2025–26 Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey season
| 2025–26 Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey season | |
|---|---|
| Conference | NCHC |
| Home ice | Lawson Arena |
| Rankings | |
| USCHO | #7 |
| USA Hockey | #8 |
| Record | |
| Overall | 10–6–0 |
| Conference | 6–4–0 |
| Home | 4–4–0 |
| Road | 6–2–0 |
| Neutral | 0–0–0 |
| Coaches and captains | |
| Head coach | Pat Ferschweiler |
| Assistant coaches | Jason Herter J. J. Crew Jared Brown |
| Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey seasons « 2024–25 2026–27 » | |
The 2025–26 Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey season will be the 52nd season of play for the program and 13th in the NCHC. The Broncos will represent Western Michigan University in the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, play their home games at the Lawson Arena and be coached by Pat Ferschweiler in his 5th season.
Season
Departures
| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connor Brown | Forward | United States | Left program |
| Alex Bump | Forward | United States | Signed professional contract (Philadelphia Flyers) |
| Matteo Costantini | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with Rochester Americans) |
| Robby Drazner | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Cam Knuble | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Brian Kramer | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with SaiPa) |
| Tristan Lemyre | Forward | Canada | Transferred to Minnesota State |
| Jack Mesic | Defenseman | United States | Transferred to Ferris State |
| Cameron Rowe | Goaltender | United States | Graduation (signed with Rockford IceHogs) |
| Wyatt Schingoethe | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Ean Somoza | Forward | United States | Transferred to Minnesota State |
| Tim Washe | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Anaheim Ducks) |
| Ethan Wolthers | Forward | United States | Transferred to Sacred Heart |
Recruiting
| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gavin Moffatt | Defenseman | United States | 23 | Syracuse, NY; transfer from Merrimack |
| Bobby Cowan | Forward | United States | 19 | Edina, MN |
| Sam Huck | Forward | Canada | 21 | Calgary, AB |
| Tyler MacKenzie | Forward | Canada | 21 | Red Deer, AB |
| Gavin Moffatt | Goaltender | United States | 21 | Darien, CT |
| Jamison Sluys | Forward | United States | 20 | Point Roberts, WA |
| Theo Wallberg | Defenseman | Sweden | 21 | Stockholm, SWE; transfer from Ohio State; selected 168th overall in 2022 |
| William Whitelaw | Forward | United States | 20 | Rosemount, MN; transfer from Michigan; selected 66th overall in 2023 |
| Zaccharya Wisdom | Forward | Canada | 21 | Toronto, ON; transfer from Colorado College; selected 212th overall in 2023 |
| Colby Woogk | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Fort Worth, TX |
Roster
As of August 31, 2025.[1]
| No. | Nat. | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kirk Laursen | Graduate | G | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2000-01-02 | Bloomfield Hills, Michigan | Miami (NCHC) | — | |
| 2 | Grady Gallatin | Sophomore | D | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 179 lb (81 kg) | 2004-06-07 | White Bear Lake, Minnesota | Janesville Jets (NAHL) | — | |
| 3 | Cole Crusberg-Roseen | Junior | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 184 lb (83 kg) | 2002-04-14 | Stratham, New Hampshire | Lincoln Stars (USHL) | — | |
| 4 | Zaccharya Wisdom | Junior | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 2004-04-21 | Toronto, Ontario | Colorado College (NCHC) | SEA, 212th overall 2023 | |
| 6 | Theo Wallberg | Junior | D | 6' 5" (1.96 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | 2003-12-04 | Stockholm, Sweden | Ohio State (Big Ten) | OTT, 168th overall 2022 | |
| 8 | Zach Nehring | Sophomore | F | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 179 lb (81 kg) | 2005-03-07 | Minot, North Dakota | Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) | WPG, 82nd overall 2023 | |
| 9 | Zach Bade | Sophomore | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | 2003-04-26 | Rosemount, Minnesota | Tri-City Storm (USHL) | — | |
| 10 | Zack Sharp | Sophomore | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 181 lb (82 kg) | 2005-03-29 | Naperville, Illinois | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL) | — | |
| 11 | Tyler MacKenzie | Freshman | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2004-06-06 | Red Deer, Alberta | Everett Silvertips (WHL) | — | |
| 12 | Sam Huck | Freshman | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 150 lb (68 kg) | 2004-08-31 | Calgary, Alberta | Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) | — | |
| 13 | Grant Slukynsky | Junior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 2002-03-12 | Edina, Minnesota | Northern Michigan (CCHA) | — | |
| 14 | Colby Woogk | Freshman | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | 2004-07-10 | Fort Worth, Texas | Tri-City Storm (USHL) | — | |
| 17 | Ty Henricks | Sophomore | F | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 216 lb (98 kg) | 2005-06-28 | Mission Viejo, California | Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) | NYR, 183rd overall 2023 | |
| 18 | William Whitelaw | Junior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 2005-02-05 | Rosemount, Minnesota | Michigan (Big Ten) | CBJ, 66th overall 2023 | |
| 19 | Bobby Cowan | Freshman | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 181 lb (82 kg) | 2006-06-12 | Edina, Minnesota | Madison Capitols (USHL) | — | |
| 21 | Ryan Kusler | Sophomore | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 2003-05-19 | Battle Creek, Michigan | Omaha Lancers (USHL) | — | |
| 22 | Iiro Hakkarainen | Sophomore | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 172 lb (78 kg) | 2004-03-09 | Helsinki, Finland | Fargo Force (USHL) | — | |
| 23 | Liam Valente | Senior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | 2003-05-23 | Märsta, Sweden | Providence (HEA) | — | |
| 24 | Garrett Szydlowski | Junior | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2002-06-12 | Detroit, Michigan | Wenatchee Wild (BCHL) | — | |
| 26 | Jamison Sluys | Freshman | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 194 lb (88 kg) | 2005-09-03 | Point Roberts, Washington | Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) | — | |
| 27 | Joona Väisänen | Sophomore | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 176 lb (80 kg) | 2004-07-29 | Espoo, Finland | Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) | PIT, 175th overall 2024 | |
| 28 | Ryan Humphrey | Sophomore | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 2003-04-08 | Northville, Michigan | Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) | — | |
| 30 | Hampton Slukynsky | Sophomore | G | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2005-07-02 | Warroad, Minnesota | Fargo Force (USHL) | LAK, 118th overall 2023 | |
| 33 | Samuel Sjölund | Senior | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 2001-05-19 | Stockholm, Sweden | Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) | DAL, 111th overall 2019 | |
| 34 | Owen Michaels | Junior | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2002-05-01 | Detroit, Michigan | Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) | — | |
| 35 | Gavin Moffatt | Freshman | G | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | 2004-04-16 | Darien, Connecticut | Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) | — | |
| 37 | Zach Bookman | Senior | D | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 2002-03-29 | Syracuse, New York | Merrimack (HEA) | — |
Standings
| Conference record | Overall record | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | |||
| #4 North Dakota | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 41 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 68 | 41 | ||
| #6 Denver | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 40 | 18 | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 75 | 37 | ||
| #5 Minnesota Duluth | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 34 | 29 | 20 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 66 | 41 | ||
| #7 Western Michigan | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 37 | 33 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 58 | 47 | ||
| Arizona State | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 27 | 34 | 18 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 53 | 63 | ||
| St. Cloud State | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 31 | 38 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 57 | 54 | ||
| Colorado College | 10 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 26 | 29 | 18 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 51 | 47 | ||
| Omaha | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 21 | 40 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 41 | 56 | ||
| Miami | 10 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 27 | 42 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 63 | 60 | ||
| Championship: March 21, 2025 † indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (National Cup) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated December 15, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||
Schedule and results
| Date | Time | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| October 4 | 6:00 pm | USNTDP* | #1 | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan (Exhibition) | NCHC.tv | Slukynsky | W 7–0 | ||||
| Regular Season | |||||||||||
| October 9 | 7:07 pm | Ferris State* | #1 | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | NCHC.tv | Slukynsky | L 2–3 | 4,178 | 0–1–0 | ||
