Rolston will bring size, versatility, scoring touch to DI Flames’ front lines

Stone Rolston is a 6-foot, 4-inch forward for the NAHL's Rochester (N.Y.) Junior Americans. (Photos courtesy of Emmy Vitali/Vitalivisuals (left); Mia McLaughlin/MiaSaraPhoto (right))

Rolston will bring size, versatility, scoring touch to DI Flames’ front lines

3/27/2026 4:20:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey

The son of former NHL star forward Brian Rolston hopes to bolster Liberty’s attack right away after playing the past three seasons in the BCHL and NAHL.

Stone Rolston, a versatile 6-foot, 4-inch, 198-pound forward from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., currently playing on the Rochester (N.Y.) Junior Americans North American Hockey League team, is the second commitment in Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team's incoming 2026 recruiting class.

"He came down to visit in late February, right after our regular season ended," said Flames Head Coach Kirk Handy, who traveled to Rochester to see him play live last week. "We liked what we saw. He is a very solid 200-foot player, who can be super effective for us in several different ways. He has a high hockey IQ and is someone who can play at center or play on the wing, left or right, so that is a real versatile part of his game."

He said Rolston will help fill a void on Liberty's forward lines after graduating senior forwards Hayden DeMars, who stands 6-3, and Aidan Carney, who is 6-4.

"He's got some size, and he is hard to play against," Handy said. "He does a lot of things well, and he is a competitor who is going to fit nicely with the culture we have at Liberty. He is going to be a super effective guy, someone who can play in a lot of different situations."

As a former teammate of Flames freshman forward Seth Wall when they were both on the Little Ceasars 14U AAA team in the Detroit area in 2018-19, Rolston is looking forward to being reunited with Wall in Lynchburg, Va.

"We've been best friends ever since," Rolston said.

He will be the third Flames forward who is the son of a former NHL player, following Carney (son of Keith Carney, a defenseman for the Chicago Black Hawks, Phoenix Coyotes, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, and Minnesota Wild) and Sam Feamster (son of Dave Feamster, a defenseman for the Black Hawks), as well as sophomore defenseman Joe Feamster, all current Liberty players with NHL pedigrees.

Rolston's father, Brian, was a star forward for the New Jersey Devils — where he won a Stanley Cup title in 1995 — the Boston Bruins, and the Wild, where he played with Keith Carney, amassing 342 goals and 419 assists in 1,256 games over 17 NHL seasons from 1994-2012.

"Our games are pretty similar," Rolston said, comparing his playing style to that of his famous father. "He was definitely a big goal-scorer, and more of a skilled player, but there are a lot of similarities. He coached me, and he coached Seth (Wall) as well. Everything I've learned I've learned from him, and I definitely wouldn't be close to where I'm at today in my game and as a person without him."

After playing all the way up through the Little Caesars' 18U AAA organization, netting 25 goals and distributing 30 assists in 61 games in 2022-23, Rolston's game has grown tremendously since joining the British Columbia Hockey League's Chilliwack Chiefs (13G, 4A in 49G in 2023-24) and Victoria Grizzlies (10G, 7A in 52G in 2024-25) and the NAHL's Americans (11G, 11A, in 55G this season), who have already clinched a playoff spot as the No. 2-seeded team in its division. He and his teammates traveled to the Baltimore area for this weekend's series against the top-seeded Maryland Black Bears.

"It's going to be a battle for sure," Rolston said. "I had a great time out (in the BCHL), and the preparation I've had here in the NAHL will help me be comfortable at the next level. I plan to help the (Flames) as much as I can with what I bring and try to win an (ACHA) national championship."

Born into a hockey family, Rolston specialized in the game throughout his youth.

"I fell in love with the sport at an early age," he said.

Rolston had a similar experience with his first visit to Liberty.

"I was blown away by the campus," he said. "I spent some time at the rink and watched practice while I was there. Everything was really clean and kept up really well, and the group of people I was around and met were all really nice and welcoming. I had a good conversation with the coaches and went into locker room and talked with the trainer (Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Performance Chris Kerr)."

Though he hasn't been a member of the captaincy corps at any of three Juniors teams he has played on, Rolston said he does have potential in that capacity.

"I don't have a letter, but I am one of the older guys on the team so I try to be the best leader that I can," he said, noting his personality is conducive to building up his teammates. "I am very easy going, a guy who is always there and will always help out if anybody needs it."

On the ice, he mostly leads by example.

"Anywhere I'm needed up front, I can contribute," he said. "I am a two-way forward who works hard and can make plays, showcasing my shot and setting up other players for scores."

Academically at Liberty, Rolston is undecided, but is interested and considering pursuing a commercial aviation degree through the School of Aeronautics.
"Flying commercially or delivering cargo would be a lot of fun," he said.

He has heard about the team's hockey outreach trips to Finland, where it has traveled three times in the past five seasons.

"I would be really excited for that trip," Rolston said. "In talking to Seth, he said that was just an amazing experience."

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer