OFFICIAL RELEASE (FAYETTEVILLE)

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (9/26/2026) – Former men's ice hockey forward, and 2025-26 assistant captain Aaron Hamel has signed a professional contract with the Fayetteville Marksmen of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL).

Hamel is the first Bison to sign professionally since Sebastian Miedema, who signed with fellow SPHL squad Knoxville Ice Bears in August of 2024.
Hamel, through his two seasons on The Hill, appeared in 52 games and totaled 32 points, pairing 10 goals with 22 assists. He was also a recipient of Conference of New England (CNE) Community Service Team (2025-26), American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) All-American Scholar (2025), College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District (2025) and Conference of New England Academic All-Conference (2026) recognition during his tenure.

Before joining Nichols, Hamel spent the 2022-24 seasons at Arcadia University, where he appeared in 40 games and recorded 23 points on 10 goals and 13 assists. Prior to his collegiate career, Hamel played for Team Meijer AAA at the 16U and 18U levels from 2017-19.

Hamel was tendered by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) in 2018 and went on to play 53 career games in the NAHL between the Knights and Corpus Christi IceRays. He was selected as a 2021 USPHL Florida Division All-Star while playing for the Charleston Colonials before concluding his junior hockey career with the Charlotte Rush of the USPHL, where he tallied 32 points in 27 games.