Following a loss in the NCAA Regional Semifinal to the University of Connecticut Huskies, the Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team’s hopes of another National Championship were gone.
The Bobcats will look a little different next season at the hands of the transfer portal and incoming first years.. On May 13, the portal closed, however any players who entered before this date will still be able to commit elsewhere.
Who entered the portal, but hasn’t signed elsewhere:
Nate Benoit (D)
Nate Benoit recorded two points in 24 games for the Bobcats in the 2024-25 season after transferring in from the University of North Dakota.
In November, the team signed Drew Hockley, which led to Benoit being pushed out of the lineup. Hockley made his Bobcats debut on December 29 against the AIC Yellow Jackets and following that game Benoit only appeared in five regular season games.
The sophomore was a sixth round pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2021 NHL Draft and has found himself in the transfer portal once again, likely in search of a more involved role.
Noah Altman (G)
Noah Altman has been a fan favorite since his time with the Bobcats began in 2021 and his entrance into the portal came as a shock to many. With just seven appearances through his four years at Quinnipiac and none of them being starts, Altman found other ways to make his presence felt.
The senior solidified himself as a leader very early on and at the start of the 2024-25 season, he was named an assistant captain, the first Bobcat goalie to wear a letter on his jersey.
Departing Bobcats:
Chase Ramsay (D) → Sacred Heart University
Chase Ramsay appeared in just seven games across his two seasons with the Bobcats, not recording a point.
The rising junior will stay close and join the Sacred Heart Pioneers, who are coming off a 21-13-5 season. The team ultimately fell to Bentley University in the AHA Semifinals and will look to regroup.
Noah Eyre (F) → College of Holy Cross
Noah Eyre appeared in just five games in his first season of collegiate hockey, not recording a point.
The rising sophomore will join the Holy Cross Crusaders after they finished first in the AHA last regular season, but fell to Bentley in the championship game.
At Holy Cross, Eyre will play under former Quinnipiac assistant coach Bill Riga.
Michael Salandra (F) → Brown University
Michael Salandra did not appear in any games for Quinnipiac in his first season, coming in from the West Kelowna Warriors of the BCHL.
The rising sophomore will be staying in the ECAC, though, as he will join the Brown Bears after the Bobcats defeated them in the conference quarterfinals.
Ryan Smith (F) → Miami University (Ohio)
Ryan Smith’s entrance into the portal was unexpected following a season where he took clear strides. While he didn’t record many points, he was a key factor on a fourth line with Anthony Cipollone and Alex Power that generated strong offensive chances and played hard in the defensive zone.
When head coach Rand Pecknold felt the team needed a shift mid-game, he often looked to the first year to play up in the lineup. Smith will look to make an immediate impact for the Miami University Redhawks following a season where the team did not record a single conference win.
Incoming Bobcats:
Will Gilson (D)
Will Gilson will join the Bobcats after a season in which he recorded his collegiate high 24 points with the RPI Engineers, leading the team as a defenseman. He also registered 46 blocked shots, putting him third on the team.
Before RPI, the Connecticut native spent two seasons at the University of Alaska-Anchorage, recording 29 points throughout his time there. Gilson will likely play a crucial and immediate role as the Bobcats have lost three everyday defensemen in Cooper Moore, Davis Pennington, and Aaron Bohlinger, who have all graduated.
First Year Frenzy:
In addition to Gilson joining through the transfer portal, the Bobcats will have 10 incoming first years.
With the recent change in the rulebook, players who played Canadian Major Junior hockey in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) now have eligibility to play in the NCAA, and Quinnipiac has taken advantage. Six out of the 10 commits are from the Canadian major junior leagues; four from the QMJHL and two from the WHL.
From the QMJHL, the Bobcats will be welcoming Markus Vidicek, Antonin Verreault, Brady Schultz and Nate Tivey.
Vidicek is a high-IQ center who has averaged a point per game or higher every season for the last three years, while Verreault is a speedy left wing who has recorded 192 points across the last two regular seasons.
Defensemen Schultz and Tivey were both captains of their respective programs, with Schultz recording 30 points last season and Tivey recording 40.
From the WHL, the team will be bringing in defensemen Ben Saunderson and Logan McCutcheon. Last season, Saunderson captained the Saskatoon Blades, recording 36 points in 67 games, while McCutcheon was an assistant captain for the Lethbridge Hurricanes, recording 38 points in 68 games. The team’s recent addition of McCutcheon means that there is a likelihood that one of their other four commits, Nathan Tobey’s arrival, may be pushed back a year if there is no roster space for him.
Tobey has experience in both the USHL and the BCHL, not recording many points, but providing a solid defensive presence. However, the Bobcats currently have 10 defensemen prepared to be on next season’s roster and there’s only so much space. There is a chance that someone may decide to transfer if they want to play immediately, rather than waiting a year for a roster spot to become available to them.
The remaining three first year commits have all played in the USHL. Matthew Lansing is a center who has most recently played for the Fargo Force, registering 10 points in 14 games. Lansing was also named to the USA Hockey U-18 National Team in April. At the tournament, USA finished with a bronze medal after a 4-3 overtime win over Slovakia with Lansing slotting in on the fourth line, but not recording any points.
Nicolas Sykora is a forward who has most recently been a member of the Sioux City Musketeers, where he recorded 33 points in 44 games. Sykora was drafted in the third round of the OHL Draft by the Owen Sound Attack in April.
Finally, the Bobcats will be bringing in a goalie in Sam Scopa. Scopa most recently played a game for the Madison Capitols of the USHL, but he has also made appearances in the NAHL and the BCHL.
Looking to next season, Vidicek is someone who will likely play a huge role right away, but a key to the Bobcats’ success is going to be the growth of the rising sophomore and junior class. Chris Pelosi and Elliot Groenewold are expected to take big steps as they approach their second year in the program, while Mason Marcellus and Andon Cerbone look to continue the impact that they have already made.
Following the team’s loss in the NCAA tournament, Pecknold said that he viewed the season as a “retool year”, so it is clear that the Bobcats expect significant improvements going into the new season.
