ROCHESTER, N.Y. - RIT first-year forward Zach Wigle was voted the Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) Rookie of the Year, announced Tuesday.

Wigle is the 12th Tiger to land AHA All-Rookie status and first since Carter Wilkie and Tommy Scarfone were honored following the 2021-22 season.

• An AHA All-Rookie Team selection, Wigle tied for first on the team with 25 points while leading the way with 17 assists.
• He led all AHA first-year players in points and assists while ranking fourth in time on ice (19:55/game).
• Wigle finished fifth in the AHA with 363 faceoff wins, including 18 games with double-digit wins, while his .561 faceoff winning percentage ranked second among AHA skaters with at least 200 attempts.
• He notched first career goal and won 10-of-15 faceoffs in 7-3 win vs. Air Force (Oct. 25) to start a six-game point streak.
• Wigle logged the game-winning assist along with 16-of-23 faceoff wins in the 1-0 upset of No. 8 Penn State (Jan. 3).
• He scored a goal and won a career-high 19 faceoffs on 25 attempts for a .760 winning percentage--also a personal best--in the 3-3 home tie versus Niagara (Jan. 24)
• Wigle scored the Tigers' lone goal and won 13-of-19 faceoffs in 2-1 OT AHA Quarterfinal setback at Holy Cross (Mar. 6) before adding an assist and 18-of-28 faceoff wins in the 5-4 OT setback the following night (Mar.7).

RIT ended the 2025-26 season with a 17-17-2 record under first-year head coach Matt Thomas -- a seven win improvement over the 2024-25 campaign. The Tigers earned the fifth seed for the AHA Tournament after finishing with a 13-11-2 conference mark, falling in the best-of-three quarterfinals at fourth-seeded Holy Cross.