Mike Paliotta

Classroom

Paliotta has been named to the Hockey East All-Academic Team for all three years of his collegiate career. He currently maintains a 3.25 GPA as a community entrepreneurship major.

Character

Paliotta was unanimously selected by the team as captain for the 2014-15 season, becoming the first defenseman to serve as captain since 2010-11.

Community

As a sophomore, Paliotta organized the team’s adoption of Jack Lyman through the Team IMPACT organization. Lyman was diagnosed with a heart disease known as CPVT at the age of 6 and has remained a member of the team since 2012. Paliotta delivered teddy bears to patients at local hospitals and nursing homes through the team’s annual Teddy Bear Toss event, and read books to children at Chamberlin Elementary School in South Burlington, Vt. He also has volunteered for the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Walk for Wishes, the Travis Roy Foundation Wiffle Ball Tournament and the College for Every Student (CFES) program during his time at Vermont.

Competition

Paliotta was an Honorable Mention Hockey East All-Star last season after posting a career-high 27 points. He ranked 12th in the nation and third in the league in scoring by a defenseman and led Hockey East defensemen with 22 assists. He finished the year tied for eighth in the league in power play scoring with 13 points and was third on the team with 86 shots on goal. Paliotta was also named the MVP of the annual Sheraton/TD Bank Catamount Cup last year. He eclipsed the 50-point plateau for his career in the season opener this year against Northeastern. Paliotta was drafted in the third round of the 2011 NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks.