St. Cloud State Men's Hockey Opens 2024-25 Season with Exhibition Against Minnesota, Road Game at St. Thomas

Saturday, October 5

St. Cloud, Minn.

6:00 P.M. CT

St. Cloud State

Minnesota

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St. Cloud State Men's Hockey Opens 2024-25 Season with Exhibition Against Minnesota, Road Game at St. Thomas

10/4/2024 1:59:00 PM | Men's Hockey

GAME NOTES

Huskies and Gophers to play Saturday at the Brooks Center, Huskies and Tommies open regular season Sunday in St. Paul

THE MATCHUP

No. 16 St. Cloud State Men's Hockey will begin the 2024-25 campaign this weekend with an exhibition contest and a road game against a in-state future conference opponent. First, the Huskies will host the Minnesota Golden Gophers at home on Saturday, Oct. 5 for an exhibition contest. The longtime rivals will play for the first time since the 2023 NCAA Regional where the Gophers snuck out a 4-1 win to advance to the NCAA Frozen Four. Puck drop from the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center between the two storied programs is set for 6:00 p.m. CT on Fox 9 + and NCHC.tv with Jim Erickson and former Husky captain Geno Parrish on the call.
Following Friday's game, the Huskies will make the short trek down I-94 to St. Paul to face St. Thomas in its season opener on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 5:00 p.m. CT on Fox 9 +. It will mark the fourth consecutive season the two teams have played to open its seasons, with SCSU holding a decisive 5-1-0 advantage in the series since the Tommies moved to Division-I. Both teams will meet again on Sunday, Dec. 29 to finish the home-and-home series, a single game to be played at the Brooks Center.
Both of this weekend's games will be available on the radio on KNSI, with Husky Productions alum Nick Maxson taking over play-by-play duties for home games and Jim Erickson returning for away games. Former Husky captain and All-American Dave Reichel will provide color commentary for the series, joining the radio call for his 35th season.

GOING POLLING

St. Cloud State enters the weekend ranked No. 16 in both the USCHO poll and USA Today / The Rink Live Top-20 polls.
The Gophers begin the season ranked No. 6 in the USCHO poll and No. 5 in the USA Today poll, while the Tommies are receiving votes in the USCHO poll and rank No. 20 in the USA Today poll.

SERIES HISTORY

Since Saturday's game won't count officially, SCSU will be looking to gain ground in the all-time series against St. Thomas. The Tommies currently lead the all-time series between the two programs, 24-20-0 despite St. Cloud State having a convincing 5-1-0 mark since the Tommies moved to Division-I ahead of the 2021-22 season. Prior to the last four games, all matchups between the two schools happened prior to 1980. Last season, the Tommies earned its first victory over the Huskies as Division-I opponents when they earned a 5-4 overtime win at the Brooks Center on Oct. 7 to open the season. In the back-half of the series, SCSU returned the favor with a 1-0 win over the Tommies in their building on Oct. 8. Junior forward Adam Ingram provided the only score of the game with a breakaway beauty of a goal in the second period to lift the Huskies to victory.

HUSKIES TABBED TO FINISH FOURTH IN NCHC PRESEASON POLL

St. Cloud State was selected to fourth in the NCHC Preseason Media Poll after coming off their fourth consecutive winning season and a third-place finish in the league standings in 2023-24.
The Huskies received 149 points overall in the media poll and were selected to finish behind Denver (263, 24 first-place votes), North Dakota (241, four first-place votes) and Colorado College (200, one first-place votes). Rounding out the poll was Omaha (137), Western Michigan (127, one first-place vote), Minnesota Duluth (115), Arizona State (80) and Miami (38).
St. Cloud State has previously won three Penrose Cups, finishing atop the nation's top hockey conference in 2013-14, 2017-18 and 2018-19. The Huskies have won the NCHC Frozen Faceoff twice, capturing tournament titles in 2016 and 2023. SCSU finished the 2023-24 season with a 17-16-3 record and advanced to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinals for the seventh time in 10 seasons a tournament has been played.
The Huskies return six of its top-10 scorers from last season's squad. Included in the returning group is rising junior Adam Ingram, who scored 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points, as well as the sophomore duo of Verner Miettinen and Tyson Gross, who each scored 20 points at 4-19-23 and 7-13-20, respectively.