| October 10 | 7:07 pm | at Ferris State* | #1 | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | Midco Sports+ | Slukynsky | W 6–4 | 1,943 | 1–1–0 | ||
| October 17 | 7:15 pm | at Massachusetts Lowell* | #2 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Slukynsky | W 2–1 | 5,095 | 2–1–0 | ||
| October 18 | 6:00 pm | at Massachusetts Lowell* | #2 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Slukynsky | W 6–0 | 5,294 | 3–1–0 | ||
| October 23 | 7:00 pm | at #3 Michigan* | #2 | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan | BTN | Slukynsky | L 0–4 | 5,800 | 3–2–0 | ||
| October 24 | 7:00 pm | #3 Michigan* | #2 | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | NCHC.tv | Slukynsky | W 5–2 | 4,441 | 4–2–0 | ||
| October 31 | 8:00 pm | at St. Cloud State | #3 | Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, Minnesota | The CW | Slukynsky | W 6–5 | 3,068 | 5–2–0 (1–0–0) | ||
| November 1 | 7:00 pm | at St. Cloud State | #3 | Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, Minnesota | The CW | Slukynsky | L 1–5 | 3,489 | 5–3–0 (1–1–0) | ||
| November 7 | 7:00 pm | #9 Denver | #4 | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | NCHC.tv | Slukynsky | L 1–3 | 3,670 | 5–4–0 (1–2–0) | ||
| November 8 | 6:00 pm | #9 Denver | #4 | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | NCHC.tv | Slukynsky | L 3–6 | 3,825 | 5–5–0 (1–3–0) | ||
| November 14 | 7:00 pm | Miami | #9 | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | Slukynsky | W 5–2 | 3,271 | 6–5–0 (2–3–0) | |||
| November 15 | 6:00 pm | Miami | #9 | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | Slukynsky | W 6–2 | 3,763 | 7–5–0 (3–3–0) | |||
| November 21 | 8:00 pm | at Omaha | #8 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Slukynsky | W 7–2 | 6,237 | 8–5–0 (4–3–0) | |||
| November 22 | 8:00 pm | at Omaha | #8 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Slukynsky | W 4–2 | 6,076 | 9–5–0 (5–3–0) | |||
| December 5 | 7:00 pm | #4 Minnesota Duluth | #7 | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | My9 | Slukynsky | L 1–4 | 3,178 | 9–6–0 (5–4–0) | ||
| December 6 | 6:00 pm | #4 Minnesota Duluth | #7 | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | My9 | Slukynsky | W 3–2 OT | 2,978 | 10–6–0 (6–4–0) | ||
| Holiday Face–Off | |||||||||||
| December 28 | TBA | vs. Boston College* | Fiserv Forum • Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Holiday Face–Off Semifinal) | ||||||||
| December 29 | TBD | vs. Lake Superior State / Wisconsin* | Fiserv Forum • Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Holiday Face–Off) | ||||||||
| Regular Season | |||||||||||
| January 2 | 7:00 pm | at Notre Dame* | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana | Peacock | |||||||
| January 3 | 6:00 pm | Notre Dame* | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | ||||||||
| January 9 | 9:00 pm | at Denver | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | ||||||||
| January 10 | 8:00 pm | at Denver | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | ||||||||
| January 23 | 8:00 pm | at Minnesota Duluth | AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota | ||||||||
| January 24 | 7:00 pm | at Minnesota Duluth | AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota | ||||||||
| January 30 | 7:00 pm | Omaha | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | ||||||||
| January 31 | 6:00 pm | Omaha | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | ||||||||
| February 6 | 7:00 pm | at Miami | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | RESN | |||||||
| February 7 | 6:00 pm | at Miami | Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio | RESN | |||||||
| February 13 | 7:00 pm | Arizona State | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | ||||||||
| February 14 | 6:00 pm | Arizona State | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | ||||||||
| February 20 | 9:00 pm | at Colorado College | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | SOCO CW | |||||||
| February 21 | 8:00 pm | at Colorado College | Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | ||||||||
| February 27 | 7:00 pm | North Dakota | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | ||||||||
| February 28 | 6:00 pm | North Dakota | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | ||||||||
| *Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source:[2] | |||||||||||
Rankings
| Poll | Week | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 (Final) | |
| USCHO.com | 1 (29) | 1 (32) | 2 (6) | 2 (9) | 3 (1) | 4 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||
| USA Hockey | 1 (22) | 1 (24) | 2 (4) | 2 (5) | 3 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||
References
- ^ "2025–26 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Western Michigan Broncos. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
- ^ "Western Michigan 2025-26 Team Schedule". College Hockey Inc. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.