Player Spotlight: Get to Know SU Hockey’s Newest Captain
- Maria Kaffes
- Oct 1
- 2 min read
By Brian Piendel
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — It's everyone’s favorite time of the year in the “315” …Syracuse Men’s Hockey is back and with a new captain at the helm. Connor Chesner was named the 56th captain of the Syracuse Orange this offseason, and the senior looks to guide the Orange to another deep playoff run.
Chesner is a senior right-handed defenseman from Aspen, Colorado, who has served as the team’s alternate captain for the Orange for the past two seasons. Before coming to Syracuse, Chesner played junior hockey for the Worcester Jr. Railers of the EHL in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Connor has been a vital part of the Orange’s improvement from a 9-21-1 record two seasons ago to a 16-14-2 record last season and a playoff run that included an appearance in the ESCHL Conference Championship.
Since he arrived in Syracuse, Chesner has been an anchor in head coach Chris Timmons’ blue line. According to InStat Hockey, Chesner averaged 24:20 time-on-ice per game as a freshman, which ranked second on the team. Since then, he’s led the team in usage by a wide margin as both a sophomore and a junior.
Alongside Chesner’s ability to handle a high workload and endure tough minutes, he can also contribute offensively. The Orange captain enters the 2025-2026 campaign with 19 goals and 28 assists in 95 games played across three seasons.
Beyond his on-ice role, Chesner’s importance is heightened by his level of experience, which is made all the more salient on a team that has undergone quite a bit of roster turnover. The Orange graduated nine seniors from the 2024-2025 ESCHL runner-up team, including fifth-year captain Sam Hutchinson, who led the team’s offense with 33 points in 27 games last season.
When asked about stepping onto the ice for the first time wearing the “C”, Chesner remarked:
“It was a little bit different just cause the senior group that we had last year had a bunch of leaders, so it was a little weird coming out without them. This group that’s here, I think is going to do something special, so I’m super excited.”
Despite losing most of last year’s offensive production, Chesner is excited about what he’s seen out of his group leading up to this season. He believes the Orange are going to be able to hit the ground running, despite the personnel losses. “I think we’ve got a lot of depth. There’s a lot of guys that didn’t play today that definitely are able to play and are going to bring a lot of talent and a lot of energy day in and day out.”
While the bitter end to last season still looms over the Orange, Chesner has focused on highlighting the good during practice and games.
“I like to say my opinion here and there, but I like to keep it a little bit more positive unless we need a little pick-me-up here and there.”
With optimism surrounding this year's team, Chesner is looking to build on last year and bring a trophy back to Syracuse.
“It’s just exciting to be out here again playing hockey at the TIP.”