Outside his office a couple of slap shots from the Merrimack River, temperatures would soon soar past 90 degrees.

Hockey season seemed light years away, but UMass Lowell head coach Norm Bazin was busy earlier this week assembling a roster he hopes will shine during the 2025-26 season.

The college hockey landscape is ever changing – and so are the rosters of every Division 1 team. UML will turn over about half its roster from a team that went 16-16-4 last season.

Bazin and his staff are excited about the 14 newcomers who will don River Hawk uniforms in the fall. (If they find the right forward, likely a center, a 15th player will finalize the incoming class.)

“We want to get faster. It’s more important than it’s ever been. It’s the key to the game. We want to get grittier. Time will tell whether we can improve on our toughness,” he said. “We’re excited. We think they’re good prospects. Every team is replacing half their team. It’s challenging and exciting all wrapped into one.”

Eleven of the 14 newcomers hail from Canada. One major change is for the first time NCAA programs can add players with Major Junior experience. UML is bringing in seven with Canadian Hockey League experience.

Three are National Hockey League draft picks.

Goaltenders

Austin Elliott: A 6-1, 185-pound native of Strathmore, Alb., Elliott was waived early in the season. Switching from the Western Hockey League to the Ontario Hockey League, Elliott caught fire for the London Knights.

He won 55 of 58 starts with the Knights and led them to the prestigious Memorial Cup championship, compiling a .943 save percentage in the pressure-filled tournament. Elliott went 32-1 during the regular season with a .924 save percentage and then continued his winning ways in the postseason.

Bazin: “Austin had a very strong year. It’s exciting to win a Memorial Cup. He’s very calm. Very composed. He’s eager to play college hockey. He’s humble and he’s eager to win.”

Samuel Richard: Richard also has a winning background. A 6-foot, 170-pound native of Ste-Catherine, Que., Richard guided the University of New Brunswick to the University Cup title two seasons ago.

In this past season, he sported a 1.48 goals against average and .926 save percentage during the regular season for New Brunswick.

Bazin: “He’s been to three NHL camps. He’s got a good attitude and knows what he needs to do. He’s a battler. He was a national champion two years ago. He’s won also. He’s no kid.”

Nikola Goich: Goich is a big goaltender with plenty of potential. He’s coming off a strong season with Shreveport of the North American Hockey League. A 6-5, 175-pound netminder, Goich was 24-11-3 last season with a 2.24 goals against average and .924 save percentage.

Bazin: “He’s a big and he’s a southpaw. He had a strong season. It will be interesting to see him complement the other guys. I think he has a huge amount of upside.”

Forwards

Diego Buttazzoni: Buttazzoni figures to make an immediate impact. The 5-9, 183-pound native of Langley, B.C., enjoyed a productive season with Portland of the Western Hockey League, scoring 38 goals and 77 points during the regular season.

He elevated his play in 18 playoff games, netting 14 goals and 27 points. He’s the younger brother of UML forward Mirko Buttazzoni, who’s coming off a strong freshman season.

Bazin: “I would say his shot is his biggest asset. He likes to have the puck in big moments. He wants to be the guy to score a game-winning goal. He’s a goal scorer. There are few shoot-first guys.”

Jay Ahearn: A transfer from Niagara University, Ahearn is a player to watch. He scored 82 points in 87 games at Niagara and is coming off a 19-goal campaign which topped his team. His 39 points tied for the team high.

A 5-11, 170-pound native of Staten Island, N.Y., Ahearn is excited about the challenge of playing in Hockey East.

Bazin: “He had a good year last year. He was a two-time captain at Niagara. Most of his goals come from within 10 feet of the net. My former assistant (Jason Lammers) can’t say enough good things about him. He’s always where you can score goals.”

Cole Lonsdale: A 5-11, 170-pound speedster from Mississauga, Ont., Lonsdale was the captain and MVP of his junior team.

Lonsdale played for the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League and tied for the team lead in goals (27) and points (67). Over his final two seasons with the Clippers, Lonsdale racked up 103 points in 103 games.

Bazin: “He’s a good skater. He moves well. He’ll play the middle for us and we need some centers. He scored more than a point a game. He’s a center and he’s good on the power play.”

Dalyn Wakely: UML coaches are excited to work with the 6-1, 198-pound center from Port Hope, Ont.

Wakely is a 2024 sixth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers. He excelled last season for the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League, scoring 23 goals and 58 points in 55 regular-season games. His production rose in the playoffs when he collected 24 points over 16 games.

Bazin: “He’s a very good two-way center. Responsible. Honest. Good citizen. A two-time humanitarian winner. Center is where you start your offense. He had 104 points two years ago. He was an assistant captain.”

Defensemen

Tnias Mathurin: Mathurin, a native of Ajax, Ont., has good size (6-3, 201 pounds) and skating ability.

He was a fifth-round pick (137th overall) of the Detroit Red Wings in 2022. Mathurin played this past season for the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. In 49 regular-season games, he posted a 7-16-23 line.

