COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Two brothers – one who knew his college destination for years prior to setting foot on campus, and another whose road to college hockey opened up a year ago – have converged in Colorado Springs to push a young Colorado College team into the thick of the NCAA Tournament chase this season.
 
Forwards Tomas and Mateo Mrsic, two of 13 freshmen on the Tigers’ roster this season, took different paths to becoming teammates for the first time. Now both are learning from each other and setting the tone for a Tigers squad that is perking up after a slow start to the season.
 

DIFFERING PATHS TO TEAMING UP
 
Despite not skating as teammates for their entire lives until this season, Mateo and Tomas were heavy influences on each other in their formative years getting on the ice in Surrey, B.C. As the older brother, Mateo set the tone while Tomas competitively tried to keep up and match his example.
 
“Having Mateo play the sport and experience the same things ahead of me was helpful at each step,” Tomas said. “We played a lot of mini sticks and were very competitive, which helped us to get to where we are.”
 
Mateo, a 2004 birth year, took the traditional path towards college hockey, picking the BCHL as his developmental junior league. In British Columbia, he starred for four years with Chilliwack and netted 33 goals and 70 points the year before taking the leap to the collegiate level.
 
Meanwhile, Tomas cut his teeth via the CHL route, a path that, until this season, prevented him from even considering playing college hockey. After three seasons with Medicine Hat, the younger Mrsic was drafted in the fourth round by the St. Louis Blues in 2024. Tomas then broke out with the Prince Albert Raiders in the WHL to the tune of 33 goals and 90 points before joining his brother in Colorado Springs this season.
 
Due to the two-year age gap and vastly different landing spots in junior hockey, Tomas and Mateo never suited up in the same jersey until the Tigers’ Oct. 18 tilt against Northern Michigan. Tomas dished out a pair of assists for his first two collegiate points while Mateo made his Tigers’ debut to help them finish off a road sweep of the Wildcats.
  
Both forwards cut their teeth with Delta Hockey Academy, but were always on different age groups with Mateo wrapping up his time at the U18 level when Tomas arrived in 2019-20. As Mateo shifted gears to the BCHL to earn attention from the college ranks, Colorado College took notice of him and his tenacity stuck out as head coach Kris Mayotte took the helm in Colorado Springs.
 
“We always liked where (Mateo’s) floor was and what he could be as a college hockey player,” Mayotte said. “His hockey sense and speed were always apparent and his offensive game kept growing in the BCHL, showing a good ceiling as well. He thrived playing in critical moments on top lines during his BCHL career.”
 

Tomas’ offensive game drew attention from scouts in the CHL ranks, where he eventually latched on in the WHL with Medicine Hat as a 16-year-old in 2022. He became a point-per-game player (62 points in 63 games) in 2023-24, which led to him being taken 113th overall by the Blues.
 
For players in the CHL, the developmental path was previously cut and dry – play in juniors until they either age out of the league or the NHL team that holds their draft rights signs them to an entry-level contract, whichever comes first. When the NCAA rule preventing CHL players from college eligibility was rescinded, it did not take long for Tomas to join his brother on the Tigers’ roster.
 
“As a family it was a no-brainer when that rule opened things up for the CHL players,” Mateo said. “We always wanted to help and be there for each other as we're brothers and family.”
 
FINDING THEIR COLLEGIATE FOOTING
 
The developmental curve of freshmen making the jump from junior hockey to the college ranks is rarely a straight line. That has been true for both Mateo and Tomas this season. Mateo took time to establish himself in the lineup, missing the team’s first five games of the year as a scratch and only playing in three of the Tigers’ first 12 games and six of 18 games when the team hit the season’s winter break.
 
Tomas has suited up in all 26 of Colorado College’s games so far this season, but scoring against college goalies has proved a big adjustment compared to his prolific production in the WHL. Over his first 17 games with CC, Tomas only had four points on two goals and two assists.
 
“Mateo started in and out of the lineup. For guys who have never been scratched, that can be a challenge,” Mayotte said. “Tomas is someone who was a prolific scorer at each level. Finding time and space in scoring areas is harder and goaltending is at a different level in college.”
 

Last weekend was a coming out party of sorts for the Mrsic brothers, and potentially a sign of things to come for the Tigers in general. Mateo dished out an assist for his first collegiate point in the team’s series opener against Arizona State on Jan. 30, while Tomas netted three goals on the weekend, including two in the Tigers’ 4-1 victory over ASU in Saturday’s series finale.
 
After opening the 2026 portion of the schedule by dropping a pair of games at Augustana, Colorado College has picked up three-straight series splits. That stretch includes a win over North Dakota, currently ranked third in the NCAA Percentage Index (NPI). The Tigers sit 30th in the NPI entering the final four weekends of the regular season as CC tries to make its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011.
 
“Big credit to Mateo, at the beginning of the year he was in and out of the lineup,” senior goaltender and co-captain Kaidan Mbereko said. “He has solidified a more important role on the team and can play in every situation.
 
“Tomas can do a lot on the first line and now that he is producing, that offensive mindset he brings is great. He had been a bit snakebit, but is finding the back of the net at the right time.”
 
The Tigers have their work cut out for them as six of their final eight regular-season contests come against teams ranked in the top 11 in the NPI, beginning with this weekend’s Gold Pan series against Denver. However, with the Mrsic brothers finding their footing and the team starting to pick up results, there is confidence throughout the locker room that this group is up to the challenge.
 
In the Mrsic brothers’ first year as teammates, they are learning the ropes of college hockey while also learning from each other on and off the ice as they continue to build the Tigers’ culture into a consistent winner.
 
“We both play different styles and we learn a lot of things off each other,” Tomas said. “The thing I learned from him was working hard. He always kept putting his head down and went to work and that has been inspiring.”
 
Colorado College and Denver renew their rivalry on Friday at 7 p.m. MT in Colorado Springs, before wrapping up their series in Denver on Saturday. Both games can be seen on NCHC.tv.