He won't get a chance to play at Union's Messa this season, but he will get a chance to play at the new Mohawk Harbor Arena.
Pelton, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound left-handed shooter, has verbally committed to join the Union men's hockey team for the 2025-26 season. He will begin his sophomore season with the Corpus Christi IceRays of the North American Hockey League in September.
“Growing up in the area, I always went to Union games,” Pelton said in a phone interview Monday, “Their games were great to watch. It was a dream come true to be able to go to school so close to home.”
Pelton lives close to Union head coach Josh Hauge, which made the decision easier for Pelton.
“I've skated with him for many years,” Pelton said, “and especially this summer I had many opportunities to skate in front of him at the Clifton Park Dynamos rink. He's been able to see me for many years, and he's been able to see me a lot this year in Corpus Christi.” [Christi] And this summer.
“I don’t think most players get the opportunity to skate in front of a college coach as much as I did with him. [and] He lived really close to the rink, and when I was skating in the summer, he happened to be there every time, so it was awesome.”
Hauge was unable to comment on Pelton's enrollment because he has not yet been accepted by the school.
Pelton played four seasons with the Dynamos program. His best season was with the 14U AAA team in 2018-19, where he recorded 32 goals and 30 assists in 64 games. Pelton also appeared in 28 games with the 16U AAA Dynamos, recording 20 goals.
Brad Shaver, who coached Pelton with the Dynamos, believes Union has acquired a special player.
“He's a first-class guy, an incredibly hard-working kid and a great skater,” Shaver said. [Hauge’s] He's one of those guys that can finish with a 200-foot game. It's tough to be an impact player in Division I. I think it's a very high level. But I think he's a guy that's going to come into the program and play for Coach Hauge and he knows what he needs to do. We've talked about how he needs to play and be a productive player. [and] Let him win the match.”
Pelton agrees with Shavers’ assessment of his game.
“I can't wait for this year,” Pelton said. “It's going to be a big year for me.” [Shaver’s] He was a great mentor to me whenever I was home in the summer. When I play with him on the ice, he's awesome.”
Shaver thinks it's great that Pelton has stayed local with the union.
“Some of the players [who were] “Local players,” Shaver said, “Jeff Taylor was a local player. Tyler Hines played for my team at one time. So I guess we had a few players, but it's been a while. So, I think it's great for the community, it's great for the fan base, it's great for the school, it's great for our program, it's great for the youth programs in the area to know they can play for a local Division I program.”
Prior to going to Corpus Christi, Pelton played for the Boston Hockey Academy's 18U AAA team in 2022-23, where he recorded 17 goals and 20 assists in 31 games.
Pelton was limited to 20 games in the 2023-24 season due to injury. He recorded five goals and seven assists. Pelton is looking forward to a healthy 2024-25 season.
“I was battling injuries the whole early part of the season,” Pelton said, “but I had a great comeback and the Union was able to look after me, so I think that's a testament to how good I am.” [battling] They’ve been through a lot of adversity and I think they like that.”
“We are very excited about 'Peltz'. He has worked extremely hard and his efforts have definitely paid off,” Corpus Christi coach Sylvain Cloutier said in an email about Pelton's participation in the Union.
