Brandon Holt recently became just the seventh defenseman in the 49-year history of the University of Maine’s hockey program to earn first team All-American honors.
It was announced by the American Hockey Coaches Association.
The Black Bear senior co-captain joins an elite list that also includes Jack Capuano, Keith Carney, Chris Imes, Jeff Tory, David Cullen and the late Andre Aubut. Imes is the only one to be chosen a two-time, first teamer.
Holt is the first Black Bear blueliner to earn first team All-American status since Cullen in the 1998-99 NCAA championship campaign.
Current Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Ben Hutton was the last one to earn All-American accolades as a second team selection in 2014.
Holt led the Black Bears in scoring with 32 points on six goals and 26 assists. All are career-highs as were his 47 blocked shots. His plus-12 rating in plus-minus was tied for fourth-best on the team.
Players receive a plus-one if their team scores an even-strength or shorthanded goal and a minus one if the opponent scores one.
He had the overtime game-winner in the 5-4 win over Boston University on Oct. 31.
He is the first UMaine defenseman to reach the 30-point plateau since Hutton notched 33 points in 2011-12.
His .74 of an assist per game average was second-best among defensemen from the 63 Division I schools behind Sacred Heart’s Mikey Adamson’s .75.
Holt, who will be 25 later this month, signed a professional tryout agreement for the remainder of the season with the American Hockey League’s Tucson Roadrunners, the top minor league affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Utah Mammoth.
He also signed a one-year deal with the Roadrunners for the 2026-27 season.
“Brandon made tremendous strides at Maine under the tutelage of head coach Ben Barr and assistant coaches Rick Bennett and John O’Connor,” said Tucson general manager John Ferguson in a press release from the Roadrunners. “Brandon will add mobility, skill and strong hockey sense to our blue line.”
He has appeared in two games for the Roadrunners so far and doesn’t have a point but is plus-two.
Holt was chosen Hockey East’s Best Defensive Defenseman and earned first team all-league honors. He was also the recipient of the Len Ceglarski Sportsmanship Award given to the player who shows superior conduct and sportsmanship on and off the ice.
He is just the third Black Bear to earn the league’s best Defensive Defenseman Award with the other two being Cliff Loya in 2002-03 and Prestin Ryan in 2003-04. Ryan shared the award with Boston College’s Andrew Alberts.
He was the runnerup to Boston College’s Eamon Powell in the 2024-25 season and was a third-team all-league pick.
He was tied for eighth in the league in scoring in all games and shared top point-producing honors among the league’s defensemen with Boston University’s Cole Hutson.
His 23 points in league games only was third and led all defensemen.
“He is as good as any player in our league at any position,” said UMaine head coach Ben Barr at the time. “Not only is he the league’s best defensive defenseman, he is also the best offensive defenseman this year.”
The 5-foot-11, 181-pound native of Grand Forks, North Dakota, concluded his exemplary 126-game UMaine career with 78 points on 18 goals and 60 assists. He was a plus-34.
He became the first Hockey East defenseman in over 20 years to register 75 or more points and 40 or fewer penalty minutes over his career. He had eight penalty minutes this year and 40 for his career.
