TUCSON, Arizona — On the practice ice at the Tucson Arena, one piece of equipment immediately catches the eye: a well-worn blue hockey stick in the hands of new Roadrunners defenseman Brandon Holt.
“That’s a college stick,” Holt explains with a smile. “That’s what we had back at Maine. And I haven’t gotten any new ones yet, so that’s what I’m using for now.”
The stick is a small reminder of where Holt came from — and how far he has traveled.
Holt first picked up a hockey stick growing up in Grand Forks, North Dakota. But this isn’t his first time in the Southwest. He played his junior hockey in New Mexico with the Ice Wolves.
“It was just an opportunity,” Holt says. “That’s where I was wanted the most. So that’s the way it worked out.”
From there, the next opportunity took him east to play defense at the University of Maine.
“I feel like it’s more important to go where you are wanted than where you want to go,” Holt reflects. “Obviously, now I’m so thankful that I went to Maine and it was the perfect spot to grow and develop.”
Holt made the most of that opportunity. As team captain for the Black Bears this past season, he earned Hockey East First Team All-Star honors, was named the conference’s Best Defensive Defenseman, and shared the Len Ceglarski Sportsmanship Award. He was also recognized as an AHCA/CCM First Team All-American — becoming the first Maine defenseman to earn First Team All-American honors in over two decades. Holt led his team in scoring among defensemen with a career-high 32 points (6 goals, 26 assists) in 35 games and paced the squad in blocked shots. Remarkably, he finished his entire senior season with just 8 penalty minutes.
“It’s pretty cool to be recognized that way for sure,” Holt says of the accolades.He adds with a grin: “I probably got away with a few here and there, but I try to play a hard, clean game.”
Now Holt has brought that disciplined, two-way game back to the Southwest. He has already appeared in two games since joining head coach Steve Potvin’s Tucson Roadrunners on a professional tryout (PTO) for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. The organization has also signed him to a one-year AHL contract for 2026-27, marking the start of his professional career.
Potvin is thrilled with the addition.“You talk to some of the coaches that have had him in the past. They just rave about his character, the direction of play, just how he conducts himself,” Potvin says. “So we’re lucky to have him.”
For Holt, the transition to pro hockey has been a whirlwind of travel and adjustment, but he’s embracing it with a steady mindset.“Not having too many expectations, trying to go with the flow,” Holt says. “It’s been a ride. We’ve been on the road traveling. I haven’t had too much time to think about it. I’m just going with it.”
Next season, Potvin will have Brandon Holt on his blue line full-time — just not with that trusty blue college stick. By then, the former Maine captain will be fully equipped for the rigors of the American Hockey League, ready to build on a remarkable college career that began with a simple opportunity in the Southwest and has now come full circle.
