SAXTON TESS, BRAHMAS, LOOK TO REPEAT AS CUP CHAMPS

It’s not an easy feat to win the North American Hockey League’s Robertson Cup - and it’s even harder to win the prestigious cup in back-to-back seasons. It’s something that only two teams have done since the year 2000 - the Texas Tornado had a three-peat in ‘04, ‘05 and ‘06 and the St. Louis Bandits had their own three-peat in ‘07, ‘08 and ‘09 - but no one has gone back to back since then.

The Lone Star Brahmas are looking to break that drought this season though after coming off of a Robertson Cup championship in 2024 and now looking like another top contender to win it all in 2025. The Brahmas currently lead the NAHL South Division by a whopping 15-point margin and are actually tied with the Bismarck Bobcats for most points in the standings in the entire league. Lone Star is both skilled and gritty, leading the North American Hockey League in team goal differential (+103) as well as overall penalty minutes (1437). It’ll be tough for anyone to take down this squad as they look to get back to Blaine this May with hopes of hoisting the Robertson Cup once again.

The Brahmas roster this season looks quite a bit different than what it was when they won the cup last year, though. Of the top five leading scorers from 2023-24, three moved up to the USHL for the 2024-25 season and two made the jump up into Division I hockey. Both starting netminders from last year moved on to college hockey as well, so the team from North Richland Hills, Texas, had to find offense and goaltending from new sources if they wanted a chance to repeat as cup champs in 2025 - and they’ve done just that.

Leading the Brahmas in points this season is 19-year-old Saxton Tess. The Dallas native was on the championship-winning team in 2023-24 and was a regular in the squad’s lineup, posting 17 points through 52 games played for his NAHL rookie season, but he’s taken his game to a whole new level this year by netting a whopping 19 goals and a team-high of 31 assists for a grand total of 50 points through 54 games. He’s also got the highest plus-minus rating of anyone on the team with a +40.

“Last year, I didn’t have as much success, statistical-wise, I was more of a role player and did what the team needed, block shots, play strong defensively, play strong along the walls,” the 6-foot-1 forward said in an interview with Clean Sheet Hockey. “Your first year, especially in Lone Star, you earn your stripes, you learn the systems. I think this year I’ve gained the confidence of the coaching staff here and they’ve given me opportunities to produce for the team.”

(Contributed / Lone Star Brahmas / Annie Durko)

Tess, originally born in Chicago, moved to Texas at a young age and grew up in the Dallas area. With a father who played hockey and a mother who did figure skating, it only seemed natural for Saxton to try the sport at some point for himself. He played youth hockey in Dallas for a while but his career soon took him out of state to play two seasons of triple-A hockey for Seacoast Performance Academy in New Hampshire. Tess and his family had some familiar connections there and he thought it would be a good experience to further advance his game. After two years of playing with the Spartans, Tess then joined the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite organization for two seasons, performing well there until he had to decide what he wanted his next steps to be after youth hockey.

Being from Texas, it seemed like a great fit when Tess eventually signed a NAHL tender with the Lone Star Brahmas organization, located only about a 45-minute drive from home. That meant that during his first season in the league he was able to live at home with his family and now in Year 2, Tess splits time between living at home and living at a billet house that is located much closer to the rink.

“The prospect of living at home and having my parents and friends be able to come to games anytime they want was definitely a big part of coming back [to the Dallas area], as well as the coaching staff here is amazing and the culture of winning - the culture here is great,” he said about his decision to commit to the Brahmas organization.

Tess spoke a lot about the culture of the Lone Star program, which he said played a huge role in the team’s success both last season and this season.

“It was definitely a big adjustment from youth [joining the ranks of the NAHL], just the physicality and speed as well as the importance of winning. I don’t know about other programs, but that’s a huge emphasis here.” That team culture of success eventually led to the Brahmas winning the Robertson Cup championship in 2024. Tess posted 17 points that year as a rookie, which included scoring the eventual game-winning goal of the championship match against the Maryland Black Bears.

“It was awesome - it was something that I’ll never forget. We were so close as a team and we all just wanted to do it for each other and give our families and each other the amazing experience of winning. We had an amazing culture last year as well as this year, we just are in it for the right reasons,” he added. Now, Lone Star is again in the mix as one of the top teams in the league as playoffs lurk just around the corner.

The Brahmas are the top team in the NAHL South Division at the moment and they definitely have the possibility of winning back-to-back titles if they keep up the good work over the next few weeks.

“Obviously, the end goal is Blaine [Minnesota - where the Robertson Cup championship is held], but we’re just focused on the day to day right now. We just want to be the best we can every day, just get a little bit better. That’s our team motto - get 1% better every day,” he said, but also adding that ‘it’s Robertson Cup or bust’.

(Left Photo: Contributed / Lone Star Brahmas / Annie Durko)

During his time at Lone Star, the talent of Tess started to draw the attention of Division I college hockey programs. He wound up committing to Bentley University in 2024 and its new head coach Andy Jones - who took over the bench boss position at the school in the summer of 2023.

Why would a Texas native choose to play college hockey in Waltham, Massachusetts? Well, it was for multiple reasons, including the coaching staff, the facilities, and the prestige a Bentley education can give to a business major.

“The coaching staff there is amazing, Coach Jones, Coach Fiorentino, I just developed a great relationship with them. The facilities are amazing there, as well as the schooling, it has a top-notch business school. Everything with the growing program, it was a very enticing option for me and I think it was the best choice I could’ve made.”

Tess is planning on studying finance when he gets out to Bentley, which is looking to be in the fall of 2026. He could end up playing another season with the Brahmas next fall or his USHL rights at the moment are held by the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

For now, Tess and the rest of the Lone Star roster is preparing for playoffs and the quest to win back-to-back Robertson Cup titles.

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