LUEDTKE NAMED CAPTAIN

Senior defenseman Josh Luedtke will be the 36th Husky to wear the "C" as captain in the Division-I era, while senior forward Nick Portz, redshirt junior forward Ryan Rosborough and senior forward Mason Salquist will be alternate captains.
Luedtke recorded four goals and 13 assists for 17 points with a +2 plus/minus mark on the ice and 29 blocks in 37 games in 2023-24. He skated to a +2 mark or better in five games and had two or more blocks in eight games, while his 13 assists and 17 points both ranked second among SCSU blue liners last season. Luedtke earned 2023-24 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors, is a three-time NCHC Academic All-Conference recipient and three-time AHCA Academic All-American. In 102 career games, Luedtke has recorded nine goals and 27 assists for 36 points with a +38 plus/minus.
Portz, a St. Cloud native, returned to his hometown for his junior campaign in 2023-24 where he scored two goals and two assists for four points in 17 games. He found the back of the net against Alaska (Oct. 20) and against Denver (March 22) in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinal. Portz played in 66 games with North Dakota over the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons where he recorded four goals and 12 assists for 16 points. In the classroom, Portz is a three-time NCHC Academic All-Conference recipient. In 83 career games, Portz has scored six goals and 14 assists for 20 points.
Rosborough, a fourth-year forward, has scored three goals and five assists for eight points in 39 games over two seasons. All three of his goals came this past season, as he scored in three of four games against Omaha (Dec. 8) and Bemidji State (Dec. 29, 31). In the classroom, Rosborough is a three-time NCHC Academic All-Conference recipient.
Salquist has blossomed into one of the top centermen in the conference in his three seasons with the Huskies, culminating with a career-best 19-point and .576 faceoff percentage in 2023-24. His 394 wins in the faceoff dot led all Huskies and ranked fifth in the NCHC. He set career-best marks in nearly every offensive statistical category in 2023-24, including goals (seven), assists (12), points (19), plus/minus (+5) and faceoff percentage (.576). For his career, he has scored 13 goals and 20 assists for 33 points in 109 career games.

CHASING THE DREAM

The Huskies will have six players who have been drafted by NHL teams don the cardinal and black this season, its second consecutive season with a half-dozen draft picks.
Returning Huskies Adam Ingram (Nashville, 2022, 3-82), Barrett Hall (Seattle, 2022, 6-164) and Warren Clark (Tampa Bay, 2023, 6-179) will be joined by transfer Daimon Gardner (Vancouver, 2022, 4-112) and 2024 NHL Draft picks Colin Ralph (St. Louis, 2-48) and Austin Burnevik (Anaheim, 6-182).
Ralph was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the second round (48th overall), as he became the seventh highest draft pick in program history and just the eighth Husky to be selected in the first or second round. Burnevik was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the sixth round with the 182nd pick overall.
Additionally, 14 athletes with ties to the St. Cloud State Men's Hockey program were featured on NHL Development Camp rosters in the summer of 2024, including 10 on the Huskies' roster in 2024-25. SCSU was represented on 11 NHL franchise's rosters for the summer camp held annually following the NHL Draft. Of the group, 10 will play for SCSU this season, while two will head back to juniors.
- Dylan Anhorn – Winnipeg Jets
- Nathan Brown – Winnipeg Jets
- Austin Burnevik – Anaheim Ducks
- Warren Clark – Tampa Bay Lightning
- Daimon Gardner – Vancouver Canucks
- Tyson Gross – Vegas Golden Knights
- Barrett Hall – Seattle Kraken
- Tanner Henricks – Columbus Blue Jackets
- Adam Ingram – Nashville Predators
- Jack Peart – Minnesota Wild
- Isak Posch – Tampa Bay Lightning
- Colin Ralph – St. Louis Blues
- Cooper Wylie – Philadelphia Flyers
- Josh Zinger – Anaheim Ducks

