Photo Credit: Credit: Jon Pitonzo/FOHS Media Faction

To get admitted in to West Point, and be an officer in the Army, you need to appreciate structure, and do things with a purpose of service, among several other things. Hunter McCoy has those traits. The former Maryland Black Bear committed to West Point a bit later in his recruiting journey, and brings a structured game to Brian Riley’s group. The six foot tall power forward is adept at driving the net, and killing penalties among several other things. Wherever he played for the Black Bears he was noticeable at driving the pace of play and in making smart decisions under pressure, another key component of an Army Officer.

When Associate Head Coach Zach McKelvie and the Army staff saw that Hunter was no longer heading to Brown University, the fit became obvious pretty quickly. As Zack said ” We have had our eye on Hunter for several years, as far back when he was playing in the NCDC and have always liked his game. At the start of the year he was a guy that we were targeting but he came off the board pretty quick so when he became available the second half of the year we felt he was a no brainer for our team.” As McCoy said of the staff ” they have the same goals I do. Hunter also praised how transparent and communicative all of them have been with him and his family. Hunter is a power forward with a good release, and is expected to compete for penalty kill time right away. Over time he could grow into a top six power forward with the ability to help out in any spot on the ice, at any time.

McCoy will report to Cadet Basic Training on Sunday, June 27th, ready to take his first steps in the Army, and as part of the Class of 2025. For Riley’s team, this class coming in will be a big one to fill the large shoes left by his eight departing seniors. One thing McCoy will miss during his time in Cadet Basic Training, where he is looking forward to adapting to the structure of West Point, and learning what it takes to be in the United States Army, is his dad’s steak tips. When asked what his last meal would be, he picked it without hesitation, and had his dad ship them frozen to him all over North America, regardless of where his junior hockey career took him. With stops in the USPHL, BCHL, and finally with the NAHL, those steak tips have gone quite a distance.

As for McCoy himself, he models his game similar to Charlie Coyle. He is a plucky forward that knows how to walk the edge between playing a tight checking game, while playing with the needed discipline. As for why he chose West Point, he said “for me West Point is known to be one of the best colleges in the country, and “its always been important to me and I’ve wanted to serve my country. ” Despite being in Cadet Basic Training for six weeks, McCoy is not worried, while he will train at the highest level he also added on getting a few weeks off the rink after his long season just ended “I actually think it will be good to get off the ice for a little bit.” When he talked with program alums, and the staff he noted a common theme of why those who talked to him came to West Point. He said ” they (program representatives) all say you’re set for life.” In addition, Hunter wants to lead and help others, and this program and how it develops people to lead in the Army seem to be an ideal fit for Hunter both on and off the ice. Academically,McCoy, for now, has interests in business and economics but is open to taking advantages of the unique academic offerings of one of the most prestigious schools in the world.

McCoy knows what Army Hockey means, and mentioned the fact that he hails from Newburyport Massachusetts, the same home town as Derek Hines. As Zach McKelvie said of Hunter’s maturity “He’s a great person and comes from a great family. Mature beyond his years so we feel the transition to West Point will be smooth for him. He will fit in very well with our group and it wouldn’t surprise anyone here if he wears a letter one day here.” Hunter knows he will need to get up to the speed of the Division One game quickly, and has every confidence in his ability, and the tutelage of the staff and program itself to help him get there.

Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape like unique untold stories across college hockey. Please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts