By Alexis Demopoulos
A long-time member of the Worcester Railers Junior Hockey Club, defenseman Matt Schirm is so thankful for everything the Railers have given him over the past four years. They played a huge role in helping him earn an NCAA Division III commitment to Nazareth University for the 2025-26 season.
Schirm was a part of a championship winning team for the Railers a season ago when they were a part of the Eastern Hockey League. With the move to the NCDC this season, Schirm has been a key member of the Railers blue line. In 31 games played, he has two goals and three assists for the 17-16-3-0 Railers, who have been playing well as of late.
“When I think of the Worcester Railers, I think of home,” said Schirm. “There was no reason to change teams because I was confident the Railers organization was the best spot for me to prepare for college, helping me become a better player and a better man. There aren’t enough great things I can say about the coaching staff and my teammates who’ve all helped me get this opportunity.”
Schirm is thankful for the showcases that the NCDC puts on throughout the season as assistant coach at Nazareth James McDonald was able to see him play in person.
“The league had a showcase down in New Jersey where Coach McDonald was able to come to see me play in person,” said the Sturbridge, Mass., native. “In addition to that, the increase in speed and skill has made me a better player than the previous year.”
Schirm first began communicating with Nazareth at the beginning of the season when he received a call from Coach McDonald, though at the time it was not a school he had on his radar. He explained that the coaching staff told him that he had “a lot of tools in my game that they liked and that there may even be more to me that I am not showing.”
“Nazareth wasn’t on my radar until I was able to go out for a visit and actually see the campus and athletic facilities,” said Schirm. “It’s a good school with a serious hockey program, which is what I was looking for. On top of that, the culture they have built there is amazing.”
Schirm really enjoyed his visit to the school and academically he knew it would be a good place for him to continue to grow. He plans to major in business but is open to change if it presents itself.
“When I visited Nazareth I was able to spend time with the guys on the team and take a tour of the campus and rink,” said Schirm. “The campus was beautiful and the rink was great, but the players are the real sellers. This year, Nazareth has a large senior class and seeing how close all the guys were to one another made it impossible to not want to be a part of that. I will have a large freshman class to compete and grow with for four years and it’s an opportunity I can’t pass up.”
As a defenseman, Schirm plays with a lot of physicality and has great defensive awareness but he is always working hard to improve on things.
“I’m continuing to work on my offensive abilities,” said Schirm. “Having a complete two-way game will make me an impact player at Nazareth.”
Schirm is committed to finishing out his juniors career strong and hoping to win another championship with the Railers.
“I want to win a championship,” said Schirm. “Now that I am committed, I can focus on just playing hockey, being with my team, and winning. I want to make myself and my teammates better than yesterday so we are put in the best position to win.”
The NCDC congratulates Matt Schirm, his family, the Worcester Railers Jr. Hockey Club and Nazareth University for his commitment.
