APX News / NCHC PREVIEW
the men’s college hockey season is just around the corner.
Get to know a little bit more about each of the teams in the NCHC this season and what might be in store for them this winter. Take a look at each roster, including the additions and subtractions that were made this offseason, with a little bit of insight from NCHC Media Day.
SEPTEMBER 25, 2025
Author SYDNEY WOLF
WESTERN MICHIGAN
Record in ‘24-25: 34-7-1 (National Champions and Frozen Faceoff Champions)
Top Returner: Hampton Slukynsky (So., G)
Biggest Losses: Alex Bump and Tim Washe (its top-2 scoring forwards)
FR to Watch: Tyler MacKenzie (F from Everett of the WHL)
The reigning national champions lose a little bit from their 2024-25 roster but they look to still be a top team again in 2025-26. The squad loses its top two scorers in Alex Bump (signed pro) and Tim Washe (out of eligibility) but it used the transfer portal wisely and is bringing in plenty of intriguing prospects. With Hampton Slukynsky returning in net, a solid defensive core led by returners like Sam Sjolund and Joona Vaisanen, and a crop of talented returning forwards like Grant Slukynsky and Owen Michaels, this group is poised for another deep run.
“We only recognize one thing - our own expectations - and they are exceedingly high. I know that our players want to succeed and they want to be great,” said Head Coach Pat Ferschweiler on NCHC Media Day. “Instead of being satisfied with that success, it’s driven them forward to go get more success. So they’re as hungry, or hungrier, than they were last year because they’ve already tasted success and they want some more of it.”
USCHO Preseason Poll Rank: No. 1
NCHC Preseason Poll Rank: No. 1
(In the image below, ‘out’ means athletes not returning to the roster in 2025-26, and ‘in’ means athletes who are new to the team. An asterisk denotes a player who has been drafted.)
DENVER
Record in ‘24-25: 31-12-1
Top Returners: Sam Harris (Jr., F), Eric Pohlkamp (Jr., D), Boston Buckberger (Jr., D)
Biggest Losses: Jack Devine, Aidan Thompson, Zeev Buium, Carter King (its top-4 scorers)
FR to Watch: Kyle Chyzowski (F from Portland of the WHL)
The Pioneers certainly lost some heavy-hitters this offseason due to the departures of high-scoring forwards like Carter King, Jack Devine and Aidan Thompson and the ultra-talented defenseman Zeev Buium but the team has plenty of returners ready to step up and score this season to help fill in the gaps of those who left. Goaltending may be a bit of a question this season since the only returner is Paxton Geisel, who hasn’t played a ton, but the two newcomers to the team seem promising in Johnny Hicks and drafted netminder Quentin Miller. There really isn’t much doubt that Denver will be a top-half team in the NCHC again in 2025-26.
“We were the 2nd youngest team in the country in ‘22 and ‘24 when we won championships” said Head Coach David Carle about having 10 freshman on the roster this season and not being worried about it since it hasn’t affected the team in the past. “There’s a lot of room for growth, there’s a lot of excitement in the room for guys coming into something new and wanting to really contribute and I don’t see this group being any different … they want to leave their mark and start their development process but start their winning process as well here at Denver.”
USCHO Preseason Poll Rank: No. 4
NCHC Preseason Poll Rank: No. 2
(In the image below, ‘out’ means athletes not returning to the roster in 2025-26, and ‘in’ means athletes who are new to the team. An asterisk denotes a player who has been drafted.)
NORTH DAKOTA
Record in ‘24-25: 21-15-2
Top Returners: Jake Livanavage (Jr., D), Abram Wiebe (Jr., D), Dylan James (Sr., F)
Biggest Losses: Sacha Boisvert and Owen McLaughlin (its top-2 scoring forwards)
FR to Watch: Cole Reschny (F from Victoria of the WHL) and Keaton Verhoeff (D from Victoria of the WHL)
North Dakota had a lot going on this past spring. Its top-2 scorers transferred to Boston University and Head Coach Brad Berry was let go. Now, the Fighting Hawks are under new Head Coach Dane Jackson and they have recruited a few top athletes from the CHL, the USHL, and from the transfer portal to help put UND pretty high in the preseason rankings. There will be a lot of new faces on the team this winter but if they can all figure things out early on then this will be a talented squad come playoff time in the spring.
“I believe when you get character young men, when you get guys that play hard 200-foot hockey, I think that wins in our league. Our league is so hard and you have to fight for every inch out there,” said Head Coach Dane Jackson. “In our locker room and in our war room with our staff we are putting a lot of emphasis on talking about our identity, talking about our culture and what exactly that means … we’re trying to nail that down every day.”
USCHO Preseason Poll Rank: No. 11
NCHC Preseason Poll Rank: No. 3
(In the image below, ‘out’ means athletes not returning to the roster in 2025-26, and ‘in’ means athletes who are new to the team. An asterisk denotes a player who has been drafted.)
ARIZONA STATE
Record in ‘24-25: 21-14-2
Top Returners: Bennett Schimek (Jr., F), Kyle Smolen (Jr., F), Cullen Potter (So., F)
Biggest Losses: Ryan Kirwan, Artem Shlaine, Lukas Sillinger, Noah Beck (4 of its top-5 scorers)
FR to Watch: Jack Beck (F from Wheeling of the ECHL)
The Sun Devils turned a lot of heads last year but the team lost a lot of upperclassmen talent this offseason. There will be a lot of new faces on the team this winter that will need to catch up to speed quite quickly if the team wants to finish in the top-half of the NCHC. There’s plenty of talent coming in but with so many new guys on the roster it could be interesting to see how Arizona State does in 2025-26.
“We really like how we’ve constructed our roster and how our team looks and how we’re built and we’re excited to put it to work,” said Head Coach Greg Powers. “We just gotta keep advancing, right. We’ve had two really good seasons in a row and we’ve been kind of bumped out by autobids (for the NCAA tournament), so we’ve got to figure out a way to get over that hump and get into the top-10 and stay there.”
USCHO Preseason Poll Rank: No. 14
NCHC Preseason Poll Rank: No. 4
(In the image below, ‘out’ means athletes not returning to the roster in 2025-26, and ‘in’ means athletes who are new to the team. An asterisk denotes a player who has been drafted.)
COLORADO COLLEGE
Record in ‘24-25: 18-18-1
Top Returners: Owen Beckner (So., F), Kaidan Mbereko (Sr., G), Max Burkholder (Jr., D)
Biggest Losses: Noah Laba and Ty Gallagher (2nd and 3rd in most points scored last year)
FR to Watch: Tomas Mrsic (F from Prince Albert of the WHL)
The Tigers are tough to predict. They’ve been just below the bubble of making the national tournament the past few years now - could this be the season that they make it in? Maybe. The squad does lose guys like Noah Laba and Ty Gallagher but they do return a decent amount of athletes and have some very intriguing guys coming in from Canada who could make a big splash this winter. If Kaidan Mbereko is strong again in net, anything is possible for CC.
“I’ve liked some of the steps we’ve taken, I think the biggest one is still out there - to really get our program into that top-15 consistently (of the national rankings), a consistent NCAA tournament team, and to start bringing championships back to CC,” said Head Coach Kris Mayotte. “We know we can attract the players and I have a strong belief that we have the staff now that can build a championship team and get this program over the hump and take that next step.”
USCHO Preseason Poll Rank: RV
NCHC Preseason Poll Rank: No. 5
(In the image below, ‘out’ means athletes not returning to the roster in 2025-26, and ‘in’ means athletes who are new to the team. An asterisk denotes a player who has been drafted.)
MINNESOTA DULUTH
Record in ‘24-25: 13-20-3
Top Returners: Max Plante (So., F), Zam Plante (So., F) , Jayson Shaugabay (So., F), Aaron Pionk (Jr., D), Adam Kleber (So., D)
Biggest Losses: Dominic James (leading scorer)
FR to Watch: Daniel Shlaine (F from Lincoln of the USHL)
Minnesota Duluth had an odd season in 2024-25 but it had a lot of young athletes who are now one year older and look like they could make some noise this winter. There was a little bit of roster turnover this summer but the Bulldogs could be very good if the Plante brothers, Jayson Shaugabay and defender Adam Kleber all make a big jump up from their sophomore seasons. There was some turnover in the goaltending position as well but Adam Gajan will also be one year older now and will have his freshman season under his belt which could mean that he could be more of an impact guy in 2025-26.
“We’re still looking for good character kids who want to play here and maybe aren’t all caught up in all that type of situation with money,” said Head Coach Scott Sandelin on recruiting in this day and age of modern college hockey in the NCAA. “My staff does a tremendous job of trying to find the kids that fit our program, like we’ve always done, kids that aren’t all caught up in that, that are good players, they might not always be the Gavin McKenna’s of the world but we’ve had a lot of success with players that are good players who want to play here and want to develop and turn into real good players after they’ve played here.”
USCHO Preseason Poll Rank: RV
NCHC Preseason Poll Rank: No. 6
(In the image below, ‘out’ means athletes not returning to the roster in 2025-26, and ‘in’ means athletes who are new to the team. An asterisk denotes a player who has been drafted.)
