By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
For the first time in three years, nothing is standing between Cole Spicer and a normal season of college hockey. Entering his senior season, Spicer has played for three different teams and in two different leagues since his last full healthy season, when he skated in 32 games for Minnesota-Duluth as a freshman in 2022-23.
Lingering symptoms from post-concussion syndrome contributed to Spicer leaving Duluth midway through his sophomore season and taking time away from hockey before joining the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL in the fall of 2024. A productive, yet injury-plagued, year in Dubuque helped to jumpstart his college career, and Spicer returned to the NCAA ranks with a commitment to Arizona State in the following spring.
Just as things were beginning to look up for the former fourth-round pick, the Sun Devils changed course late in the summer, forcing him to find a new home on short notice. The decision proved to be a blessing in disguise, with Spicer later finding a home with the defending national champion Western Michigan Broncos. Making his debut just before Thanksgiving, Spicer recorded two points and the game-winning goal to secure a road sweep over Omaha, but soon found himself out with injury again, not returning to the ice until February.
It took until late February for Spicer to finally find his footing and stay on the ice. Once healthy, he established his role as the third-line center and became the Broncos’ second-best faceoff taker (57.2%) behind Owen Michaels (58.9%). He began to see more consistent ice time, playing upwards of 17 minutes in the NCHC conference tournament, and assisted on the eventual game-winning goal against Minnesota State in the NCAA tournament.
Spicer played in each of the Broncos’ last seven games, and while his final stat line was modest (3-3-6 in 13 games), his performances down the stretch showed a glimpse of the kind of asset he can be when healthy. Only Michaels and Grant Slukynsky, their top two centers, took and won more faceoffs than Spicer in the postseason.
With half of the Broncos’ top six having signed pro contracts, including the aforementioned centers, Spicer has the opportunity to play significant minutes in his senior year as the kind of asset Western Michigan will need with a much younger squad, but a top-six role won’t be guaranteed. Western Michigan is bringing in 12 new forwards this fall, including several centers who’ll push for time right away, like Adam Benak, who scored 77 points in 48 games with the Brantford Bulldogs in the OHL last season.
Spicer’s senior year will bring as many questions as opportunities. Can he stay healthy for a full season? And if he does, can he play well enough to draw a pro contract next spring? The Bruins still hold Spicer’s draft rights until the summer of 2027, since the expiration of his NCAA eligibility got pushed back by the year he spent away from school with Dubuque. Whatever happens this season, after a roller coaster of a college career, Cole Spicer has a chance to write his own ending.
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