Bazin: “He’s a 6-3 defenseman. We’re looking forward to see what he can do. He’s a two-way guy. He’s got a good presence about him. I think he’s going to be a good hockey player.”

Nate Misskey: Another big blueliner (6-4, 212 pounds), Misskey hails from Melford, Sask. Misskey was a two-time assistant captain for the Victoria Royals of the WHL.

In 2024 he was a fifth-round (143rd overall) selection of the San Jose Sharks. A right-shot defenseman, Misskey posted a 10-37-47 line in 63 regular-season games last season.

Bazin: “He played three full years in the WHL. He was a two-year assistant captain. Defense is his strength. He’s not defunct of any (offensive) skill. He contributes. He’ll be very helpful on the special teams.”

Luke Shipley: A 6-foot, 187-pound native of Powell River, B.C., Shipley figures to see plenty of time on the power play.

He produced loads of points for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL, netting 20 goals and 57 points in 60 regular-season games. That was a 21-point improvement in five fewer games from the previous season.

Bazin: “He’s an intriguing guy. He really came into his own this year. He’s going to be a power play guy. He has a shot to help our special teams. Things seemed to click for him. He was a plus-37, which is impressive.”

Josh Mori: Mori will arrive in Lowell with plenty of experience after having skated in 230 WHL games. A 5-11, 174-pound native of Richmond, B.C., the smooth-skating Mori played this past season for the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Mori scored four goals and compiled 30 points in 68 regular-season games.

Bazin: “Josh is a good skater. I think that’s the most important part of the game. He played four years in the WHL. He’s a defender. He’s hard to play against. He was an assistant captain in Edmonton.”

Dominic Payne: A 6-2, 190-pound defenseman, Payne is transferring to UML from Canisius University after a promising freshman season.

The North Vancouver, B.C., native was the top-scoring defenseman at Canisius as he posted 6-8-14 totals in 37 games. Bazin said Payne has the ability to play professionally if he develops.

Bazin: “I like his skating ability. I think he’s going to be one of the best skaters on the team. He knows what this level demands. He had 14 points as a freshman and I think he has a lot of upside.”

James Johnson: A giant on skates, the 6-6, 203-pound Johnson has the tools to be, in time, a shutdown defender. The Ajax, Ont., native played 50 games last season in the British Columbia Hockey League.

He compiled 12 points, splitting time between Blackfalds and Nanaimo.

Bazin: “Big kid. He has to put some weight on. This kid is a true 6-foot-6. For his size his skating his good. He’s a wonderful kid and a competitive guy. I hope his best hockey is ahead of him.”

August Classon: A native of Stockholm, Sweden, the 6-foot, 185-pound Classon played in his native country before travelling to the U.S. and skating in the North American Hockey League last season.

In 45 regular-season games, he registered a 8-21-29 line and then added six points in 10 playoff games for the Lone Star Brahmas.

Bazin: “He had a good year. He’s a skater. He’s a contributor on both sides of the ice. His skating his strong, really strong. He almost had a point a game. That’s pretty good. He’ll be interesting to watch.”

Sitting across from Boston College head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein, a high school recruit in Kenzie Kent was intrigued. Walker-Weinstein explained how no women’s sports program at Boston College had ever won a national championship, and the lacrosse team was looking to change that.

And Kent, despite feeling some reserve to join a program with her mom Jen Kent on staff, wanted to help.

“You could be a part of the first and do something no one has ever done before and that’s really what stuck with me immediately,” Kent said. “That’s what I really wanted. I really wanted to win a national championship and it really enticed me just how the team hadn’t been a top-level team yet and I thought it’d be really cool to help build something.”

Kent had double the chance to help bring the Eagles their first women’s national title. The Norwell, Mass., native arrived at BC as a freshman in 2014, but the first uniform she donned wasn’t for the lacrosse team. It was for the women’s ice hockey team.

Kent first helped the Eagles reach the championship stage in 2016, when the hockey team fell short against Minnesota. It was BC’s first-ever appearance in the title game, coming in its sixth trip to the Frozen Four. That season as a sophomore, Kent played in every game, posting 43 points and scoring five game-winning goals.

The next year, Kent — after missing the first 12 games of the lacrosse season as the hockey team advanced to the Frozen Four semifinals again — set career highs in lacrosse in points (77), goals (39) and assists (38) in just 12 games to again help facilitate a title run. The Eagles lacrosse team made it to their first-ever championship in 2017, losing to Maryland, while Kent became the first player from a losing team in a national title game to be named the championship’s most outstanding player.

Kent played in five Final Fours (three in hockey, two in lacrosse) over her collegiate career. She never claimed a national championship, but was a key contributor helping establish both programs for future success. The hockey team has not reached the championship stage since its lone 2016 appearance, but — after 13 years at BC for Jen and 10 for Walker-Weinstein — the lacrosse team broke through for the school’s first-ever women’s title in 2021. It was victorious again in 2024.

“Obviously I’m biased, but it is just the most special program and I think a lot of it attests to the coaching staff,” Kent said. “They’ve been together for so long.”