NEBRASKA OMAHA
Record in ‘24-25: 18-17-1
Top Returners: Cam Mitchell (Sr., F), Jacob Guevin (Sr., D), Simon Latkoczky (Sr., G)
Biggest Losses: Sam Stange, Brady Risk, Harrison Israels, Zach Urdahl (it’s top-4 scoring forwards), Tanner Ludtke (Talented F),
FR to Watch: Jeremy Loranger (F from Sherwood Park of the BCHL)
Nebraska Omaha will have some work to do as the squad lost each of its top-4 scorers from last season along with talented forward Tanner Ludtke. It could be interesting to see if its large incoming class will make some noise though as there are quite a few big-name athletes coming in from Canada and many of them are coming over from USports programs. If those guys can make an immediate impact in the NCAA, then the Mavericks could be very good, but if not then it could be a long year for UNO. Netminder Simon Latkoczy is back for his senior season though and he will always give his team a chance to win.
“We wanted to diversify our classes a little bit there and I think we’ve done that. It’s kind of nice right, we’ve got 15 new players but only 7 or 8 new freshmen,” said Head Coach Mike Gabinet on recruiting athletes from USports programs. “I think all coaches are excited about their teams early on and I’m no different - I really like this group. I think we’ve got extremely hardworking guys, ultra-competitive and guys that want to get better and want to be hockey players so that excites me.”
USCHO Preseason Poll Rank: RV
NCHC Preseason Poll Rank: No. 7
(In the image below, ‘out’ means athletes not returning to the roster in 2025-26, and ‘in’ means athletes who are new to the team. An asterisk denotes a player who has been drafted.)
ST. CLOUD STATE
Record in ‘24-25: 14-21-1
Top Returners: Austin Burnevik (So., F), Tyson Gross (Jr., F), Barrett Hall (Jr., F)
Biggest Losses: Colin Ralph (Highly-Touted D), Isak Posch (Primary Goaltender)
FR to Watch: Nolan Roed (from Tri-City of the USHL)
It was a disappointing season for the Huskies in 2024-25. Its scorers weren’t scoring much, it’s defense had some issues, and starting netminder Isak Posch got hurt midway through the year. Despite all of those hurdles, the Huskies are positive that they will rebound this season in 2025-26. They have a small, but talented, crop of freshman and transfers that will be impactful and they have a very large group of returners. If those returners can start scoring at a higher rate and some of the groups defensive issues are solved then St. Cloud could finish much higher than the preseason poll may suggest.
“Last year, as everybody knows, didn’t go our way … More than anything, I think that created a really hungry group. A group that wants to respond to that, wants to put this program back where it belongs, really has a lot to prove,” said Head Coach Brett Larson. “We’re really excited about this (freshmen) class, in addition to that we’re really excited about the development of our young players … guys that’ve been good players as freshmen and sophomores who really look like they’ve taken a step over the summer.”
USCHO Preseason Poll Rank: RV
NCHC Preseason Poll Rank: No. 8
(In the image below, ‘out’ means athletes not returning to the roster in 2025-26, and ‘in’ means athletes who are new to the team. An asterisk denotes a player who has been drafted.)
MIAMI (OH)
Record in ‘24-25: 3-28-3
Top Returners: Casper Nassen (So., F), Michael Quinn (Jr., D)
Biggest Losses: Colby Ambrosio, John Waldron, Matt Choupani, Raimonds Vitolins (its top-4 scoring forwards)
FR to Watch: Kocha Delic (F from Sudbury in the OHL)
Pretty much everything about this RedHawks team is new. Anthony Noreen is in his second season as head coach at Miami and there is a lot of turnover on the roster to get his new recruits in here for Year 2. In fact, there are only seven total returners to the team this year but that’s okay, considering there are many transfers and freshmen who will be looking to instill Miami’s new culture this year in 2025-26. It’ll be tough for Miami to get out of 8th place in the NCHC but it is certainly possible under its new coaching staff and its new recruits.
“If we are going to bring a player in here, they are highly competitive and they are high character. If you look at the group of guys that we brought in that’s kind of a resounding theme amongst all of them - no matter what role they played,” said Head Coach Anthony Noreen. “You see a lot of guys that wore letters on their previous team, I think if you’re around our weight room sessions, if you’re around our practices, if you’re around our room, there’s just an innate, you know, innate competitive level that guys have as well as a character level. We wanted to set the foundation for what Miami hockey was going to be and the type of people that it’s going to be moving forward and we think this group is exactly that.”
USCHO Preseason Poll Rank: N/A
NCHC Preseason Poll Rank: No. 9
(In the image below, ‘out’ means athletes not returning to the roster in 2025-26, and ‘in’ means athletes who are new to the team. An asterisk denotes a player who has been drafted.)
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