Hours before puck drop, while players tape their sticks and lace up skates, MTSU club president Zach Giblin sets up sponsorship banners and checks up on the ticket table.

The injured player-turned-president can’t take the ice for Middle Tennessee club hockey, but he’s found a different way to lead.

“Being in this role [president] has kept me involved with everything,” Giblin said. “I still see the guys every week, and I still feel like I’m helping get everything moving in the right direction.”

Before the injury, Giblin produced offensively for a Blue Raiders roster that clinched the club’s first-ever conference championship and an AAU nationals berth in 2025. Giblin is a do-it-all forward who is willing to block shots, dump the puck in deep and battle in the corner.

The forward’s biggest moment came in the semifinals of the College Hockey South playoffs as a between-the-legs goal against the University of Tampa sealed the Blue Raiders’ appearance in the CHS finals.

Giblin’s absence from the lineup stems from a shoulder injury that lingered for nearly three seasons, gradually worsening with every hit on the ice. What had once been manageable discomfort turned into an obstacle, one he tried to push through as MTSU made its historic run to nationals.

The breaking point climaxed on one of the biggest stages of his hockey career.

“It reached the point when we were at the national tournament last year that I was like, ‘I can’t take this anymore. I’ve got to figure out what’s going on,’” Giblin said.

In the weeks that followed, doctor visits became the norm. Each appointment brought him closer to an answer he already suspected but struggled to accept. When the definitive answer came, it left no room for doubt.

“Once I sat down with one of the doctors and he said, ‘This is a no-brainer, you have to have surgery,’ that was the moment it really hit me,” Giblin said.

Following the diagnosis, Giblin underwent shoulder surgery on Oct. 3, 2025, sidelining the club president for the entire 2025-2026 season.

The decision to undergo surgery did not settle in right away. For the first time since he started playing hockey, Giblin faced the prospect of a full year away from the rink.

“It’s coming up on a year of me not skating at all,” Giblin said. “That’s been the longest probably in my life.”

While the surgery kept Giblin off the ice, it thrust the junior deeper into the role of president. The role demanded leadership, organization and dedication different from that of a player.

“It’s a player-run program, so they do all the finances,” JJ Murray, MTSU head coach, said. “We’re there as adults if they have any questions… but on the president’s end, they handle all the finances, booking ice, booking games, booking travel, team meals and all that.”

Perhaps the biggest undertaking of Giblin’s term as president was the planning and execution of the ‘Battle at the Stone,’ a matchup at Bridgestone Arena between MTSU and Vanderbilt University. The two teams sold 1,651 tickets, filling one half of the lower bowl.

The original date for the event was Nov. 1, that date fell through. The makeup date was Jan. 25, but an ice storm delayed it again.

“Like the whole Bridgestone game, it gets snowed out the first time, and he [Giblin] was quick to figure everything out, let the team know what was going on there,” Ayden Kopec, MTSU goaltender, said. “… he’s been awesome. Left no gray area for the guys on the team for the information that we need.”

Despite all the rescheduling and logistics behind putting on a game at an NHL arena, the event marked a turning point for the program. Blue Raider fans packed the arena, including 1,251 supporters, compared with a few hundred at weekend home games.

Behind the scenes, Giblin organized a team of volunteers to count tickets, direct fans and provide a unique experience, all aimed at one goal — growing the program.

“This team was truly a glorified men’s league team in the years past,” Giblin said. “Now we’re heading to the national tournament with a championship in mind and seeing this kind of student support, it’s pretty unreal.”

As the puck drops on the Blue Raiders’ second consecutive season of national tournament play, Giblin, along with the rest of the executive board, drives the team forward.

“Huge credit to the guys for making me feel part of everything still,“ Giblin said. “… we’ve got a great group and they make it really easy to not feel left out.”