2024–25 Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey season

2024–25 Western Michigan Broncos
men's ice hockey season
2024–25 Western Michigan Broncos; men's ice hockey season
Conference	NCHC
Home ice	Lawson Arena
Record
Coaches and captains
Head coach	Pat Ferschweiler
Assistant coaches	Jason Herter; J. J. Crew; Jared Brown
	Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey seasons; « 2023–24 2025–26 »

The 2024–25 Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey season will be the 51st season of play for the program and 12th in the NCHC. The Broncos will represent Western Michigan University in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, play their home games at the Lawson Arena and be coached by Pat Ferschweiler in his 4th season.

Season

Departures

Player	Position	Nationality	Cause
Jacob Bauer	Defenseman	United States	Graduation (retired)
Carter Berger	Defenseman	Canada	Graduation (signed with Hartford Wolf Pack)
Trevor Bishop	Forward	United States	Graduation (retired)
Cole Burtch	Forward	Canada	Transferred to Ferris State
Joe Cassetti	Forward	United States	Graduation (signed with Belfast Giants)
Sam Colangelo	Forward	United States	Graduation (signed with Anaheim Ducks)
Cédric Fiedler	Defenseman	United States	Graduation (signed with Lausanne HC)
Zak Galambos	Defenseman	United States	Graduation (signed with Belfast Giants)
Luke Grainger	Forward	Canada	Graduation (signed with San Jose Barracuda)
Chad Hillebrand	Forward	United States	Graduation (signed with Colorado Eagles)
Daniel Hilsendager	Defenseman	Canada	Graduation (retired)
Hugh Larkin	Forward	United States	Graduation (retired)
Oliver MacDonald	Forward	United States	Graduation (retired)
Jacob Napier	Defenseman	United States	Transferred to Colgate
Ethan Phillips	Forward	Canada	Graduation (retired)
Dawson Smith	Goaltender	Canada	Transferred to Robert Morris
Dylan Wendt	Forward	United States	Signed professional contract (New Jersey Devils)

Recruiting

Player	Position	Nationality	Age	Notes
Zach Bade	Forward	United States	21	Rosemount, MN
Connor Brown	Forward	United States	19	Estero, FL
Robby Drazner	Defenseman	United States	24	Buffalo Grove, IL; graduate transfer from Miami
Grady Gallatin	Defenseman	United States	20	White Bear Lake, MN
Iiro Hakkarainen	Forward	Finland	20	Helsinki, FIN
Ty Henricks	Forward	United States	19	Mission Viejo, CA; selected 183rd overall in 2023
Brian Kramer	Defenseman	United States	24	Wexford, PA; graduate transfer from American International
Ryan Kusler	Forward	United States	21	Battle Creek, MI
Tristan Lemyre	Forward	Canada	22	Mirabel, QC; transfer from Denver
Jack Mesic	Defenseman	United States	21	Plymouth, MI; transfer from Ferris State
Zach Nehring	Forward	United States	19	Minot, ND; selected 82nd overall in 2023
Zack Sharp	Defenseman	United States	19	Naperville, IL
Grant Slukynsky	Forward	United States	22	Edina, MN; transfer from Northern Michigan
Hampton Slukynsky	Goaltender	United States	19	Warroad, MN; selected 118th overall in 2023
Joona Väisänen	Defenseman	Finland	20	Espoo, FIN
Liam Valente	Forward	Sweden	21	Märsta, SWE; transfer from Providence

Roster

As of September 23, 2024.^[1]

