College Sports

Is one more big move coming?

Gophers hockey typically doesn’t rebuild; they reload. That was put to the test this offseason as Minnesota was tasked with replacing its top five leaders in points from last season. Between two additions from the transfer portal and up to seven incoming freshmen, let’s take a look at what their roster could look like next […]

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Gophers hockey typically doesn’t rebuild; they reload. That was put to the test this offseason as Minnesota was tasked with replacing its top five leaders in points from last season. Between two additions from the transfer portal and up to seven incoming freshmen, let’s take a look at what their roster could look like next season.

*= incoming freshman, **= incoming transfer

Forwards

Minnesota’s biggest splash of the offseason is adding Ludtke from the transfer portal. He will join Lamb, Ziemer and Clark as the team’s top three returning leaders in points from last season. Mooney projects as a high 2025 NHL Draft pick, and he could be in line for a big role as a true freshman. The team has not officially announced which freshmen will make the jump from juniors, but early signs point towards Moe, Pritchard, Moore, Townsend and Kvasnicka rounding out their incoming class.

Related: Gophers an odd exception as CHL stars flock to NCAA hockey powers

Defense

If the Gophers make a late addition to the 2025-26 roster, it will likely be a defenseman. They carried nine defensemen last season, and they currently have only seven projected to be on next year’s squad. With Sam Rinzel off to the NHL, Thomas and Gruba will have big shoes to fill.

Goalies

Airey was solid for the Gophers last season, allowing 42 goals in 19 appearances. He finished the season with a 2.47 GAA and .900 save percentage behind Liam Souliere as the de facto No. 2. Minnesota went out and added Di Pasquo from Michigan State through the transfer portal, who should push Airey for the top spot in 2025-26.

Teams across the country are still adding players from the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), the United States Hockey League (USHL), and other avenues. The Gophers could still have at least one scholarship available. They will undoubtedly have a younger roster in 2025-26, but they could use one more big splash to round out their rotation. That’s something we’ll be watching for closely in the coming days and weeks.



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