The transfer portal has been a constant in the last several college hockey offseasons, and this spring has been no different. With the entrance window opening for all players on March 31st, there has already been plenty of action around the country. Michigan Tech is among the schools that has been affected significantly thus far, with 5 players entering. I won’t comment on reasons for players leaving, as that would be pure speculation on my part. However, I can say that there are some major surprises in the group that has entered the portal. The former Michigan Tech players in the portal are:
Kyle Kukkonen (F – So)
Ryland Mosley (F – Sr)
Kash Rasmussen (F – So)
Austen Swankler (F- Jr)
Michael Morelli (G – So)
Kukkonen and Mosley have already made commitments to new schools. Both will join old friend Mike Hastings in Madison and play for the University of Wisconsin.
On a more positive note, the Huskies have received their first commitment. Former Michigan State defenseman and New Jersey Devils 6th rounder Viktor Hurtig announced his commitment to the program via Instagram. Hurtig is a 6’6” shutdown defenseman and will likely plug into the Huskies top 4 immediately. Although Hurtig will be a big piece moving forwards, it is very surprising to see the Michigan Tech staff bring in a defenseman. 9 of the 10 defenseman on this years roster are currently slated to return, and two recruits (Tyler Miller and Maks Percic) were slated to head to campus this fall. The blueline was already crowded, and now has become even more so. The Huskies likely won’t carry 12 defensemen, so expect to see more player departures or a recruit delayed (More likely Percic than Miller).
Nathan is currently a student at Michigan Tech, studying Engineering Management. He cultivated his love for the game over a 10 year youth hockey career and is excited to bring his passion to Tech Hockey Guide and Michigan Tech hockey. While not at school, Nathan resides in the Chicagoland area
I can speculate. With some psychological percentage of certainty. TWO were RECRUITED. One feels he can get more time elsewhere, though he should withdraw, as he was coming into his own, one may have found the locker room difficult, maybe not, and one wasn’t going to play except in exceptional circumstances. Some is speculation, but all except Morelli and maybe one other, are making mistakes. But that’s just me.
Good article. I think we also picked up a forward, Freshman last season, which is good. And as a fan base and school ,we need to address the reason players are leaving mid career.. Just talking about it isn’t enough…. And if a player says he wants more exposure, that’s a cop out. Exposure to who? Scouts already see him, NHL teams already see him, regularly. If he means that the average fan sees him more, sure, but so what? He gets to play against a number of top teams from other conferences right here, so lets have valid reasons..And yes, “I don’t like it here” is a valid reason, certainly. IMHO the actual main reason would be he gets paid there. And if he gets paid there he needs to get paid here too.
This is just me. Small school Div 1 hockey is over. Done. Cooked. No way these schools will be able to continue to compete with the big guys, and I’ll include Denver, N Dakota, Notre Dame, BU and BC in with the Big 10 here, because of money and hockey tradition. The big guys also have the bucks to pay for the premier coaches, as evidenced by Hastings going to Wisconsin. There may be an anomaly every so often, but there is a reason some of these schools have double digit NHL picks on their rosters.
I don’t disagree. Of course, I started thinking that way ages ago, about the time Michigan State got serious about hockey and hired Ron Mason.
One more thing re: small school D1 –
In most college sports, coaching is everything. They bring in the players, install the system, face the media/public. Coaches have dreams too, and most of them are interested in advancing in their profession, like everyone else. I don’t think I’m going too far out on a limb to say that most aspire to a “dream job”, and that most look at a small school job as a stepping stone, where if they prove themselves they’ll get a chance at the next level. Hastings going to Wisconsin was one of the most recent cases in point, but Tech has had several over the years – Newell Brown, Bob Mancini and of course Mel Pearson come immediately to mind. John MacInnes was a notable exception, but had Ned Harkness been successful going from Cornell to the Red Wings back in 1970, maybe John might’ve been lured to the NHL…
Honest Question(tm): What sort of NIL plan does Tech have, and how does it compare with the Wisconsins of the world?
Referencing my earlier post on the future of small school DIV I hockey, at this point I have to wonder how in the world NMU managed to snag the number three recruiting class for 2024-25. For the most part, they’ve been rather mediocre for the last few years. So what enticed a supposedly top notch class to give Marquette a go? What don’t we know?
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