WELCOME BACK, RUD

St. Cloud State head coach Brett Larson announced the addition of Eric Rud as Assistant Coach to round out his 2024-25 coaching staff. A 25-year veteran of the coaching world with head coaching experience, Rud returns to St. Cloud for the third time after previous stints as an assistant coach with the men's team from 2005-10 and as the head coach of the women's team from 2014-19. Rud most recently served as the head coach of the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL, his second stint as a head coach in the nation's top junior hockey league.
In his first stop in St. Cloud, Rud was an important figure in building the Husky Hockey program into what it is today, as he served as an assistant coach for the Huskies from 2005-10. In his five seasons on the bench, Rud helped the Huskies record five consecutive winnings seasons, reach three NCAA Tournaments and advance to the 2010 NCAA West Regional Championship Game. He was instrumental in the recruiting efforts during his tenure, leading the charge in signing 2013 Hobey Baker winner Drew LeBlanc, Hobey Baker finalists Ryan Lasch and Nic Dowd and all-conference honorees Andreas Nodl, Garrett Roe and Nick Jensen. In all, three Huskies earned All-America, 16 earned All-WCHA recognition and Nodl was named the 2006-07 WCHA Rookie of the Year with Rud on staff.

THE NEWCOMERS

St. Cloud State added five freshmen to solidify its roster for the 2024-25 season. Among the group of newcomers are three forwards and two defensemen, with four of the five incoming freshmen hail from the State of Hockey, with three expected to be selected in next month's NHL Draft. Additionally, the Huskies added three transfers for the season.
Austin Burnevik – joins St. Cloud State after a highly successful season in junior hockey with the Madison Capitols of the USHL. In Wisconsin's capitol city, Burnevik earned All-USHL Third Team honors after scoring 40 goals and 31 assists for 71 points with a +21 mark on the ice in 61 games. He ranked in the USHL's top-10 in numerous offensive categories, including second in goals (40), seventh in points (71) and seventh in power play goals (11). Prior to his time in Madison, Burnevik spent two seasons with the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) where he played with the U17, U18 and Juniors teams, totaling 34 goals and 42 assists for 76 points. Prior to his time with the NTDP, the Blaine, Minn., native played two seasons at Totino-Grace High School (2019-21) where he scored 33 goals and 35 assists for 68 points in 44 games.
Thor Byfuglien – joins the Huskies after three seasons with USHL's Chicago Steel (2022-24) and three seasons with Roseau High School (2019-22). The 5-11 blue liner notched 10 goals and 25 assists for 35 points in 123 games across three seasons for the Steel. He helped Chicago advance to the playoffs in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons where he recorded two assists in nine games. In three seasons with Roseau, Byfuglien recorded 26 goals and 67 assists for 93 points in 68 games, including an impressive senior campaign (2021-22) where he scored 13 goals and 32 assists for 45 points in 27 games.
Colin Ralph – joins St. Cloud State after two standout seasons with Shattuck St. Mary's where he scored 10 goals and 91 assists for 111 points in 111 games in the USHS-Prep league over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. This past season, Ralph's 58 assists led all defensemen and ranked third overall in the USHS-prep league while his 66 points ranked second among defensemen and 19th overall. Following his 2023-24 campaign, Ralph played two games with Dubuque of the USHL. The Maple Grove native played one season (2021-22) of AAA and high school hockey in Kirkwood, Mo. Ralph is a projected draft pick in the upcoming 2024 NHL Draft.
