournament early as well.
Fifth year goalie Zach Borgiel, 24, played for Providence College this year after spending four years at Merrimack College. Like his former Cowichan teammates, Borgiel's tournament ended sooner than he would have liked as Providence was beaten 5-1 by Denver in round one. Borgiel played 44 games for the Capitals during the 2019-20 season.
Hugh Larkin and Owen Simpson both played for the University of Connecticut Huskies. UConn managed a 4-1 victory over Quinnipiac to advance to the second round but were then beaten by Penn State 3-2 in overtime to end their tournament one round shy of the Frozen Four.
Larkin, 26, was a fifth year senior in his first year with the Huskies after transferring from Western Michigan. He played 48 games with the Capitals during the 2017-18 season.
Simpson, 21, was a lesser-known Capital having played just 18 games with Cowichan in the 2021-22 season. He was in his sophomore season with UConn.
The tournament quarterfinals ran March 29-30 while the semifinals and championship games slated for April 10 and April 12 respectively.
