After a prolific Junior hockey career in the MJHL, Zach Nicholas' two`-year collegiate career at NCAA Division I Stonehill (Mass.) did not pan out as planned, so he followed God's lead to Liberty.
NCAA DI transfer Zach Nicolas will empower Flames’ front lines
6/9/2026 12:59:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey
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The junior forward from Alberta, Canada, who played two seasons at Stonehill (Mass.) College, is the fifth recruit for Liberty’s ACHA DI men’s hockey team.
Visiting Liberty University for the first time in mid-April confirmed to Zach Nicolas, an incoming junior transfer from NCAA Division I Stonehill (Mass.) College, that the Lord was calling him to join the ACHA Division I Flames.
"I had always been intrigued by Liberty because of the faith aspect of it," said Nicolas, 22, a 6-foot, 5-inch, 220-pound forward who was born and raised in Airdrie, Canada, north of Calgary, Alberta, and played Junior hockey in Manitoba. "That's what hooked me toward Liberty, the opportunity to play hockey while growing in my faith."
He was in Lynchburg, Va., for less than 24 hours, after driving from Massachusetts late one night and spending the next day meeting the coaching staff and future teammates. Nicolas also toured campus facilities, including the LaHaye Ice Center and School of Business, where he plans to continue his pursuit of a bachelor's degree in finance.
"It was a short visit and a compact schedule, but I saw what I needed to see," Nicolas said. "I met a lot of players, not all of them, but they were really friendly, and it felt like home. It is definitely a program that has the goal of building Champions for Christ, and that was what I was attracted to: the mission. I am super excited, super pumped to get started."
Flames Head Coach Kirk Handy is equally pleased at the prospect of adding Nicolas to Liberty's forward lines next season, especially after Aidan Carney and Hayden DeMars —two of the team's more physically formidable forwards — both graduated a year earlier than anticipated.
"We are excited to bring In Zach, who is someone who wants to be at Liberty for all the right reasons," Handy said. "He had a great visit and was blown to see what Liberty is all about. It gives him something to be excited for when he comes in the fall."
Nicolas said competing at the ACHA Division I level won't be much different than playing an NCAA Division I schedule.
"I think it's going to be just as competitive," he said. "People think there's a big drop off but I know there are some very good players in this league, and I'm not expecting to come in and have it be anything other than a battle every game. My expectation is just that we win a national championship, and that I help the team to succeed in any way that I can."
Nicolas developed a passion for the game of hockey at a very early age.
"I remember skating as early as I remember walking," he said. "Living in Canada, it's what everybody did, and hockey has been in my blood for as long as I've been alive."
Nicolas considers himself a power forward who can be a formidable force in opposing teams' defensive zones. He compares his playing style to that of Winnipeg Jets' center Adam Lowry.
"I like to use my body, to get into the corners and be physical to take the puck to the net, protecting it with my body," Nicolas said. "I am definitely an offensive-oriented power forward, but not just a grinder. I know how to make plays and have a good shot, so I definitely have that skill aspect, too."
He demonstrated that during his two seasons of Junior hockey with the MJHL's Winkler Flyers. In 57 regular season games in 2022-23, Nicolas scored 22 goals and distributed 24 assists before adding four goals and an assist in seven playoff games. Then in 2023-24, he netted 21 goals and dished out 23 assists before contributing six goals and seven assists in 13 postseason contests.
His playing time and production dropped off dramatically at Stonehill, where he accumulated just four goals and eight assists in 41 games over the past two seasons. Still, Handy believes playing at that level was beneficial for Nicolas.
"Zach adds some NCAA Division I experience and another veteran voice inside the locker room," he said. "We have watched him on video and have a really good idea of what he can do. To have someone who's played in both games at Penn State, who comes in game-ready and can play right away, who understands the grind of NCAA hockey adds a leadership component to our lineup. He's a guy who's got some size, and we wanted to have some more size up front. We are getting a guy who's motivated to be at Liberty, a guy who's getting better every year and who is going to make our team better. We are excited to have him in here."
Nicolas is just as thrilled to help fan the Flames toward their first ACHA national championship in program history, knowing it will be a seven-month journey with hills and valleys.
"There is a lot going on at Liberty, and a lot to look forward to," he said. "I'm looking forward to all of it, from the start of the season all the way to the end of the year and everything in between. It's always a grind when it gets to the end, but that's also the best part."
In a sport that is predominantly secular, Nicolas is looking forward to the spiritual change of atmosphere that Liberty has to offer, with its holistic approach to developing men of character after God's own heart.
"The hockey culture is usually the opposite of that, so it will be refreshing to be around teammates who can help grow me in my faith," said Nicolas, who grew up going to his grandparents' Catholic church before his family underwent a spiritual transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. "In Canada, not getting vaccinated meant my mom losing her job, which was a big reason our family made the decision to take that leap of faith to follow Christ. The world was failing us, so that was the big thing. We turned to Christ, who will never fail us."
Nicolas said Stonehill is considered a Catholic school, but while going there, he didn't feel that Christ was the center of it, and something was missing.
"It was unique and cool to play on an NCAA Division I program, with it being such a small school with 2,500 students, though it would have been nice to have a rink on campus," he added, noting the Skyhawks play their home games at Warrior Ice Arena in Boston, an hour's drive away, and hold practices at a smaller rink about 20 minutes from campus.
Nicolas enjoys hunting and fishing in his free time.
Nicolas is the fifth commitment in the incoming 2026-27 class, and Handy and his staff are continuing their recruitment efforts.
"We're looking for a couple more guys if we can find them," Handy said. "We are still in the hunt, trying to find the best players available, to find out who's the best fit on the ice and in the locker room."
A leader by example, Nicolas could see himself as a Disciple Maker, someone who would sharpen and encourage his teammates spiritually.
"I am usually more quiet, but not shy," Nicolas said. "I am easy to approach, just not the loudest guy in the room. I've moved around a lot, and it's been a while since I've worn a (captain's) letter. (But) I am always there and looking to take a step in my faith, and have always wanted to grow as a leader, so (Disciple Maker) is definitely a role I would take."
Though training and working takes up most of his time year-round, Nicolas loves to hunt and fish, especially in Manitoba where his family rents a cabin on a lake every summer. He plans to take a week away from his landscaping job in early July to spend quality time enjoying water sports and fishing in the lake. Then in late fall, he traditionally spends any free time he has going hunting for deer, moose, and elk in Canada.
As a finance major, he looks forward to all that God has in store for his professional life after completing his degree at Liberty.
"A lot of hockey players are attracted to go the business route, and I am hoping going to Liberty is going to open some doors, and I'll see what pops up," Nicolas said, not ruling out a professional hockey career. "God willing, if something comes up, there is always an open door. To see another part of the world and play in Europe … would be amazing."
Nicolas developed a passion for the game of hockey at a very early age.
