Heading into his third college hockey season, Will Skahan decided to make a change. This fall, Skahan will attend Minnesota State University, Mankato, after two years at Boston College. There were several positives that drew Skahan to Mankato, including an opportunity to be back in Minnesota, his home state.
“It’s a really good coaching staff they have there,” Skahan shared. “They win a lot; they’re always in the tournament. I think that’s also a big piece of that, they value winning there a ton. It’s also really close to home, which is a really important factor for me. I want to come home this next year, and I’m pretty juiced for it.”
Skahan enters his junior season with some solid experience. He spent the last two years playing in Hockey East, one of the strongest college hockey conferences. He played 61 games, scored three goals, and added five assists through his first two seasons. The defenseman improved his play after competing at this advanced level.
“Just as you get older, everybody gets stronger and faster,” Skahan said. “You just have to keep up with that and also just with the puck too, you have to have more confidence with it. Just learning that, learning (in general), especially being at development camp too, learning how to be a professional.”
As he looks forward to this new opportunity, Skahan is determined. The Mammoth’s 2024 second round pick wants to have a bounce back year and improve several areas of his game. Skahan also wants to help Mankato with their championship pursuits.
“I know I can get back to what I was before,” Skahan explained. “Lead a team and hopefully win a national championship with (Mankato) and get some more playing time.
“I think my skating needs to improve,” Skahan also shared. “My defensive game needs to improve as well, and also get some points too. That’ll be nice.”
