Hat Tricks Welcome Five New Collegiate Rookie Signings
Published on March 25, 2026 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL)
Danbury Hat Tricks News Release
Danbury, CT - Over the last two weeks, the Danbury Hat Tricks made five collegiate signings to round out the team's roster in the final month of the season.
Ahead of this weekend's series vs the Binghamton Black Bears, here's an introduction to the newest members of the 2025-2026 team.
Joe Santoro was the first of the rookies to make his debut for the Hat Tricks, suiting up on March 13th on the road vs the Watertown Wolves. A native of nearby Middlebury, Connecticut, Santoro split his college career between Post University and SUNY-Fredonia. He tallied 11 points in 47 games for SUNY-Fredonia from 2022 to 2024. Playing for Post from 2024 to 2026, Santoro notched 12 points across 45 games. He scored his first professional goal for the Hat Tricks on March 20th in a 5-1 win over the Wolves.
One day after Santoro's debut, Grady Friedman made his debut on March 14th on home ice vs the Binghamton Black Bears. The Kennebunk, Maine product joins the Hat Tricks after two and a half seasons at Curry College (2024-2026). The forward scored 19 goals and 16 assists in his 61 games for the Colonels. Friedman also played 36 games (5 goals, 8 assists) for UMass Boston from 2022 to 2024. The rookie skater already has 3 goals in his first three games for Danbury.
Three more rookies made their professional debuts this past weekend.
First, Declan Bronte, a defenseman from Melbourne, Australia, joins John Bierchen's group after a four-year college career with three schools. The Aussie spent the 2022-2023 season with Salem State University (2 games) and the 2023-2024 season with Franklin Pierce University (1 assist in 11 games). He played his final two years at Fitchburg State University, scoring 4 goals and 9 assists in 46 games. The rookie played in both games of last weekend's sweep over the Wolves.
Brendan Lynch and Kurt Watson, a pair of college teammates, made their debuts on March 21st vs Watertown in the team's neutral-site game at Mennen Arena in Morristown, New Jersey. Lynch, a forward from Oakville, Ontario, comes to Danbury after a four-year career at Southern New Hampshire University. With the Penmen, Lynch scored 27 goals and 26 assists in 113 games. Watson, hailing from London, Ontario, overlapped with Lynch for three seasons at SNHU from 2023-2026 (32 goals, 22 assists, 83 games). Watson began his college career at Rivier University during the 2022-2023 season (4 goals, 2 assists, 21 games).
FPHL rookies must appear in five regular season games to be eligible for postseason play should the Hat Tricks make the playoffs.
Danbury extends a warm welcome to Joe, Grady, Declan, Brendan, and Kurt!
The Danbury Hat Tricks continue their sixth season in the Federal Prospects Hockey League on Friday, March 27 (7:00 p.m.) at the Visions Veterans Memorial Arena, to take on the Binghamton Black Bears. Single-game tickets and partial season ticket packages are on sale and can be purchased in person at the Hat Tricks office located inside the Danbury Ice Arena at 1 Independence Way in Danbury, by calling (973-713-7547) or emailing (herm@danburyhattricks.com) the office, or online through Tixr. For the latest Hat Tricks news, visit www.danburyhattricks.com, follow the team on Facebook (www.facebook.com/danburyhattricks), Instagram (@danburyhattricks), X (@DanburyHatTrick), TikTok (@danburyhattricks), and YouTube (@DanburyHatTricks), and subscribe to the Hat Tricks' newsletter.
Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from March 25, 2026
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- Hat Tricks Welcome Five New Collegiate Rookie Signings - Danbury Hat Tricks
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