NCDC Commitment Profiles: Mercer Veteran Van Iterson Commits To UMass-Boston
By Alexis Demopoulos
A three-year veteran of the Mercer Chiefs, forward David Van Iterson is thrilled to announce his NCAA Division III commitment to UMass-Boston for the 2025-26 season after putting in years of hard work with the Chiefs organization.
Van Iterson, a native of Bethesda, Md., signed with the Chiefs back in 2022 in their inaugural season and has been with the club ever since. This season, Van Iterson played in 42 regular season games putting up 25 points (six goals, 19 assists) and was a key player for the Chiefs all season long. He also contributed six points in 12 playoff games.
“I was tendered to Mercer from Team Maryland for the 2022-23 season, which was Mercer’s inaugural season,” said Van Iterson. “I played in the team’s first game in the NCDC, and I played there all three seasons. I had a great time, great teammates, and my hockey skills improved. The Mercer Chiefs provide a positive environment, which allows players to enjoy their time playing juniors to the fullest while at the same time competing for divisional and league championships all three years I was there, including making it to the Dineen Cup Finals for the first time this year. Head Coach Rob Broderick was a great coach.”
Van Iterson started communicating with the UMass-Boston coaching staff back in February. He explained that the coaching staff took a liking to his defensive skills and his playmaking abilities.
Van Iterson didn’t have UMass Boston on his radar, but when they started expressing interest in him he quickly started to realize it could be a perfect place for him.
“When UMass-Boston started to show interest in me, I started researching majors offered by the school that I might be interested in concentrating in, and the school’s academic reputation,” said Van Iterson. “I also looked up the roster to see if there were players that I knew or had seen play previously. One of the players was a former Mercer Chief whom I had seen play with the Maryland Black Bears while I was playing youth hockey for Team Maryland. Between the academics and hockey roster, I thought I could be a fit at UMass-Boston.”
During Van Iterson’s visit to the school, he had the most welcoming visit, he really liked the location and a lot of aspects appealed to him.
“When I visited campus, I stayed overnight with members of the hockey team,” said Van Iterson. “Not only were the players very welcoming, their living arrangement was very nice. When touring campus, the modern style of the school and the school’s location overlooking Boston Harbor appealed to me. Having a rink centrally located on campus was a big plus.”
Before Van Iterson heads to UMass-Boston in the fall, he is planning to work hard over the summer so he will be able to contribute right away.
“I’m continuing to work on my overall strength and straight-line speed and working on my shot to become a greater threat to score from more areas on the ice,” said Van Iterson.
The NCDC congratulates David Van Iterson, his family, the Mercer Chiefs and UMass-Boston for his commitment.