Saunders graduate Tyler Mahan balances future opportunities in professional hockey and a promising finance career

Rochester, New York – For most college athletes, the challenge is simply surviving the daily grind of practices, travel, games, and coursework. For Tyler Mahan, the standard was different. Over the last four years at Rochester Institute of Technology, the Saunders College of Business graduate managed to juggle Division I hockey while pursuing studies in finance, accounting, and communication — all without letting either side of his life fall behind.

Now, as graduation arrives, Mahan faces a decision many athletes only dream about. On one side sits an opportunity to begin a career in finance with Deloitte after two successful co-op placements in Calgary. On the other, professional hockey offers from teams in North America and Europe continue to keep the door open to extending his playing career.

For Mahan, the difficult part is not whether he has options. It is choosing between two futures he spent years preparing for simultaneously.

“Looking back, RIT put me in a position where I didn’t have to choose too early between hockey and finance, it pushed me to seriously develop both at the same time,” Mahan said. “On the hockey side, the level of competition, structure, and daily commitment made the idea of playing professionally feel real. At the same time, my finance coursework and projects gave me confidence that I could succeed in a business setting as well.”

The balancing act was far from simple. Division I hockey at RIT demands a near-constant commitment, with early workouts, travel schedules, practices, film sessions, and games stretching across much of the academic year. Yet Mahan not only kept pace in the classroom — he excelled.

Graduating summa cum laude, he earned American Hockey Coaches Association All-American Scholar honors in every year of his collegiate career. He also received the RIT Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar Award and the university’s Excellence in Student Life honor, recognition reserved for students who successfully combine academics with campus involvement and leadership.

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On the ice, Mahan became one of the program’s most dependable leaders. The team captain appeared in 134 career games, recording 27 goals and 20 assists. During the 2023-2024 season, he helped lead RIT to an Atlantic Hockey championship and the program’s fourth appearance in the NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey Tournament.

Still, some of the most important lessons may have come away from the rink.

Mahan credits RIT’s co-op structure with helping bridge the gap between academics and the professional world. His internships with Deloitte gave him direct exposure to the pace and expectations of the finance industry. The transformation between his first and second placements became especially noticeable.

“My second term, I was running my own meetings with clients,” he said. “The difference from year one to year two was substantial.”

The company took notice. Deloitte has already offered him a position following commencement, giving Mahan immediate entry into the finance sector if he chooses that route. But despite the security of that opportunity, stepping away from hockey entirely remains difficult for someone who has spent much of his life in the sport.

That tension — between stability and ambition, between spreadsheets and scoreboards — reflects the unusual position he now occupies. Few student-athletes leave college equally prepared for both professional sports and corporate life.

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“Managing that kind of pressure and still performing in both areas showed me that I was capable of handling either path at a high level,” he said. “That’s what RIT really gave me, the chance to build real experience in both worlds. Now whichever direction I choose, it feels like a decision based on readiness, not uncertainty.”

Faculty members who worked with Mahan say his success was never accidental. Accounting Senior Lecturer Philip Gelsomino described him as someone whose leadership developed quietly but consistently over time.

“His leadership is grounded in humility and integrity, which makes it both authentic and impactful,” he said.

Off the ice and outside the classroom, Mahan also committed himself to community work. In Calgary, he partnered with his brother Jarrett to launch Pass It On YYC, an initiative that collects donated hockey equipment and redistributes it through the Calgary Flames Sports Bank to children whose families cannot afford the cost of playing.

The project has continued for three years and reflects something Mahan says matters deeply to him — using hockey as a tool to help others.

That same approach carried into his time in Rochester. During his sophomore year, Mahan connected with Mason Scherer, a young boy from the Rochester area dealing with a stutter and learning disability. What began as a team visit to the dressing room evolved into an ongoing mentorship, with Mahan offering guidance, encouragement, and support both academically and socially.

His volunteer efforts earned him a nomination for the 2026 Hockey Humanitarian Award, one of college hockey’s most respected recognitions for community service and citizenship.

For all the statistics, honors, and career opportunities surrounding him, Mahan says the moments that left the strongest impact were often the simplest ones — helping younger players, mentoring children, or finding ways to give families access to the sport he loves.

“There’s more to life than just hockey or sport,” Mahan said. “You’ve got to use your ability to make other people better. Making someone’s life better than it was before I came here has been the coolest experience.”

Whether his next stop is an office tower or a professional hockey rink, Mahan leaves RIT carrying both ambition and perspective. And while his future remains undecided for now, one thing appears certain — the discipline, balance, and leadership that shaped his college years will follow him long after graduation.