No.	Player	Class	Pos	Height	Weight	DoB	Hometown	Previous team	NHL rights
1	Kirk Laursen	Junior (RS)	G	6' 3" (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2000-01-02	Bloomfield Hills, Michigan	Miami (NCHC)	—
2	Grady Gallatin	Freshman	D	6' 3" (1.91 m)	179 lb (81 kg)	2004-06-07	White Bear Lake, Minnesota	Janesville Jets (NAHL)	—
3	Cole Crusberg-Roseen	Sophomore	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	184 lb (83 kg)	2002-04-14	Stratham, New Hampshire	Lincoln Stars (USHL)	—
4	Robby Drazner	Graduate	D	6' 1" (1.85 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	2000-02-13	Buffalo Grove, Illinois	Miami (NCHC)	—
6	Jack Mesic	Sophomore	D	5' 9" (1.75 m)	176 lb (80 kg)	2002-10-18	Plymouth, Michigan	Ferris State (CCHA)	—
8	Zach Nehring	Freshman	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	Freshman	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	183 lb (83 kg)	2003-04-26	Rosemount, Minnesota	Tri-City Storm (USHL)	—
10	Zack Sharp	Freshman	D	6' 1" (1.85 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	2005-03-29	Naperville, Illinois	Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)	—
11	Ethan Wolthers	Junior	F	5' 8" (1.73 m)	155 lb (70 kg)	2001-07-19	Valencia, California	Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL)	—
12	Connor Brown	Freshman	F	5' 8" (1.73 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2005-05-03	Estero, Florida	Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)	—
13	Grant Slukynsky	Sophomore	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	2002-03-12	Edina, Minnesota	Northern Michigan (CCHA)	—
14	Brian Kramer	Graduate	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2000-07-20	Wexford, Pennsylvania	American International (AHA)	—
16	Tim Washe	Graduate	F	6' 3" (1.91 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	2001-08-25	Detroit, Michigan	Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL)	—
17	Ty Henricks	Freshman	F	6' 4" (1.93 m)	216 lb (98 kg)	2005-06-28	Mission Viejo, California	Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)	NYR, 183rd overall 2023
18	Wyatt Schingoethe	Senior	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	2002-08-03	Algonquin, Illinois	Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)	TOR, 195th overall 2020
19	Cam Knuble	Graduate	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	2000-07-23	Grand Rapids, Michigan	Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)	—
20	Alex Bump	Sophomore	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	2003-11-20	Burnsville, Minnesota	Tri-City Storm (USHL)	PHI, 133rd overall 2022
21	Ryan Kusler	Freshman	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	187 lb (85 kg)	2003-05-19	Battle Creek, Michigan	Omaha Lancers (USHL)	—
22	Iiro Hakkarainen	Freshman	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	172 lb (78 kg)	2004-03-09	Helsinki, Finland	Fargo Force (USHL)	—
23	Liam Valente	Junior	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	183 lb (83 kg)	2003-05-23	Märsta, Sweden	Providence (HEA)	—
24	Garrett Szydlowski	Sophomore	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2002-06-12	Detroit, Michigan	Wenatchee Wild (BCHL)	—
25	Matteo Costantini	Senior	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	2002-08-16	St. Catharines, Ontario	North Dakota (NCHC)	BUF, 131st overall 2020
26	Ean Somoza	Sophomore	F	6' 3" (1.91 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	2003-02-08	Thousand Oaks, California	Wenatchee Wild (BCHL)	—
27	Joona Väisänen	Freshman	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	176 lb (80 kg)	2004-07-29	Espoo, Finland	Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)	PIT, 175th overall 2024
29	Tristan Lemyre	Junior	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	2001-01-15	Mirabel, Quebec	Denver (NCHC)	—
30	Hampton Slukynsky	Freshman	G	6' 1" (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2005-07-02	Warroad, Minnesota	Fargo Force (USHL)	LAK, 118th overall 2023
31	Cameron Rowe	Graduate	G	6' 3" (1.91 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	2001-06-01	Wilmette, Illinois	Wisconsin (Big Ten)	—
33	Samuel Sjölund	Junior	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	Sophomore	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2002-05-01	Detroit, Michigan	Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)	—

