Color of Hockey: Alderson living his college dream at Castleton

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles Mason Alderson, a forward from London, England, who is playing NCAA Division III hockey for Castleton University in Vermont.

Most kids growing up in London, England, dream of playing professional soccer. Mason Alderson dreamed of playing college hockey in the United States.
"I remember watching the University of Michigan play Michigan State in an outdoor game," Alderson said of the 2010 game at Michigan Stadium called the "Big Chill at the Big House." "There were like 100,000 people. I told my dad, 'I'd love to play in that one day.' He was like, 'If that's what you want to do, then that's what we'll gear towards.'"
Alderson is living his dream, albeit in decidedly smaller confines. The 21-year-old is a freshman forward for Castleton University, a 2,000-student NCAA Division III school in Vermont.
"I'm definitely happy playing college hockey," he said. "I'm really excited."

So is Castleton coach Kyle Richards, who believes that Alderson could become one of the hidden gems in NCAA men's hockey this season.
"He's a big, strong kid that's 6-foot-3, skates like he's 5-8," Richards said. "Flies around there. Tons of skill, high compete level. ... I think he has the ability to be an All-America-type player, be an All-New England Hockey Conference [player], All-Rookie for sure."
Alderson arrived on campus with an impressive international resume and hockey pedigree.
His father, Brian Biddulph, was a defenseman who played professionally in Great Britain from 1983 to 2000 and was one of the first Black players to play for Great Britain in international competition.
Alderson helped Great Britain win the 2018 IIHF World U-18 Championship Division II Group A tournament in Tallinn, Estonia, with a team-high nine points (six goals, three assists) in five games. He was voted the tournament's best forward. He also was captain for Great Britain at the 2019 IIHF World Under-18 Championship Division I Group B tournament in Hungary.
He also played for Great Britain at the IIHF World Junior Championship Division II Group A tournament in 2019 and 2020.

Alderson had 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists) in 20 games across four IIHF tournaments at the under-18 and under-20 level.
He came to the United States in 2018 to play for the Islanders Hockey Club, a Massachusetts-based team that plays in the National Collegiate Development Conference, and later at Berwick Academy in Maine and Hoosac School in New York.
His play got the attention of the NextGen AAA Foundation, which invited him to play on an all-Black and Hispanic team at the 2020 Beantown Summer Classic tournament, and was coached by San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier and retired New Jersey Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador.

Alderson scored the game-winning goal in a 4-2 victory that clinched the tournament championship for a team of mainly college and college-bound players, including Jordan Harris, now a defenseman with the Montreal Canadiens; Harvard University defenseman Christian Jimenez; American International College forward Reggie Millette; and defenseman Romeo Torain, Alderson's teammate at Castleton.
"It was a surreal moment," Alderson said. "I don't think you realize how lucky or significant it was until afterward. You're in the winner's circle and you see your coach [Grier] and you're like, 'Wow, this guy has seen everything and done everything.' And then you look at the guy at the other end of the bench [Salvador], and you're like, 'Wow, this guy has seen and done everything.'"
The euphoria from that experience faded in 2021 when Alderson tore his right Achilles tendon while working out. Shortly after recovering from that surgery, he tore the posterior cruciate ligament in his knee, which kept him out for most of the 2021-22 season.
"I was iffy about whether I wanted to go to college or just go home just because of all the injuries I'd been sustaining," he said. "When I tore my PCL, I thought, 'This is it for me, time to go home.'"
Alderson instead joined the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Knights of the United States Premier Hockey League, who had called him earlier that season and asked if he'd join them for the playoffs.
He had eight points (three goals, five assists) in nine games, and his college dream remained alive.
"I'm back to loving the game, having fun," he said. "I think I found my, 'Why I love playing the game,' why I first started to play the game. After all the injuries and after all the setbacks I sort of lost sight as to why I play the game. At the same time, getting through those, I think, made me only love it more."

Alderson hopes that playing well at Castleton leads to an opportunity at an NCAA Division I school before his eligibility expires. He also wants to return to the international stage and play on Great Britain's men's national team, which is No. 18 in the world. Great Britain will host the 2023 IIHF World Championship Division I Group A tournament in Nottingham, England, from April 29-May 5.
"That's something I've spoken to my coaches and parents about," he said. "I want to be able to play one full season of hockey and play the hockey that I know I can play, and hopefully get an invite for that."
Photos: Castleton University Athletics, Hendrik Soots