As Kent, now an assistant women’s lacrosse coach at Harvard, turns to the Maybelline Women’s Lacrosse League All-Star Game on July 4, she’ll continue to tap into her hockey skills.

“I guess there’s not a ton of similarities but hockey helped me a lot with lacrosse in terms of — I feel like in lacrosse I’m able to see a play happen before it happens and that’s because hockey is such a fast-paced sport and it’s really up and down and you don’t have a lot of time to make a decision so I think that helped me a ton,” she said. “And the physicality of hockey definitely allowed me to be physical in lacrosse and not shy away from the checks.”

Kent’s grandfather played hockey in high school and college and introduced the popular local sport to her and her family. Five of the six Kent children ended up playing hockey in some capacity, with four of them playing throughout high school, Kent said.

Kent, the fifth pick during the WLL All-Star Selection Show, is one of six BC alum on Team North alongside Charlotte North, Cassidy Weeks, Dempsey Arsenault, Sydney Scales and Rachel Clark.

“A lot of us have played together so hopefully that chemistry can show on the field and for whoever’s watching,” Kent said.

“I’m excited to just put on a WLL uniform. It’s the start of something incredible and it’s really special to be able to be a part of it in the early stages and hopefully [help] promote lacrosse in the best way that I can.”

TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning made eight picks during Day 2 of the 2025 NHL Draft today at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California. The Lightning’s 2025 draft is presented by Florida Blue.

With the 56th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Lightning selected forward Ethan Czata from the Niagara Ice Dogs of the Ontario Hockey League. A native of Brampton, Ontario, Czata ranked fourth for scoring among Ice Dogs skaters last season, posting 21 goals and 55 points in 68 games. Czata, 18, also saw action in five playoff games and recorded two assists. The 6-foot-2, 178-pound forward represented Team Canada in the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship, posting four assists and five points.

In the fourth round, Tampa Bay traded its own 2026 fourth-round pick to the Boston Bruins in exchange for the 108th pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, which it used to select forward Benjamin Rautiainen (ROW-tee-eye-nen) from Tappara of the Finnish Liiga. A native of Tampere, Finland, Rautiainen led all Tappara rookies in scoring (10-23—33 pts.) and ranked sixth among all Tappara skaters. The 20-year-old forward skated in seven games for Team Finland at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship and recorded two goals and four points.

With the 127th overall pick, the Lightning selected forward Aiden Foster from the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League. Foster, 18, appeared in 68 games with the Cougars in 2024-25, tallying 11 goals and 20 points in addition to logging 136 penalty minutes, the third most in the WHL last season. The 6-foot-2, 182-pound forward also appeared in seven playoff games for Prince George and registered six assists, tied for the most among all Cougars skaters.

The Lightning selected defenseman Everett Baldwin, 151st overall, with its lone pick in the fifth round of the 2025 NHL Draft. Baldwin, 18, spent the majority of his 2024-25 season with St. George’s School of the United States High School Prep League, accumulating 10 goals and 20 points in 22 games. The right-shot defenseman also saw action in seven United States Hockey League games, split between the USNTDP Juniors and Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, registering three assists. Baldwin is committed to play college hockey at Providence College in 2025-26.

Tampa Bay selected goaltender Caleb Heil 193rd overall with its first of four picks in the seventh round. A native of Victoria, Minnesota, Heil spent the 2024-25 season with the Madison Capitols of the USHL and posted a 25-10-4 record with a .896 save percentage and a 2.85 goals-against average. The 6-foot-2, 196-pound netminder also appeared in six playoff contests with the Capitols going 3-3 with one shutout. Heil is committed to play college hockey at the University of North Dakota, beginning in 2026-27.

With its second pick in the seventh round, Tampa Bay selected forward Roman Luttsev, 206th overall, from Loko Yaroslavl of the MHL. Luttsev, 19, skated in 50 games for Yaroslavl as alternate captain last season and led the team in goals (30), assists (33) and points (63). The 6-foot-0, 170-pound Russian forward also appeared in eight MHL playoff games and posted two goals and three points.

The Lightning selected defenseman Grant Spada with the 212th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Spada, 18, appeared in 58 games for the Guelph Storm of the OHL in 2024-25 and recorded six assists, while leading all OHL rookies for penalty minutes (85).

With the 215th pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, Tampa Bay used its final pick to select forward Marco Mignosa from the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL. Mignosa, 20, led Soo in goals (36), assists (49) and points (85) in his fourth OHL season. A native of Vaughn, Ontario, Mignosa has played a total of 238 regular season OHL games and has tallied 81 goals and 200 points. The Toronto, Ontario native has also played in 26 career OHL playoff games and owns five goals and 13 points.

With the 151st overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft, the Tampa Bay Lightning selected defenseman Everett Baldwin, an 18-year-old from St. George’s School, a high school in Rhode Island.

Baldwin, 18, is a 6-foot, 174-pound defenseman who scored 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points in 22 games at St. George’s School during the 2024-25 season.

Baldwin also had three assists in the United States Hockey League (USHL) across seven games between the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and U.S. National Team Development Program.

Baldwin is committed to Providence College.