Standings

2024–25 National Collegiate Hockey Conference Standings v t e
	Conference record										Overall record
	GP	W	L	T	OTW	OTL	SW	PTS	GF	GA	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
#20т Arizona State	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
#11 Colorado College	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
#1 Denver	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Miami	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
#18 Minnesota Duluth	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
#5 North Dakota	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
#15 Omaha	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
#16 St. Cloud State	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
#17 Western Michigan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Championship: March 30, 2025 † indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Frozen Faceoff Championship Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and results

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	TV
Exhibition
October 5	7:00 pm	USNTDP*	#17	Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan (Exhibition)
Regular Season
October 11	7:00 pm	Ferris State*		Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
October 12	7:00 pm	at Ferris State*		Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan	FloHockey
October 17	7:00 pm	Bowling Green*		Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
October 19	6:00 pm	York*		Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan (Exhibition)
October 26	7:00 pm	at Boston College*		Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts	ESPN+
November 8	8:00 pm	at Omaha		Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska
November 9	8:00 pm	at Omaha		Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska
November 15	7:00 pm	Colorado College		Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
November 16	6:00 pm	Colorado College		Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
November 22	8:00 pm	at Minnesota Duluth		AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota
November 23	6:00 pm	at Minnesota Duluth		AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota
November 29	7:00 pm	Michigan*		Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
November 30	7:00 pm	at Michigan*		Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan
December 6	7:00 pm	Denver		Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
December 7	6:00 pm	Denver		Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
Great Lakes Invitational
December 29	3:37 pm	vs. Michigan Tech*		Van Andel Arena • Grand Rapids, Michigan (Great Lakes Invitational Semifinal)	Midco Sports+
December 30	TBD	vs. Michigan State / Northern Michigan*		Van Andel Arena • Grand Rapids, Michigan (Great Lakes Invitational)	Midco Sports+
January 3	7:00 pm	Alaska Anchorage*		Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
January 4	6:00 pm	Alaska Anchorage*		Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
January 17	8:00 pm	at North Dakota		Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota	Midco
January 18	7:00 pm	at North Dakota		Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota	Midco
January 24	7:00 pm	Miami		Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
January 25	6:00 pm	Miami		Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
January 31	9:00 pm	at Colorado College		Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado
February 1	8:00 pm	at Colorado College		Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado
February 7	7:00 pm	St. Cloud State		Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
February 8	6:00 pm	St. Cloud State		Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
February 14	7:00 pm	Omaha		Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
February 15	6:00 pm	Omaha		Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
February 21	9:00 pm	at Arizona State		Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona
February 22	7:00 pm	at Arizona State		Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona
February 28	7:00 pm	North Dakota		Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
March 1	6:00 pm	North Dakota		Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan
March 7	7:00 pm	at Miami		Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio
March 8	7:00 pm	at Miami		Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source:^[2]

Scoring statistics

Rankings

Poll	Week
Poll	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 (Final)
USCHO.com	17
USA Hockey

References

^ "2024–25 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Western Michigan Broncos. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
^ "Western Michigan 2024-25 Team Schedule". College Hockey Inc. Retrieved August 16, 2023.

[1] "2024–25 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Western Michigan Broncos. Retrieved September 23, 2024.

[2] "Western Michigan 2024-25 Team Schedule". College Hockey Inc. Retrieved August 16, 2023.

[1]

[2]

v t e Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey
Playing venues	Lawson Arena (1974–present)
Head coaches	Bill Neal (1973–1978) Glen Weller (1978–1982) Bill Wilkinson (1982–1999) Jim Culhane (1999–2010) Jeff Blashill (2010–2011) Andy Murray (2011–2021) Pat Ferschweiler (2021–present)
Seasons	1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Conference affiliations	Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) (1975–2013) National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) (2013–)
All-time leaders	Dan Dorion (293 points) Dan Dorion (115 goals) Bill Horn (71 wins)
NCAA Tournament appearances	1986 1994 1996 2011 2012 2017 2022 2023 2024
Conference Tournament titles	CCHA: 1986 2012
Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan