• Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork knows “the atmosphere can be better” at Value City Arena.
• The future of the arena, as well as that of St. John Arena, are long-term questions for the athletic department.

There is work to be done to get Ohio State men’s basketball to where the program believes it should be, and it’s not strictly tied to the on-court product.

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

2025 Patty Kaz Winner O’Brien Taken With Third Pick

Colgate graduate forward Kristýna Kaltounková was selected first overall by the New York Sirens on Tuesday at the 2025 PWHL Draft in Ottawa, beginning a run of 12 straight college hockey players to begin the draft.

In all, 45 of the 48 players selected during the six-round draft came from NCAA Division I hockey, including all eight first-round picks. Kaltounková was the first overall choice after closing out her decorated collegiate career with a 26-goal, 48-point season and a second-team All-America nod. She was also a finalist for the 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award given annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s hockey.

Wisconsin forward Casey O’Brien, who captured this year’s Patty Kazmaier Award, went third overall to the Sirens. A pair of Clarkson defenders, Haley Winn (Boston Fleet) and Nicole Gosling (Montreal Victoire), went second and fourth overall, respectively.

Cornell captain Rory Guilday rounded out the top five when she was drafted by the host Ottawa Charge.

Twenty-two different schools had at least one former player drafted, led by Ohio State (six) and Minnesota Duluth (five). Minnesota, Penn State, Quinnipiac and Wisconsin each had four alumnae selected, while Clarkson and St. Cloud State had three each.

Also of note:

• New York drafted a PWHL-leading nine NCAA alumnae, following by Boston (six), Montreal (six), Seattle (six), Montreal (five), Toronto (five), Ottawa (four) and Vancouver (four).
• Expansion franchises Vancouver and Seattle both used their first-ever draft picks on former NCAA stars, taking Michelle Karvinen (North Dakota) and Jenna Buglioni (Ohio State) seventh and eighth overall, respectively.
• At least six NCAA alums were taken in all six rounds, including four rounds in which all eight picks came from college hockey: the first, third, fourth and fifth.
• The positional breakdown of NCAA players drafted included 28 forwards, 12 defenders and five goalies.

For a complete list of NCAA alumnae selected in the 2025 PWHL Draft, visit CollegeHockeyInc.com.

Name: Tate Outman
School/grade: Rising junior, Lowell High School
Passion: Gymnastics

Lowell — Tate Outman gets asked the same question over and over by his peers at school: Will you do a backflip?

Sometimes he humors them and does one, and sometimes he doesn’t. He’s not one to talk much about the fact that he is a Level 10 gymnast who recently earned bronze in men’s vault at the 2025 USA Gymnastics Men’s and Women’s Development Program National Championships.

“I try to be humble about it,” said Tate, who will begin his junior year this fall.

After school each day, Tate heads to Empowered Athletics in Wyoming where he trains, coached by Joe Swineheart and Emily Bell. He spends the next four hours working on skills like the hand front layout half vault that earned him bronze and other high-level gymnastics skills. He competes in all six events.

After nationals, Tate had a two-week break. SNN caught up with him to chat about his passion for the sport.

How old were you when gymnastics became something you wanted to pursue, and what’s the story there? “I started when I was 2. We did a a ‘mommy and me’ class at a little cheerleading gym.

As he grew from toddler to young child, he kept tumbling and started competing locally at age 6.

“It gave me something to do, and I have a lot of energy, so it really helps me get my energy out.”

Notable accomplishments: Tate has been to nationals five times since sixth grade. Most recently, he earned fifth all-around at the state competition and 12th all-around at regionals to qualify for nationals, where he got his bronze medal.

Tate said there’s a lot of thrill in competing, though he tends to be low key about it.

“It’s definitely exciting and encouraging for you and the whole team, because your team wants you to do well, too. A lot of people flex and scream when they stick it or do it well. When I do something well, I don’t really do much. I kind of shrug it off and move on to the next thing.”

It’s Tate’s second year competing at a Level 10.

“It feels like I have kind of a big role, and I’m also a big role model for all the younger kids in the gym because I’m the highest level.”

Do you plan to pursue this professionally? Envision yourself 10/20 years from now.

“The next step is to hopefully go to college, and then international meets and possibly the Olympics.”

He said he hopes to compete in college at University of Michigan or University of Oklahoma.

International competition would involve competing in Europe and South America and at the World Championship.

“As for a career, I have thought about coaching and starting my own gym. I’m starting coaching at (Empowered Athletics) over the summer.”

What are some of your favorite skills? “One of my coolest would be the triple back off the high bar. (Another is) the tippelt on parallel balls.”

Do you ever feel scared? “I do get scared when I have to do a big skill or new skills. That’s one of the things that I’m working through now: Doing it even if I am scared.”

Other hobbies/interests/little-known talents: “I go fishing a lot outside of school. I stay active. I play some basketball in the gym and at home.”

The biggest lesson you have learned from your involvement in gymnastics is “to push through it. How when you don’t want to do something and you’re having a bad day already you’ve got to push through it, because you know it’s going to produce something that you want. Also, to push through it when you’re scared.”

Read more from Lowell: 
• His eyes are on the skies, thanks to Aviation Electronics
• More meals, more options make for busy days for this lunch crew

The 2025 NHL draft could be a banner one for Michigan’s hockey program.

The Wolverines’ record for most players selected in a single draft is seven, and there is a chance they could tie or break it this year. The draft begins with the first round Friday in Los Angeles, with rounds 2-7 taking place Saturday.

The ban on Canadian Hockey League players competing at the NCAA level has been lifted beginning this season, creating a larger pool of prospects for schools to recruit. Michigan has been among the most active pursuing CHL players, who had previously been barred because of the NCAA’s amateurism rules.

The three incoming Wolverines who played in the Ontario Hockey League last season – forward Malcolm Spence, goalie Jack Ivankovic and defenseman Henry Mews – are all considered NHL prospects. Mews was a third-round pick of the Calgary Flames last year, but Spence and Ivankovic are projected to be early-round picks this year.

The 6-foot-1, 203-pound Spence, who totaled 32 goals and 73 points in 65 games last season for the Erie Otters, is the best bet to extend the Wolverines’ streak of producing a first-round pick to nine straight years.

The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler projected Spence to the Chicago Blackhawks at No. 25 in his latest mock draft released Tuesday. ESPN’s Rachel Doerrie ranks him as the 23rd overall prospect in the draft, while TSN’s Bob Mckenzie has him No. 25. Chris Peters of FloHockey also has him 23rd.

“I think adding Malcolm Spence was a very important addition for the staff because you’ve got a lot of guys with a lot of skill on the roster, but you need to get some guys that have some of that grind to their game,” Peters told MLive. “That’s what Malcolm Spence brings in addition to having the skill and scoring ability with his size and the pace that he plays with. I think he’s gonna make an impact on the physical side of things, which is really helpful.”

There’s a chance rising sophomore Will Horcoff joins Spence in the first round. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound forward joined the Wolverines halfway through last season and immediately jumped into the team’s top nine as a 17-year-old. He registered four goals and six assists in 18 games and is expected to play a larger role this season.

Horcoff, the son of former longtime NHL forward Shawn Horcoff, is a below-average skater but has a high hockey IQ and the tools to become an impactful power forward, Peters said.

Peters has him ranked 30th on his board, while Wheeler mocked him to the Flyers at No. 31.

“I think his size is the biggest factor, but it’s what he does with it too,” Peters said. “The physicality he’s able to play with, the fact that he transitioned to college hockey, and the first few games there were a couple instances where college athletes are bouncing off of him and you’re just like, ‘Well, this is different. He’s built a little different.’

“I think the NHL pedigree absolutely helps. I think teams like his character. They like the athleticism that he displays and the strength he has. I think the offensive upside and the offensive ceiling is a bit lower, but at the same time, at the end of the first round, especially in this draft class, you’re just trying to find NHL players. I think that his physical profile and how he’s progressed so far over the last couple of years does suggest high NHL potential.”

Michigan has had more than two players taken in the first round once in program history – 2021 when it set a NCAA record with five, including four in the first five picks. Although unlikely, incoming freshman center Cole McKinney could sneak into the first round.

Peters projects he will go early in the second and ranks him No. 32 overall. Doerrie and McKenzie rank him No. 36 and No. 37, respectively, while Wheeler has him going No. 40 overall to Philadelphia.

