Pittsburgh, Pa. - The Robert Morris University men's hockey team is proud to announce that four student-athletes have committed to the Colonials during the NCAA National Letter of Intent (NLI) fall signing period.

RMU welcomes Adam Brady, Jacob Coleman, Nicholas Santoro and Alex Tonge, all of whom hope to make an impact with a Division I program on the rise.

"We are excited to welcome the newly-signed four student-athletes to the Colonials hockey family," said RMU head coach Derek Schooley. "These four players will continue to add to the depth and skill level of our team. Both coach (Matt) Nicholson and coach (Mark) Workman have done an outstanding job with our recruiting, and that shows in the overall depth of our program. We expect it to continue with these signings."

Brady and Tonge are both part of the Kingston Voyageurs of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) and are projected to join the Colonials for the 2015-16 academic year, while Coleman and Santoro are on schedule to come to campus in 2016-17. Coleman is a Moon Township native who has skated for a pair of junior hockey teams this season, while Santoro plays for the Trenton (Ont.) Golden Hawks of the OJHL.

All four are forwards of varying skill sets, although they have one important thing in common, according to Nicholson.

"Although all of our recruits have the ability to play at the Division I level, a major factor in their recruitment was the high level of character they possess," Nicholson said. "As a staff, we really put a premium on character as we want to have student-athletes that are good people. At the end of the day, talent can only take you so far, but you win with people."

Brady stands at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, and he uses that frame to his advantage in the faceoff circle and all over the offensive zone. He was one of the Voyageurs' leading scorers in 2013-14 with 60 points (21g, 39a) in 51 games. The 19-year-old from Delhi, Ontario, is fourth in overall league scoring this season, with 23 goals and 16 assists in 22 contests.

"Adam has continually taken his game to another level each year that he has been in junior," Nicholson said. "We believe he is one of the top players in Ontario and we are excited to see him in a Colonials uniform. He is a dual threat in that he can score from all areas on the ice with an absolute bomb of a wrist shot, and he can make plays to his teammates.

"At the college level, we believe that Adam will complement the existing offensive players already in our lineup."

Like Brady, Tonge is a 19-year-old left-handed shooter with extraordinary offensive ability. The native of Kingston, Ontario, paced his hometown team with 29 goals and 43 assists in 53 games last season; his 72 points placed him fourth in the OJHL scoring race. This year Tonge has piled up 29 points (15g, 14a) in 16 games.

"Alex is a dynamic winger with high-end offensive instincts," Nicholson said. "He has the ability to make plays in tight areas due to his puck skills and vision. He is dangerous to score by himself but he also creates time and space by drawing defenders to him, which creates openings for his teammates.

"The Tonge and Brady duo has been one of the best combinations throughout Canadian junior hockey and we are excited to have both players in our program."

The 6-2, 210-pound Santoro has developed his physical game after moving from Cornwall of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) to Trenton of the OJHL prior to the 2013-14 campaign. He put up 26 points (13g, 13a) in 49 games last year with Trenton and has eight points thus far this season, but his value comes from his energy as much as his scoring skill.

"Nick initially caught our eye with his work ethic and physicality when he was playing for Cornwall," said Nicholson of the 19-year-old right-handed shooter. "He has a very hard wrist shot and uses his size well to protect the puck. He has the ability to excel on the penalty kill due to his willingness to do the little things that many other players won't.

"At the college level we look forward to Nick providing a physical presence as a hard-nosed winger that will get in on the forecheck, create turnovers and play solid defensively."

Coleman, 17, grew up minutes away from the Robert Morris campus and is used to playing hockey in western Pennsylvania. The right-handed forward has skated for the Pittsburgh Hornets and Pittsburgh Penguins Elite youth development programs in addition to two seasons on the Moon High School varsity squad.

Coleman has six points in eight games with the Connellsville-based Keystone Ice Miners this season, although this month he has also competed in three games for the Muskegon (Mich.) Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League (USHL), who own his Tier I rights.

"Jake is a very talented young man and we are looking forward to having him join the program," Workman said. "He is an excellent skater with very good puck skills. His 'hockey IQ' and compete level are extremely high. Jake's talents should fit nicely into the way we want to play."

The 20th-ranked Colonials, in the midst of their 11th season of Division I hockey, are off to their best 10-game start in program history. They carry a 7-1-2 record into this weekend, when they travel to Massachusetts to face Atlantic Hockey foe American International in a two-game series. 

RMU has 10 home games remaining at 84 Lumber Arena this season, in addition to two games at CONSOL Energy Center during the third annual Three Rivers Classic on Dec. 29-30. The Colonials will challenge Penn State and either Colgate or Western Michigan on the Pittsburgh Penguins' home ice.

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