Mirageas Making Waves At Providence

Ben Mirageas is the youngest player on the Providence College men's hockey team this year, but the defenseman is playing beyond his years.
Mirageas cracked the Friars lineup the first game of the 2017-18 season and has been a mainstay on the back end since. The true freshman has seven goals and eight assists while also appearing in all of Providence's 26 games this season, which is not an easy feat for an 18-year-old defenseman.

"It's been really positive so far," Mirageas said. "You're playing against men in college hockey and being an 18-year-old freshman it's just something you have to keep in the back of your mind."
The Islanders' 2017 third-round pick entered Providence in the fall after spending last season with the Bloomington Thunder and Chicago Steel in the United States Hockey League. Mirageas won a USHL title with Chicago and attributes part of his success at Providence to his experience in the USHL where he said he was able to round out the defensive side of his game.
Instagram from @ben\_mirageas8: Just a great bunch of guys #clarkcupchampions
If his defense has carried over, his offense has taken the next step. Mirageas scored twice in 59 games last year in the USHL and has already more than tripled his goal output this year. Mirageas currently leads the Friars' freshmen class in points and ranks second in points among Providence defensemen. His five power-play goals lead the team and no other defensemen on the Friars has more than two. He was named the Hockey East Rookie of the Week on Nov. 13.
"It's just confidence," Mirageas said. "Last year I struggled with it a lot in the first half of the year, but Coach [Nate] Leaman has been great to me and has given me opportunities. I've been taking advantage of that."
And his teammates have extra reason to celebrate his goals: Providence is 6-0 this season when Mirageas finds the back of the net, but one victory in particular stood out among the rest for Mirageas and the Friars this season.
On November 11, the Friars played with heavy hearts, after it was announced that former men's hockey player Drew Brown passed away after a battle with Ewing's Sarcoma, a form of bone cancer.
Brown began his collegiate career in 2011 and was a mainstay in the lineup through his junior year at Providence. A fluke play during the Hockey East Semifinals in 2014 aggravated what Brown thought was a nagging leg injury but an MRI revealed it to be a cancerous tumor.

Brown missed his senior season as he returned home to receive treatment, but his presence was still evident as the team went on an improbable run to win the 2015 NCAA National Championship after making the tournament as the 16th and final seed. It was no secret that the Friars used Drew as their inspiration.
Brown returned to Providence in the fall of 2015. No longer able to play hockey at the Division I level, Brown served as a student coach while working on finishing his degree. In 2016, Brown's cancer returned and though Brown continued to fight, the devastating disease began spreading to other parts of his body. His courageous battle against cancer came to an end on November 11, 2017.
Brown had worn number seven during his playing days, the number that Mirageas wore when he first came to Providence. Prior to the game that night, Leaman approached Mirageas to ask him how he would feel about wearing number four for the rest of the year. "Right away, I made that decision with ease," said Mirageas giving up the number in tribute to Brown. Mirageas never played with Brown, but he knew what it meant to his teammates and the school.
"I didn't play with Drew Brown but a lot of my teammates did and our team really comes together as one in those moments," Mirageas said. "It was definitely really special and he will never be forgotten."
On his first night wearing number four, Mirageas scored four points (2G, 2A), including the game winner. As for number seven, it hung up behind the bench that night and fittingly appeared on the scoreboard, as Providence beat UMass 7-2. The number is now officially retired and a designated stall for Drew remains in the Providence locker room.

The bond that the Friars have with one another was evident that night and it has been one of the reasons that Mirageas has made the transition to college hockey so successfully. As the youngest player on the team, Mirageas has relied on more veteran players like Jeff Baum and Vincent Desharnais to learn the ins and outs of the college game.
Mirageas also attributed his success so far this season to his experience at the New York Islanders mini-camp that he attended this past summer. Being around older players as well as player development staff gave Mirageas a glimpse into what being a professional hockey player entails and he's brought that to Providence.
"I really took a lot from it and it's been helping me a lot this year," Mirageas said. "Things like nutrition, I've been taking care of the my body, working out - they're all really strong guys, so I've put on a few pounds - and getting my feet wet in the professional lifestyle."
As the final stretch of the regular season in college hockey quickly approaches, Mirageas looks to continue his stellar freshman season. It's been a good season for him, but the team success is what he's after. His goal for the rest of the season?
"Just win hockey games."