Gavyn Thoreson – joins the Husky Hockey program after one full season with USHL'S Waterloo and a highly decorated high school career at Andover. Thoreson was a scoring machine in his lone full season with the Black Hawks, scoring 22 goals and 43 assists for 65 points, ranking in the top-15 in the USHL in both assists (ninth) and points (13th). He also played parts for two seasons with Waterloo following his high school seasons in 2021-22 and 2022-23, including nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points in 23 games in 2023. For Andover, Thoreson averaged 3.1 points per game with 85 goals and 141 assists for a school-record 226 points in 74 games while helping the Huskies advance to three consecutive state tournaments from 2021-23. Thoreson earned back-to-back All-Tournament honors in 2022 and 2023 while helping the Huskies capture the school's first state championship in 2022 following by a semifinal appearance in 2023. In his senior campaign, Thoreson scored 41 goals and 56 assists for 97 points while being named a Mr. Hockey finalist. In the state tournament, Thoreson earned his second consecutive All-Tournament recognition after four goals and one assist, including a four-point, hat-trick performance in a 5-2 quarterfinal victory over Lakeville South. Thoreson is a projected draft pick in the upcoming 2024 NHL Draft.
Ocean Wallace – joins St. Cloud State after three seasons in junior hockey with the NAHL's Austin Bruins (2022-24). Wallace scored 95 points (43g/52a) in 158 games for the Bruins while leading the team to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons, including a Robertson Cup championship appearance in 2023. This past season, Wallace scored 21 goals and 23 assists for 44 points in 59 games for the Bruns, all junior hockey career-bests. Prior to his time in Austin, Wallace played six games in two seasons with the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms (2020-22). A native of Boulder, Colo., Wallace spent three seasons at Shattuck St. Mary's in Faribault, playing for the prep school's 15U, 16U, 18U and USHS-prep teams.
Gavin Enright – In four seasons with the Beavers (2020-24), Enright played in 39 games and produced a mark of 14-18-0 between the pipes with a 3.17 goals-against-average and .882 save percentage. He set career-high marks in numerous stats in his final season in Bemidji, including games played (15), minutes played (792:02), victories (six) and shutouts (two). He posted shutout victories against St. Thomas (29 saves) on Oct. 28, 2023, and against Minnesota State (22 saves) on March 2, 2024. He produced a career-high 40 saves in a 2-1 victory over Bowling Green on Oct. 30, 2021. In the classroom, Enright was named to the CCHA All-Academic Team four times and was twice named an AHCA All-American Scholar.
Daimon Gardner – will have three seasons of eligibility remaining after spending his freshman season at Clarkson where he scored one goal and five assists for six points in 29 games. Gardner played one season full-time and two seasons part-time in the USHL with the Omaha Lancers (2020-22) and Tri-City Storm (2022-23). In the 2022-23 season, he scored 42 points (12 goals / 30 assists) in 46 games while helping the Storm advance to the USHL playoffs. A native of Eagle Lake, Ontario, Gardner moved to Warroad, Minn., where he starred for the Warroad Warriors in the 2020-21 season. Gardner was one of the top-scoring players in the state in his senior campaign, scoring 45 goals and 38 assists for 83 points while leading the Warriors to a runner-up finish in the 2022 Class A state tournament. Following his highly successful high school career, he was selected in the fourth round (112th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft by the Vancouver Canucks. He comes from a long line of siblings with collegiate hockey experience, as his older sisters played at North Dakota (Kayla, 2013-17) and Minnesota State (Demi, 2016-19; Mariah, 2017-21).
Josh Zinger – joins the Huskies with two seasons of eligibility remaining after producing six goals and 30 assists for 36 points in two seasons with Northern Michigan (2022-24). He earned back-to-back all-conference honors in his time with the Wildcats, being named to the All-CCHA Rookie Team in 2022-23 after three goals and 13 assists for 16 points in 38 games before earning All-CCHA Second Team honors in 2023-24 after three goals and 17 assists for 20 points in 34 games. He was twice named the CCHA Defenseman of the Week this past season and led all Wildcat blue liners in goals, assists, points, power play goals and game-winning goals. Zinger began his hockey career as a forward before being converted to a defenseman in junior hockey, where he played for five teams over four seasons in Canada. He finished with the Brooks Bandits of the AJHL in 2021-22 where he scored six goals and 18 assists for 24 points in 31 games.