The Merrimack College men's ice hockey team announced the addition of Caleb Hassan to its roster on Jan. 11, 2018, in conjunction with the Team IMPACT program.

Caleb officially signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) as part of a special draft day ceremony hosted by the program on campus. The entirety of the team was on hand to celebrate the momentous occasion and invited Caleb and his family to a special dinner afterward.

Caleb becomes the latest relationship that brings together Merrimack Athletics and Team IMPACT, which enriches the lives of young children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses through the power of team. Caleb, 10, hails from nearby Haverhill, Massachusetts, and as a member of the team he will attend Warrior practices, games, team dinners, special events, and much more throughout the year.

The union is particularly special for the men's ice hockey program, which forged a relationship with Tim Burke back in January of 2012 as one of Merrimack's very first Team IMPACT partnerships. Burke has been a well-documented example of the Team IMPACT philosophy at its finest, as he has been involved with the program over the last six years as he overcame his battle with leukemia and was recently accepted to Merrimack College for the fall of 2018.

After Burke's initial match, the athletic department has continued to pair nearly all of its teams with at least one Team IMPACT connection; Caleb becomes the 22^nd match among all varsity programs at Merrimack, among the most from a single school nationwide and the most by a Division II institution.

Caleb was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis shortly after he was born. He has daily treatments that are necessary to help deal with the effects of his CF. Caleb also has frequent doctor visits which often lead to inpatient hospital stays. Though many obstacles have come his way, he continues to overcome the hurdles and is sure to be an inspiration to the Warriors in the weeks and months ahead.