The Philadelphia Hockey Club, proud members of the Eastern Hockey League (EHL), are pleased to announce that defenseman Neil Pretorius has committed to play NCAA Division III Ice Hockey for the Hiram College Terriers, who will play in the North Coast Atlantic Conference (NCAC) beginning with the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Pretorius, a 6’3”, 210 lb. native of Brisbane, Australia, had sixteen total points (2 goals and 14 assists) in 38 regular season games played this year, including a game winning goal. Pretorius was a member of the Australian National Team back in March when they swept New Zealand to win the 2025 Men’s Trans-Tasman Challenge.

“I would like to thank my American and Australian families for helping me achieve my current accomplishments,” said Pretorius. “I will continue to make you proud by excelling academically and athletically at the NCAA level. I would also like to thank coach Curto for his faith in selecting me for the inaugural season” added Pretorius.

"Neil is a class act kind of player and person” stated PHC Head Coach and General Manager Adam Bartholomay. “He was a leader in the locker room without having an "A" or "C" on his Jersey. We are very proud to have Neil be a part of the PHC Family and look forward to watching his continued success at the collegiate level. Good Luck Neil” said Bartholomay.

“We like Neil’s size, mobility and work ethic as a shutdown defenseman” said Hiram’s Head Coach Jeffrey Curto” Neil is going to be a great addition to Hiram and will help solidify the defensive core” finished Curto.

Hiram College, located in Hiram, OH, will begin their inaugural season in the fall of 2025.