Tennessee State Tigers ice hockey
| Tennessee State Tigers ice hockey | |
|---|---|
| University | Tennessee State University |
| First season | 2026–27 (planned) |
| Head coach | Duante Abercrombie |
| Arena | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Colors | Reflex blue and white[1] |
The Tennessee State Tigers ice hockey program is an upcoming college men's ice hockey team that will represent Tennessee State University.
History
Founding
In 2021, Tennessee State University conducted a feasibility study on adding the sport of hockey, which came back positive.[2] During the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville, TSU officials announced plans to form a club hockey team that would begin play in 2024–25, with the intent of eventually achieving NCAA Division I status. This would see them become the first historically black college or university (HBCU) to offer men's ice hockey at any collegiate level.[2] On January 20, 2024, 22-year old Toronto native Xavier Abel enrolled at the university to become the first player to commit to the team.[3][4] A few months later, on April 16, 2024, TSU officially hired Duante Abercrombie as the first head coach in school history.[5][6] Previously, he was an assistant coach in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and at Division III Stevenson University.[5]
By mid-2024, plans began changing as TSU announced they would forgo playing as a club team for the 2024-25 season. Instead, they would take the 2024-25 season to prepare the program for fully launching as an NCAA Division I hockey team in the 2025-26 season.[7] Following this announcement, Tennessee State University's continuing financial crisis began to affect the hockey team. At a TSU Board of Regents meeting in March 2025, it was announced that the hockey team would not be receiving any institutional funding, meaning that the program would have to be fully privately funded. Following this, Abercrombie began a donation drive to solicit enough funds, between $1-2.5 million, for the team to begin as planned.[8] By July 2025, it was apparent that the school would not be able to hit its funding goals in order to start for the 2025-26 season. TSU announced that it would be pushing its inaugural season to 2026-27.[9] Following the delay to 2026-27, the NHL pledged $250,000 to TSU to help start the team. Additionally, the Nashville Predators pledged to help to program become a reality.[10]
Season-by-season results
All-time coaching records
Club
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024– | Duanté Abercrombie | 0 | 0–0–0 | – |
| Totals | 1 coach | 1 season | 0–0–0 | – |
Players
Upcoming 2025–26 team
As of November 24, 2024.
| No. | Nat. | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | Xavier Abel | Sophomore | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 155 lb (70 kg) | 2001-06-29 | Chicago, Illinois | Drury University (ACHA D2) | — | |
| - | Trey Fechko | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 2003-10-16 | Raritan, New Jersey | Janesville Jets (NAHL) | — | ||
| - | Marcus Fechko | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 150 lb (68 kg) | 2005-09-15 | Raritan, New Jersey | Odessa Jackalopes (NAHL) | — | ||
| - | Sangyeob Kim | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 2004-02-26 | Seoul, Korea | North Iowa Bulls (NAHL) | — | ||
| - | Johnny Hicks | G | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 154 lb (70 kg) | 2005-09-11 | Kamloops, British Columbia | Brooks Bandits (BCHL) | — | ||
| - | Grady Hoffman | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2005-06-10 | Yorkton, Saskatchewan | Steinbach Pistons (MJHL) | — | ||
| - | Greye Rampton | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 181 lb (82 kg) | 2004-09-09 | Chilliwack, British Columbia | Kenai River Brown Bears (NAHL) | — | ||
| - | Bowden Singleton | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 154 lb (70 kg) | 2004-05-15 | Calgary, Alberta | Calgary Canucks (AJHL) | — | ||
| - | Ethan Wongus | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 154 lb (70 kg) | 2004-04-12 | Edmonton, Alberta | Maine Nordiques (NAHL) | — | ||
| - | Stephen Kirkpatrick | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 161 lb (73 kg) | 2004-04-02 | Calgary, Alberta | Spruce Grove Saints (BCHL) | — | ||
| - | Kaycee Cole | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 2004-01-20 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL) | — | ||
| - | Andrew Bellantyne | G | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 194 lb (88 kg) | 2004-05-08 | Whitby, Ontario | Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL) | — |
Commitments for 2026–27 season
| No. | Nat. | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | Aidan Gray | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 1520 lb (689 kg) | 2008-08-22 | Detroit, Michigan | Little Caesars 16U AAA (16U AAA) | — |
See also
References
- ^ Tennessee State University Brand Guide (PDF). December 31, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- ^ a b "Tennessee State to be 1st HBCU offering hockey as sport | NHL.com". www.nhl.com. June 28, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- ^ "Color of Hockey: Abel 1st player to commit at Tennessee State University | NHL.com". www.nhl.com. January 20, 2024.
- ^ Mosley, Kyle T. (January 19, 2024). "Tennessee State University Reportedly Has First Men's Ice Hockey Player Commitment". HBCU Legends.
- ^ a b "Duanté Abercrombie - Head Coach - Staff Directory". Tennessee State University. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- ^ "Tennessee State hires first men's hockey head coach at an HBCU | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- ^ AFRO, Special to the (November 15, 2024). "Tennessee State University set to debut the first Division I hockey team at an HBCU". AFRO American Newspapers. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- ^ "Tennessee State Still Confident It Will Start Program Despite Major Funding Challenges". College Hockey News. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- ^ www.uscho.com https://www.uscho.com/2025/07/08/report-tennessee-state-not-fielding-mens-hockey-team-for-2025-26-aiming-to-move-start-to-2026-27. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Tennessee State Officially Pushes Back Launch to 2026-27". College Hockey News. Retrieved March 4, 2026.