For Briggs Orr, it was better late than never.

After the Denver native finished the 2025-26 season with the NAHL’s Aberdeen Wings, he looked at his NCAA options for the 2026-27 season and decided to commit to NCAA Division III University of New England.

Then the phone rang, and when Orr answered, he realized a dream come true as NCAA D-I Ferris State University made him an offer that was exactly what he was looking for.

“That process was pretty crazy,” said Orr. “It started early in my age-out year of juniors. I knew with the changing landscape in college Hockey that the recruiting process was going to be a bit different this year. I had been in talks with some Division I schools and a lot of Division III schools throughout the year. My ultimate goal was to end up D-I, but I still had to keep my options open for D-III. Throughout the course of the year, I got the chance to talk to some amazing teams, and ultimately ended up committing to UNE. I was extremely excited to join that program, they’re going to have a great team this year, and they’ve had an amazing program in the past.

“About a week after I had committed to UNE, I got a call from the Ferris head coach (Brett Riley) saying that they might be interested in recruiting me. At this point, it was early August and I had no expectations of getting a D-I offer this late. A few days later, I received the call that they had decided to offer me, and I could not have been more excited. I called some past coaches and mentors of mine to get some advice going into this decision and ultimately decided to take it.”

Orr, now residing in El Dorado Hills, Calif., spent the past two seasons with the Wings, playing in a total of 70 games and scoring 24 points (five goals, 19 assists) from the blue line.

“Briggs has put a lot into this commitment,” said Aberdeen head coach and general manager Scott Langer. “He has played four years of junior hockey and worked every day to achieve this goal. We are excited to see Briggs achieve Division I hockey.”

Ferris State University is located in Big Rapids, Mich., and the hockey team plays in the CCHA. Last season, the Bulldogs finished 8-27-2 overall with a 6-18-2 conference record.

“There was a lot that excited me about Ferris,” Orr said. “They have a very rich history starting way back in the 1970s. The head coach, Brett Riley, is newer to the program. He is a great coach and is looking to turn the program around, and believes that I can help be a part of that process. One of the biggest appealing factors for me was the development possibilities that I can get playing and practicing at the D-I level every single day. The players at that level are so talented and will ultimately just make me a better player. The CCHA is also an excellent division. All of the teams play a heavy, strong game and fits into my playing style very well. One thing that was also very interesting is the location. I’ve never really spent time in Michigan and it is a state that I’ve wanted to know more about.

“Going into the season as a freshman, I am expecting to have to put a lot of work in. I know that everything will have to be earned and that there’s nothing given to you at this level. I’m going to have to work every day, above and beyond what is asked for to earn the opportunity to play in games. I am looking to solidify myself as a steady, strong defenseman that is extremely hard to play against. I know that I am starting at the bottom of the totem pole, but I am really to get to campus and get to work.”

Orr noted that playing in Aberdeen “was extremely influential for fine-tuning my game and preparing myself for college.”

“Getting the chance to play for Scott Langer, who has an excellent history of developing players for the D-I level, was an amazing experience,” said Orr. “He, along with the rest of the staff in Aberdeen, gave me the confidence to grow my game and truly find my identity as a hockey player. I was also extremely grateful to have the opportunity of wearing a letter and being a part of the leadership group last year. It challenged me in ways that I’ve never been challenged before and helped me grow outside of the sport.”

Playing junior hockey all across North America, Orr said he never once thought about giving up and instead chose to use adversity as motivation.

“I wouldn’t have changed a single thing about my career,” said Orr. “During my time at NorthStar Christian Academy, under Tim Jackman, I discovered a Bible verse that is stuck with me throughout the rest of my life. It is Hebrews 12:11: ‘No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.’ Those words helped me carry myself through every hardship, setback, and success that I had in my junior hockey career. Along the way, there were so many people that doubted me and told me that I never would make it to the highest level. However, for every one of those there was two people in my corner, helping to motivate and support me. I credit each and every person who has helped me for my success, and getting this commitment and reaching this level is my form of repaying them for all of the hard work that they have done.

“I know that my work does not stop just because I’ve reached my goal, but I am thankful for the challenges that I’ve been through for teaching me lessons that many do not get the chance to learn.”

Orr was born in Denver and lived in the Lowry neighborhood before his family moved to California.

After progressing up the youth hockey ranks in Colorado and California, Orr made the jump to junior hockey with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen. He then played for four teams in the NAHL – Minot Minotauros, St. Cloud Norsemen, Maine Nordiques and Aberdeen.

Orr was originally drafted by the Hitmen in the second round (34th overall) of the 2020 WHL U.S. Prospects Draft.

“I started playing hockey because of my dad,” said Orr. “He was a huge hockey fan but had never really played. When I would cry as a baby, my parents would try and turn on cartoons or any other show to see if it would calm me down, but it never worked. They realized that whenever a hockey game was playing on the TV, I was completely locked in and barely made a sound. Once I was around two, my dad put me in skates and started me with lessons and I haven’t stopped since.

“The Colorado Avalanche definitely played a big role. Having a team so close to me that I could go watch and cheer on in person made it really fun as a young kid growing up and playing. The University of Denver had more of an impact on me than the Avs did, though. I played for the Jr. Pioneers when I was little and being in Magness Arena and interacting with the players there had me wanting to be just like them.”

Once he arrived in Northern California, Orr skated for the Golden State Elite Eagles and San Jose Jr. Sharks before heading to junior hockey.

“I moved around quite a bit growing up,” said Orr. “In California with Golden State Elite, I played for Larry Cahn and Evan Alexius. Both of them played a monumental role in teaching me how to mature my game so that I will be able to move onto the next level. My first year playing for Larry, I was playing up a year and he helped adjust to the stronger and faster play as an undersized defensemen at the time. The next year playing for Evan, I grew a little bit and was now playing with kids my age and found myself taking a lot of emotional penalties. Evan taught me how to control myself and play my game instead of losing control and getting angry.

“I then moved to the San Jose Jr. Sharks the following two years playing for Robert Savoie. Robert helped teach me a lot and helped me realize that I may have a future in hockey and motivated me to pursue that.”

Ferris State’s season kicked off Oct. 2-3 as the Bulldogs lost and tied at Canisius. Orr did not play in that series. The Bulldogs next play a home-and-home series against Western Michigan Oct. 8-9.

Photo/Megan Rosendahl

— Matt Mackinder

(October 5, 2026)