Peters compared McKinney’s game to former Wolverines and current NHLers Dylan Larkin and Matty Beniers while noting his ceiling isn’t as high as the two top-15 picks in their respective drafts.

“I really like the way that he plays,” Peters said of McKinney, who had 61 points in 60 games last season for the U.S. National Team Development Program. “I think that he has real good two-way sense. He’s a hard-worker, does have skill. I thought he was one of the NTDP’s best players this year down the stretch.”

In net, Ivankovic is expected to be one of the first goalies selected after going 25-12-5 with a 3.05 goals-against average and .903 save percentage for the Brampton Steelheads last season. He’s undersized at 5-foot-11 but is expected to be off the board during the first three rounds because of his other traits.

On the high end, The Athletic’s Corey Pronman ranks him as the 36th-best prospect in the draft, while Wheeler has him mocked to the Sharks at 53rd overall. Doerrie, McKenzie and Peters all have him ranked between 36 and 53.

“There’s a bit of a quietness to his game,” Peters said. “He’s not all over the map. He doesn’t go too far one way or the other in terms of his emotions and he stays pretty composed. I like what he brings to the table. I think he’s been a winner. Is he going to be the kind of goalie that can steal you games? I think yeah, in some cases he probably will be. For him, the argument for scouts is going to be, ‘What is the overall probability of a player his size playing in the NHL?’ There are so few goalies that are sub-6-foot in the NHL. That’s why he’ll probably go second round at the absolute earliest, but we’ll see ultimately where he ends up.”

In Pronman’s seven-round mock draft, he has three other Wolverines getting selected: incoming freshman forward Drew Schock (No. 67 overall), rising sophomore defenseman Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen (No. 106) and freshman defenseman Asher Barnett (No. 119).

If all seven Wolverines get drafted, it would mark the fourth time in program history – and first since 2015 – that the program has reached this milestone.

Freshman forward Aidan Park wasn’t included in the seven-round mock, but Peters said there is a chance he gets drafted late.

“I think Park is really intriguing with the high skill level that he has,” Peters said of the 6-foot-1 right-handed shot who had 33 goals and 33 assists in 55 games in the United State Hockey League last season. “It’s not a guarantee that he’s going to get drafted, but I do think that there are going to be teams that should be taking a long look at him.”

Western Illinois student-athletes avoided study hall at all costs.

They desperately wanted a place to study, catch up with teammates and get help with assignments, but the location made it easy to avoid.

On the far end of campus, the Western Illinois student-athlete study center consisted of a scattering of tables and chairs in the small basement lobby of the kinesiology building. Student-athletes would sit under the fluorescent lights after long practices, trying to study and focus. The vending machine often clamored as students grabbed a drink or chips.

“It was a little chaotic,” said Kayden Porter, a softball student-athlete. “It was just on your own.”

“It was just kind of dark and gloomy,” added Ries Wynn-Foster, director of student-athlete success and support.

Faculty athletics representative Jeremy Robinett sprang to action, writing a proposal to the NCAA Accelerating Academic Success Program, a grant program that assists Division I schools as they develop programs and systems designed to increase graduation rates and ensure academic success.

In the application, Robinett outlined practical ways Western Illinois could use the nearly $90,000 in grant money. One of the main objectives: Create a study center at a central location on campus where student-athletes wanted to show up.

After the NCAA approved the grant, Robinett’s dream came to fruition. He helped create the Student-Athlete Success and Support Center, known by student-athletes and faculty as the SASS Center. The SASS Center is located at the Leslie F. Malpass Library, a six-level architectural gem boasting large windows, plants and bright lighting.

“We’ve gone from being in the cellar to the penthouse,” Western Illinois Athletics Director Paul Bubb said.

“To be in the center of the campus with the SASS Center is critical to the visibility, as well as the resources, we can share with the rest of the campus,” Bubb added.

Robinett said the grant has helped the athletics department leverage small, easily attainable goals by using preexisting resources on campus.

“This grant can be used as a fantastic way to bridge some of the divides that often exist on college campuses that pit athletics against academics or athletics against facilities,” Robinett said. “The grant facilitates a lot of conversations about partnerships that ultimately benefit the different parts of campus and, most importantly, our student-athletes.”

In addition to the new space, the grant allowed for the funding of five graduate assistantships in the athletics department to aid in compliance and academics. The SASS Center also paired up with the university’s academic success center to coordinate tutoring hours.

The SASS Center is a one-stop shop for the student-athletes to log study hall hours, receive tutoring or stop by the writing center.

For softball coach Alisa Goler, the center impacted her team immediately.

“It was just a godsend,” she said. “My kids are there nonstop. They probably drive them nuts with how much they’re in there.”

The coach said the space not only has allowed her players to better focus on their work but also create bonds with other student-athletes.

“They have actually made connections and friends there with the other student-athletes and students,” she said. “When we created that environment of the SASS Center, whether they knew it or not, my team, all the other athletes, leaned into it.”

Football coach Joe Davis agreed.

“This past fall of 2024, we had the highest team GPA in eight years here at Western Illinois University. We’ve set the bar really, really high. The Student-Athlete Success and Support Center has been a big reason behind that,” he said.

Wynn-Foster, director of student-athlete success, has moved his office to the center, making it easier to see when student-athletes come in and out. He said about 20-25 student-athletes will stop by his office each day. In addition, student-athletes regularly do academic check-ins with Wynn-Foster, a coach, and Robinett or a graduate assistant to make sure each student-athlete is on track academically. These meetings have fostered a strong relationship between the faculty and student-athletes.

“They notice that my door’s open now. They’re pretty much the ones that will basically take all my snacks,” said the director, who stocks his office with chips, granola bars and fruit snacks.

Western Illinois also used the grant money to implement a software program that tracks the progress of individual student-athletes. Faculty can easily pull reports on a student-athlete’s grades, classwork and track toward degree completion.

“Our goal, which is our statement, is, ‘Many teams, one goal: student success,'” Bubb said. “This grant has allowed our students to become successful, even more so in the academic arena now than they had been before.”

Bubb encouraged other Division I midmajors with limited resources to take advantage of the NCAA Accelerating Academic Success Program.

“This grant allowed us to move money to areas that needed to be worked on, while continuing our support for our academic success,” he said. “If anyone’s looking to improve their overall academic programs and to develop a showcase program, this grant is a way that you can get there and do that.”

To qualify, a student-athlete must have recorded a 3.0 GPA or above for each semester.

 

Senior captain Alex Gagne (Bedford, N.H.) and senior defenseman Luke Reid (Warman, Saskatchewan) each recorded a 4.0 to earn Hockey East Top Scholar Athlete honors for compiling the highest GPA at their position for the season. The two Wildcats were also named to the Academic All-Star Team.

 

Gagne and senior alternate captain Connor Sweeney (North Andover, Mass.) were recognized as a Distinguished Scholar for being named to the All-Academic Team for all four seasons.

 

 

Graduate student goalie Raphael Gaughan (Somersworth, N.H.) made the All-Academic Team for the third time, while senior defenseman Jack Babbage (Tully, N.Y.), graduate student alternate captain Nikolai Jenson (Cold Spring, Minn.), junior forward Cy LeClerc (Brentwood, N.H.), senior defenseman Luis Lindner (Spittal an der Drau, Austria), senior forward Conor Lovett (Franklin, Mass.), Reid, sophomore forward Jason Siedem (Madison, N.J.) and sophomore forward Ronan Walsh (Andover, N.H.) were selected for the second time.

First-time honorees were sophomore forward Ryan Conmy (Alexandria, Va.), senior goalie Rico DiMatteo (Brasher Falls, N.Y.), sophomore forward Brendan Fitzgerald (North Reading, Mass.), sophomore forward Zach Hahn (Huntington, N.Y.), senior defenseman Colton Huard (Foothill Ranch, Calif.), freshman forward Ryan MacPherson (Windsor, Ontario), freshman defenseman Josh Player (Thorofare, N.J.), sophomore forward Nick Ring (Hingham, Mass.), junior forward Kristaps Skrastins (Grobina, Latvia) and junior goalie Jared Whale (Calgary, Alberta).

 
2025-26 UNH men’s hockey season tickets are now available and can be purchased at UNHWildcats.com/BuyTickets or by calling the ticket office at (603) 862-4000. Don’t miss the most exciting family entertainment in New Hampshire.