Nick Sinani turned a breakout junior hockey season in South Texas into a college roster spot. The Northville native committed to play NCAA Division III hockey at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, the NAHL announced July 16.

Sinani, 21, spent two seasons as a forward with the Corpus Christi IceRays and wore the alternate captain's "A" in 2025-26. His numbers tell the story of a player who figured things out: after recording just one goal and three assists in 38 games during his first year with the IceRays, he exploded for 17 goals and 11 assists across 58 games this past season.

That 28-point campaign included multiple game-winning goals, according to the NAHL's announcement.

The jump was even more dramatic considering where Sinani started. In 2023-24, he posted two goals and eight assists in 39 games with the Nepean Raiders of the Central Canada Hockey League. Two NAHL seasons later, he's headed to college hockey.

Part of a pipeline

Sinani is one of 11 IceRays players from the 2025-26 roster to secure college hockey commitments, according to the NAHL's official college commitments page. That group includes Xander Miceli, who committed to the University of Wisconsin's Division I program. The remaining commitments went to Division III schools, including Norwich, Skidmore, and Endicott.

The NAHL, a tuition-free junior league, produces more than 350 NCAA commitments per season across its member teams.

What's next

Sinani will join the MSOE Raiders for his first collegiate season this fall in Milwaukee. MSOE competes in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association under head coach Brandon Richards. The MSOE Raiders went 10-14-3 in 2025-26, meaning Sinani joins a program looking to add offensive punch. The 2026-27 schedule has not yet been released.