RIO RANCHO, N.M. — The New Mexico Goatheads are no longer just a logo, a schedule date and a promise of professional hockey’s return.
The state’s new ECHL franchise has begun building its first roster and coaching staff ahead of its inaugural 2026-27 season, announcing its first wave of players and adding experience behind the bench as the organization prepares to bring professional hockey back to New Mexico this fall.
The Goatheads are scheduled to open their inaugural campaign on Friday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. at the Rio Rancho Events Center. The season will mark the return of professional hockey to New Mexico for the first time in nearly two decades.
Forward Grant Ahcan, 24, was announced July 10 as the first official player signed by the franchise. Ahcan joins New Mexico after a four-year collegiate career at St. Cloud State University, where he appeared in 114 games and served as team captain during the 2025-26 season. As captain, he played in 36 games and recorded four goals and five assists.
“Grant Ahcan embodies everything we want the New Mexico Goatheads to represent,” Head Coach Zack Stortini said in the team’s announcement. “He is an outstanding leader, an exceptional teammate, and someone who competes the right way every day.”
Ahcan made his professional debut late in the 202526 season with the Iowa Heartlanders after completing his college career. Earlier this summer, he also participated in Colorado Avalanche Development Camp, giving him a connection to the Goatheads’ NHL affiliate system.
The Goatheads are affiliated with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche and the AHL’s Colorado Eagles.
Ahcan also comes from a hockey family. His older brother, Jack Ahcan, has played in the Colorado Avalanche organization, while his brother, Roman Ahcan, plays for the Cleveland Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Grant and Jack also became the first siblings in St. Cloud State’s Division I era to each serve as team captain.
The Goatheads followed Ahcan’s signing by naming Matt Register assistant coach on July 13. Register spent the 2025-26 season with the Allen Americans, beginning the year as a player before moving into an assistant coaching role.
Register brings a long ECHL résumé to New Mexico. The Calgary, Alberta native is a three-time Kelly Cup champion, winning with Allen in 2016 and with the Colorado Eagles in 2017 and 2018. He was also named ECHL Defenseman of the Year three times and earned six ECHLAll-Star selections.
“Matt Register brings an incredible level of experience, leadership, and a winning pedigree to our coaching staff,” Stortini said. “Over the course of his 14-year ECHL career, Matt established himself as one of the league’s premier defensemen.”
Register played more than 800 ECHL regular-season games and more than 130 Kelly Cup Playoff games. He also appeared in the American Hockey League with the Chicago Wolves, Iowa Wild and Hartford Wolf Pack.
On July 14, the Goatheads added defenseman Trevor Zins to their inaugural roster.
Zins, 27, joins New Mexico after splitting the 2025-26 season between the Idaho Steelheads, Greensboro Gargoyles and Indy Fuel. He appeared in 65 regular- season games, recording two goals and 15 assists, then added three assists in five Kelly Cup Playoff games with Indy.
“Trevor is a proven professional who brings a highly competitive mindset to our blue line,” Stortini said. “He has shown the ability to play in all situations, and we’re excited about the leadership, character, and professionalism he’ll add as we continue building our team and culture.”
Zins, a Saint Michael, Minnesota native, enters his fourth full professional season with more than 200 ECHL regular-season games of experience. Before turning professional, he played college hockey at St. Cloud State University and the University of St. Thomas, and spent three seasons in the BCHL with the Trail Smoke Eaters.
New Mexico continued adding to its forward group July 16 with the signing of Lynden Breen.
Breen joins the Goatheads after spending the 2025-26 season with the South Carolina Stingrays, where he appeared in 59 regular-season games and recorded 25 points on four goals and 21 assists.
“Lynden is a highly competitive player who has consistently produced offensively while earning the trust of his coaches in every situation,” Stortini said. “He brings strong leadership, outstanding character, and a relentless work ethic. Combined with his athletic ability, we believe he’ll play an important role in establishing the culture and identity we’re building in New Mexico.”
The Grand Bay-Westfield, New Brunswick native enters his second full professional season following a strong collegiate career at the University of Maine. Breen appeared in 144 career games over five seasons with the Black Bears, totaling 115 points on 49 goals and 66 assists.
He served as captain during his final two seasons at Maine, helping lead the program to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. His best college season came in 2022-23, when he led the Black Bears with 21 goals and 36 points, earned Hockey East Second Team honors and finished with four shorthanded goals.
Following his collegiate career, Breen signed an American Hockey League contract with the Hershey Bears and joined the organization’s ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays. He made his professional debut late in the 2024-25 season before returning for his first full professional campaign in 2025-26.
The Goatheads also announced the signing of defenseman Emmett Serensits to an ECHL contract for the 2026-27 season.
Serensits joins New Mexico after helping the Trois-Rivières Lions capture the 2025 Kelly Cup championship and spending the 2025-26 season with the club. A former University of Toronto captain, Serensits also reunites with Stortini, who coached him during the 2019-20 season with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves.
The early signings show a clear pattern for New Mexico’s first roster. The Goatheads have added former college captains, players with ECHL experience and defensemen with playoff backgrounds as they try to establish a culture before the franchise plays its first game.
For a new team, those early choices matter. The Goatheads are not only filling roster spots; they are deciding what kind of team New Mexico hockey fans will see when the puck drops in October.
With Ahcan in place as the franchise’s first player, Register joining the coaching staff, and Zins, Breen and Serensits added to the inaugural roster, the Goatheads are moving from branding and fan excitement into the hockey work of building a team.
The puck has not dropped yet, but in Rio Rancho, the herd is starting to take shape.