St. Cloud State Men’s Hockey Adds Five Transfers for 2026-27
5/1/2026 2:16:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Oliver welcomes five from the transfer portal for his first season behind the bench
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Men's Hockey head coach Nick Oliver announced the addition of five transfers via the transfer portal ahead of his first season behind the bench in 2026-27. Among the first group of new Huskies is a trio of forwards in Will Ahlrik, Jamison Sluys and Jake Southgate, and a pair of defensemen in Finn McLaughlin and Jacob Napier.
"We're excited to welcome this group to St. Cloud State," said Oliver. "Our goal over the last two weeks was to continue building our roster with high quality people and players that will allow us to continue growing as a program. We feel this group will contribute to the foundation set by our returning players and look forward to getting started."
Will Ahlrik – Forward – Junior – Tidaholm, Sweden – Lake Superior State
Will Ahlrik comes to the state of hockey after leading Lake Superior State in scoring during his sophomore campaign this past season. The Swedish center scored 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points with a team-high five power play tallies. In the faceoff dot, Ahlrik won 54.6 percent (374-311) of his draws to rank in the top-20 nationally in both faceoffs won and faceoff percentage. In his freshman season with the Lakers, Ahlrik scored six goals and six assists for 12 points with one game-winning goal. In juniors, Ahlrik played for the Oklahoma Warriors of the NAHL for two seasons, posting 86 points (38g/48a) in 100 games and winning a NAHL Robertson Cup in 2023. Prior to coming stateside, Ahlrik played for the HV71 organization in Sweden for four seasons.
Finn McLaughlin – Defenseman – Sophomore – Canmore, Alberta – Minnesota
The son of a former Husky captain, Finn McLaughlin makes the short trek north up I-94 from Minneapolis to St. Cloud to join the Huskies for his sophomore season. He played in 31 games in his freshman season with the Gophers, scoring one assist with 17 blocks and two games with a plus-1 mark on the ice. In juniors, McLaughlin was a two-time USHL Clark Cup Champion, winning with the Fargo Force (2023-24) and Muskegon Lumberjacks (2024-25). In 110 USHL games, McLaughlin netted eight goals and 29 assists for 37 points and a +43 mark on the ice. He tallied two goals and six assists for eight points in the 2025 title run, ranking third in scoring among USHL defenseman. At the international level, McLaughlin served as captain of Team USA at the 2024 World Junior A Challenge and scored the gold-medal-clinching goal against Sweden, while also winning bronze for the Americans at the 2023 Hlinka Cup. He is the son of Kyle McLaughlin, who played for seasons for the Huskies (1995-99), totaling 22 points in 144 career games while serving as captain in his senior season.
Jacob Napier – Defenseman – Senior – Lancaster, N.Y. – Colgate
Jacob Napier returns to the National after two seasons at Colgate (2024-26) and one season at Western Michigan (2023-24). In two seasons at Colgate, Napier totaled five goals and 15 assists for 20 points in 62 games. This past season, he had eight assists and 11 points with a plus-8 rating and 44 blocks while being named ECAC Defender of the Week once. He played in six games and scored one assist for Western Michigan in his 2023-24 freshman campaign. Prior to collegiate hockey, Napier played two seasons in the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks (2021-22) and the Fargo Force (2022-23). He logged seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points while helping the Force capture the Anderson Cup in 2023. He is a 2021 graduate of Northstar Christian Academy where he played two seasons of hockey, including a 50-point (30g/20a) season as a senior.
Jamison Sluys – Forward – Sophomore – Point Roberts, Wash. – Western Michigan
An in-conference transfer, Jamison Sluys joins the Huskies after spending his freshman season with Western Michigan. Sluys skated in 20 games for the Broncos, tallying two goals and one assist for three points. He lit the lamp in WMU victories over UMass Lowell (Oct. 17) and Omaha (Jan. 30). Before college hockey, Sluys skated for two-and-a-half seasons in the USHL with the Omaha Lancers (2023-24) and Youngstown Phantoms (2024-25). He totaled 16 goals and 42 assists for 58 points for both the Lancers and Phantoms in 2024-25, ranking second in the USHL in assists in the regular season. He served as an alternate captain for the Lancers that season before being traded to Youngstown.
Jake Southgate – Forward – Senior – North Battleford, Saskatchewan – Lindenwood
Jake Southgate comes to St. Cloud for his senior season after spending three seasons at Lindenwood where he netted 19 goals and 32 assists for 51 points in 88 games. The Saskatchewan native served as an alternate captain for the Lions this past season, recording a career-high eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points with two power play goals. He has produced five or more goals and 12 or more points in each of his three collegiate seasons after 16- (7g/9a) and 12-point (5g/7a) performances in his first two seasons. Prior to collegiate hockey, he played four seasons of junior hockey with the Battlefords North Stars of the SJHL, tallying 49 goals and 57 assists for 106 points in 115 regular season games while serving as team captain in 2022-23.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Men's Hockey, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Season ticket renewals for the 2026-27 season will officially open on May 1. As always, tickets will be available for purchase at www.scsutickets.com or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX / 320-308-2137.
