When a collegiate career is defined by relentless movement across the forward-midfield seam, the transition to the top tier of European club hockey is less of a reinvention and more of a homecoming. Alice Roeper, the decorated James Madison University senior from Delft, Netherlands, has charted her path back to the Dutch Hoofdklasse by signing a professional contract with HDM Dames 1. Before crossing the Atlantic to anchor the Dukes' attack, Roeper developed within the youth ranks of the HGC hockey club and earned selection to the 2018 National Dutch U15 team, establishing the technical foundation that would eventually make her one of NCAA Division I's most productive attacking centerpieces.
During her tenure in Harrisonburg from 2022 through 2025, Roeper carved out a distinct statistical and spatial footprint. She wrapped up her collegiate campaign ranked 18th in Division I in points per game (1.26) among active career leaders. Her breakout 2024 season yielded NFHCA All-South Region First Team honors, Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year recognition, and a team-leading 15 goals and 35 points, highlighted by a hat trick against Queens (N.C.) and multi-goal performances against Kent State and No. 18 Liberty. As head coach Christy Morgan observed, She leaves it all on the field. Any accolades that she has, we all celebrate, because she’s not only an impact player, but she’s also a helper too. She sets up teammates for success.
Christy Morgan
Roeper’s value to James Madison extended well beyond raw goalscoring. Operating primarily as a hybrid forward and midfielder out of Segbroek College, her synergy with fellow senior captain Skyler Brown bypassed the need for verbose verbal direction on the turf. I love playing with Alice because we don’t need to communicate, we just play off each other. It’s surreal to have that in a teammate,
Brown noted. That telepathic spatial awareness helped Roeper navigate a demanding 2025 schedule where she added 10 goals and 25 points—including a hat trick at App State and a flawless 3-for-3 record on penalty strokes—finishing fifth in the MAC in points per game at 1.92.
The move to HDM Dames 1 places Roeper into a rigorous competitive ecosystem in Den Haag. HDM, known for cultivating elite talent within the Dutch Hoofdklasse structure, provides an ideal canvas for Roeper’s ability to manipulate defensive lines and initiate rapid transitions. Where collegiate play often rewards structural athleticism and direct penalty corner execution, the Hoofdklasse demands hyper-precise stickwork under intense defensive pressure and economical spatial use in congested midfields.
For James Madison, losing a four-year starter who accounted for five game-winning goals as a junior and anchored the attacking press requires a tactical recalibration under new leadership following the retirement of legendary head coach Christy Morgan and the appointment of Alyssa Parker Rosenblum. Yet the blueprint Roeper leaves behind—marked by academic excellence on the NFHCA National Academic Squad and relentless competitive urgency—sets a definitive standard for the Dukes' incoming classes as they face a 2026 slate featuring Villanova, Stanford, Liberty, Richmond, Virginia, and conference newcomer UMass.
As Roeper steps onto the turf for HDM Dames 1, her collegiate evolution from an impactful freshman contributing to a historic win at No. 20 Duke into a seasoned MAC Offensive Player of the Year demonstrates the enduring viability of the Dutch-to-NCAA developmental pipeline. The transition underscores how elite European technical training, refined through American collegiate tactical responsibility, produces complete modern players ready to impact the highest levels of club competition.
Sources
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- jmusports.com original
- SHANE METTLEN Daily News-Record original
- Cate Clark original
- Redactie original
