March 31st, 2025: Gophers begin the offseason with a lot of roster turnover and many questions.
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Minneapolis, Minn – The Minnesota Golden Gophers lost in the first game of the NCAA Regionals against UMass and say what you want about the two awful non-calls that led to goals, but the season is over.
It is going to be a long offseason for the Gophers with a lot of roster turnover. Junior forward Jimmy Snuggerud was the first Gopher to turn pro. He signed his entry-level contract (ELC) with the St. Louis Blues and is joining the team today.
Sophomores Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel signed their ELC’s with the Chicago Blackhawks and made their NHL debuts on Sunday in the team’s 5-2 loss to the Utah Hockey Club. Moore had two shots on goal and was a minus-1. Rinzel had four shots on goal and two hits.
Junior Matthew Wood signed his ELC with the Nashville Predators and will make his NHL Debut as soon as today (Monday). Junior Connor Kurth signed his ELC with the Tampa Bay Lightning but his contract begins in the 2025-26 season.
Snuggerud led the Gophers in goals (24), assists (27) and points (51). Kurth finished second in goals (18) and points (39). Wood finished tied for third with Brody Lamb in goals (17) and tied for second in points with Kurth (39). Moore finished fourth in points (33) and tied for third in assists with Kurth (21). Lastly, Rinzel finished fifth in points with (32) and tied for second with Wood in assists (22).
The Gophers lost their top five point getters all to NHL deals. And Lamb, who finished tied for third in goals (17) and sixth in points (26) could sign his ELC with the New York Rangers if he decides to.
Ryan Chesley has also signed his ELC with the Washington Capitals. He had eight goals, 12 assists, and 20 points in 40 games.
Defenseman Mike Koster, forwards Aaron Huglen, Mason Nevers, and Nick Michel, and goaltender Liam Souliere have all graduated. That is 11 Gophers from the 2024-25 season that will not be on next year’s team.
Update, April 1: Mike Koster has signed a contract with the Iowa Heartlanders of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL).
Gopher Recruits
The Gophers have had seven players signed their National Letter of Intent (NIL).
Forwards:
LJ Mooney | Right-Shot | 5’6″ 146lbs | 8G-27A-35P-40GP NTDP |
Jacob Kvasnicka | Right-Shot | 5’11” 172lbs | 13G-18A-31P-55GP NTDP |
Javon Moore | Left-Shot | 6’4″ 203lbs | 16G-21A-37P-52GP Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) |
Teddy Townsend | Left-Shot | 5’10” 163lbs | 12G-27A-39P-51GP Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) |
Defensemen:
Jacob Rombach | Left-Shot | 6’6″ 201lbs | 3G-15A-18P-53GP Lincoln Stars (USHL) |
Mace’o Phillips | Left-Shot | 6’6″ 227lbs | 2G-4A-6P-51GP NTDP |
Matthew Grimes | Left-Shot | 6’1″ 186lbs | 4G-9A-13P-54GP Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) |
Goalies:
None.
Unsigned That Could Sign:
Forward: Jackson Nevers | Right-Shot | 6’1″ 201lbs | 7G-5A-12P-41GP Waterloo Black Hawks/Madison Capitols (USHL) |
Forward: Hayden Reid | Left-Shot | 6’0″ 181lbs | 9G-7A-16P-51GP Flint Firebirds (OHL) |
Possible Transfer Portal Departures:
The Gophers could see a player or a few enter the transfer portal which is officially open. Some names to keep an eye on include defenseman Max Rud. He red-shirted this season and did not play a game. The 21-year-old defender played in 21 games during his freshman season. If he was to enter the portal, look for St. Cloud State University (SCSU) as a possible destination. Rud is from St. Cloud and his father, who coached him in the USHL, is on staff as an assistant coach at SCSU.
August Falloon spent a lot of the season with limited ice time during his freshman season. He had two goals and five points in 24 games and missed the regional game with an injury. With seven forwards from this year’s team gone and only four forwards coming in, Falloon might decide to stay but he is a name to watch for.
Projected 2025-26 Lineup:
Last update, 4/2/25
Brody Ziemer – Jimmy Clark – Brody Lamb*
Tanner Ludtke – Erik Pahlsson – LJ Mooney
Beckett Hendrickson – John Mittelstadt – Jacob Kvasnicka
Javon Moore – August Falloon* – Teddy Townsend
Axel Begley
Defense:
Cal Thomas – Luke Mittelstadt
John Whipple – Leo Gruba
Jacob Rombach* – ?
Mace’o Phillips*
Axel Begley
Max Rud*
Goalies:
Nathan Airey
???
Zach Wiese
Transfer Portal Possible Adds:
March 31st:
The number one thing the Gophers will and should look for is a goaltender. Nathan Airey played in 19 games during his sophomore season and went 12-3-2 with a 2.47 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage.
We saw the Gophers dip into the portal last year and pull Wood and goaltender Souliere out of it. Omaha’s Kevin Reidler could be a potential option. The team announced that Simon Latkoczy was returning so there wasn’t going to be much playing time for Reidler.
The 6-foot-6 goaltender was the Ottawa Senators 151st overall pick from the 2022 draft. He played in eight games for Omaha in his freshman season and went 4-1-0 with a 2.74 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.
As it stands now (3/31/25) the Gophers have one right-shot defensemen on their roster. Leo Gruba holds that spot. Luke Mittelstadt can play on the right-side and he has done that before. That being said, it isn’t for certain that Rombach and Phillips will be coming in next year. They are also both left-shots.
A defensemen in the portal that makes sense would be SCSU’s Colin Ralph. The Minnesota native is a second-round pick by the Blues and had one goal and eight points in 35 games for SCSU. He is a left-shot. Mac Gadowsky, son of Penn State’s head coach Guy, had 16 goals and 42 points in 38 games for Army. He was a Hobey Baker award finalist and also shoots left.
A right-shot defenseman could be Will Gilson from RPI. He had eight goals and 24 points in 35 games. Left-shot defenseman Broten Sabo from Alaska-Fairbanks had eights goals and 21 points in 32 games. He is from Rosemount, Minnesota.
Other guys I’d look at would be Omaha’s forward Tanner Ludtke. Minnesota native who had 11 goals and 28 points in 40 games as a freshman. He was Utah’s third-round pick in 2023. North Dakota’s Jayden Perron would be a huge get but according to Brad Schlossman, he has do not contact on his portal entry and as Schlossman said, Perron was believed to have picked out his next team since February. It is probably that one school that missed the tournament (eye roll).
Minnesota State’s Adam Eisele is interesting. He had 13 goals and 26 points for the Mavericks and was good on the faceoff dot. Forward Trevor Hoskin from Niagara University had 12 goals and 39 points in 36 games. He was the Calgary Flames fourth-round pick from 2024. Plays center and shoots right.
The Gophers could also look to the CHL to get players. Nonetheless, it is going to be a busy offseason for Bob Motzko and the Gophers. One to keep an eye on for sure. There are lot of spots to fill.
April 2nd Update: Perron is going to Michigan, Ralph is going to Michigan State, Sabo is going to Ohio State, Hoskin is going ti Merrimack, and Gibson is going to Quinnipiac.
Portal Adds:
April 1st:
This is no April fools joke. The Gophers got forward Tanner Ludtke out of the transfer portal from Omaha. He is a Minnesota native who had 11 goals and 28 points in 40 games as a Freshman. He was Utah’s third-round pick in 2023 and plays center and wing. Shoots left. Big add for the Gophers.