"We're excited to welcome this group to St. Cloud State," said Oliver. "Our goal over the last two weeks was to continue building our roster with high quality people and players that will allow us to continue growing as a program. We feel this group will contribute to the foundation set by our returning players and look forward to getting started."
Will Ahlrik – Forward – Junior – Tidaholm, Sweden – Lake Superior State
Will Ahlrik comes to the state of hockey after leading Lake Superior State in scoring during his sophomore campaign this past season. The Swedish center scored 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points with a team-high five power play tallies. In the faceoff dot, Ahlrik won 54.6 percent (374-311) of his draws to rank in the top-20 nationally in both faceoffs won and faceoff percentage. In his freshman season with the Lakers, Ahlrik scored six goals and six assists for 12 points with one game-winning goal. In juniors, Ahlrik played for the Oklahoma Warriors of the NAHL for two seasons, posting 86 points (38g/48a) in 100 games and winning a NAHL Robertson Cup in 2023. Prior to coming stateside, Ahlrik played for the HV71 organization in Sweden for four seasons.
Finn McLaughlin – Defenseman – Sophomore – Canmore, Alberta – Minnesota
The son of a former Husky captain, Finn McLaughlin makes the short trek north up I-94 from Minneapolis to St. Cloud to join the Huskies for his sophomore season. He played in 31 games in his freshman season with the Gophers, scoring one assist with 17 blocks and two games with a plus-1 mark on the ice. In juniors, McLaughlin was a two-time USHL Clark Cup Champion, winning with the Fargo Force (2023-24) and Muskegon Lumberjacks (2024-25). In 110 USHL games, McLaughlin netted eight goals and 29 assists for 37 points and a +43 mark on the ice. He tallied two goals and six assists for eight points in the 2025 title run, ranking third in scoring among USHL defenseman. At the international level, McLaughlin served as captain of Team USA at the 2024 World Junior A Challenge and scored the gold-medal-clinching goal against Sweden, while also winning bronze for the Americans at the 2023 Hlinka Cup. He is the son of Kyle McLaughlin, who played for seasons for the Huskies (1995-99), totaling 22 points in 144 career games while serving as captain in his senior season.
Jacob Napier – Defenseman – Senior – Lancaster, N.Y. – Colgate
Jacob Napier returns to the National after two seasons at Colgate (2024-26) and one season at Western Michigan (2023-24). In two seasons at Colgate, Napier totaled five goals and 15 assists for 20 points in 62 games. This past season, he had eight assists and 11 points with a plus-8 rating and 44 blocks while being named ECAC Defender of the Week once. He played in six games and scored one assist for Western Michigan in his 2023-24 freshman campaign. Prior to collegiate hockey, Napier played two seasons in the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks (2021-22) and the Fargo Force (2022-23). He logged seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points while helping the Force capture the Anderson Cup in 2023. He is a 2021 graduate of Northstar Christian Academy where he played two seasons of hockey, including a 50-point (30g/20a) season as a senior.
Jamison Sluys – Forward – Sophomore – Point Roberts, Wash. – Western Michigan
An in-conference transfer, Jamison Sluys joins the Huskies after spending his freshman season with Western Michigan. Sluys skated in 20 games for the Broncos, tallying two goals and one assist for three points. He lit the lamp in WMU victories over UMass Lowell (Oct. 17) and Omaha (Jan. 30). Before college hockey, Sluys skated for two-and-a-half seasons in the USHL with the Omaha Lancers (2023-24) and Youngstown Phantoms (2024-25). He totaled 16 goals and 42 assists for 58 points for both the Lancers and Phantoms in 2024-25, ranking second in the USHL in assists in the regular season. He served as an alternate captain for the Lancers that season before being traded to Youngstown.
Jake Southgate – Forward – Senior – North Battleford, Saskatchewan – Lindenwood
Jake Southgate comes to St. Cloud for his senior season after spending three seasons at Lindenwood where he netted 19 goals and 32 assists for 51 points in 88 games. The Saskatchewan native served as an alternate captain for the Lions this past season, recording a career-high eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points with two power play goals. He has produced five or more goals and 12 or more points in each of his three collegiate seasons after 16- (7g/9a) and 12-point (5g/7a) performances in his first two seasons. Prior to collegiate hockey, he played four seasons of junior hockey with the Battlefords North Stars of the SJHL, tallying 49 goals and 57 assists for 106 points in 115 regular season games while serving as team captain in 2022-23.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Men's Hockey, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Season ticket renewals for the 2026-27 season will officially open on May 1. As always, tickets will be available for purchase at www.scsutickets.com or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX / 320-308-2137.
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