Mike Harder had a decorated four-year career at Colgate University from 1993 to 1997. He led the team in scoring every season and graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 214 points. In his senior season, he was an All-American and was named a Hobey Baker Award finalist, recognizing him as one of the nation’s top college hockey players. He was also a two-time All-ECAC All-Star and was named the ECAC All-Rookie team in his freshman season.

After his time at Colgate, Harder played professionally for 13 seasons in both North America and Europe. He played primarily in the AHL, where he was a point-per-game player with the Rochester Americans in 1999 and won the Calder Cup with the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2000. Harder also had a successful career in Europe, winning a German Elite League (DEL) championship with the Frankfurt Lions in 2004. He retired from playing in 2010 and has since transitioned into coaching, returning to his alma mater as the head men’s hockey coach.