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

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2024–25 Western Michigan Broncos
men's ice hockey season
NCAA Division I National Champion
NCHC Regular Season, Champion
NCHC Tournament, Champion
NCAA Tournament, Champion
ConferenceNCHC
Home iceLawson Arena
Rankings
USCHO#1
USA Hockey#1
Record
Overall34–7–1
Conference19–4–1
Home18–2–1
Road9–4–0
Neutral7–1–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachPat Ferschweiler
Assistant coachesJason Herter
J. J. Crew
Jared Brown
Captain(s)Tim Washe
Alternate captain(s)Alex Bump
Matteo Costantini
Cam Knuble
Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey seasons
« 2023–24 2025–26 »

The 2024–25 Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey season was the 51st season of play for the program and 12th in the NCHC. The Broncos represented Western Michigan University in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, played their home games at the Lawson Arena and were coached by Pat Ferschweiler in his fourth season. The Broncos won the 2025 NCHC Tournament for the first time in program history, and received the conference's automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA tournament. They won their first national championship in program history.

Season

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Departures

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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 Transferred to Connecticut
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

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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

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As of September 23, 2024.[1]

No. Nat. Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 United States Kirk Laursen Junior (RS) G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-01-02 Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Miami (NCHC)
2 United States Grady Gallatin Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 179 lb (81 kg) 2004-06-07 White Bear Lake, Minnesota Janesville Jets (NAHL)
3 United States Cole Crusberg-Roseen Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 2002-04-14 Stratham, New Hampshire Lincoln Stars (USHL)
4 United States Robby Drazner Graduate D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-02-13 Buffalo Grove, Illinois Miami (NCHC)
6 United States Jack Mesic Sophomore D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 2002-10-18 Plymouth, Michigan Ferris State (CCHA)
8 United States 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 United States Zach Bade Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2003-04-26 Rosemount, Minnesota Tri-City Storm (USHL)
10 United States Zack Sharp Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2005-03-29 Naperville, Illinois Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
11 United States Ethan Wolthers Junior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 155 lb (70 kg) 2001-07-19 Valencia, California Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL)
12 United States Connor Brown Freshman F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2005-05-03 Estero, Florida Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
13 United States Grant Slukynsky Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2002-03-12 Edina, Minnesota Northern Michigan (CCHA)
14 United States Brian Kramer Graduate D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-07-20 Wexford, Pennsylvania American International (AHA)
16 United States Tim Washe (C) Graduate F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2001-08-25 Detroit, Michigan Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL)
17 United States 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 United States 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 United States Cam Knuble (A) Graduate F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-07-23 Grand Rapids, Michigan Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
20 United States Alex Bump (A) 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 United States Ryan Kusler Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2003-05-19 Battle Creek, Michigan Omaha Lancers (USHL)
22 Finland Iiro Hakkarainen Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 2004-03-09 Helsinki, Finland Fargo Force (USHL)
23 Sweden Liam Valente Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2003-05-23 Märsta, Sweden Providence (HEA)
24 United States Garrett Szydlowski Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-06-12 Detroit, Michigan Wenatchee Wild (BCHL)
25 Canada Matteo Costantini (A) 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 United States Ean Somoza Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 2003-02-08 Thousand Oaks, California Wenatchee Wild (BCHL)
27 Finland 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 Canada Tristan Lemyre Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-01-15 Mirabel, Quebec Denver (NCHC)
30 United States 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 United States Cameron Rowe Graduate G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2001-06-01 Wilmette, Illinois Wisconsin (Big Ten)
33 Sweden 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 United States Owen Michaels Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-05-01 Detroit, Michigan Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)

Standings

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Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#1 Western Michigan †* 24 19 4 1 4 3 0 57 98 51 42 34 7 1 167 86
#16 Arizona State 24 14 9 1 2 5 1 47 91 69 37 21 14 2 136 103
#3 Denver 24 15 8 1 2 1 0 45 89 59 43 31 12 1 174 94
Omaha 24 14 9 1 1 1 1 44 82 69 36 18 17 1 105 99
#18 North Dakota 24 14 9 1 3 1 1 42 81 73 38 21 15 2 120 111
Colorado College 24 11 12 1 4 1 1 32 68 72 37 18 18 1 106 113
Minnesota Duluth 24 9 13 2 2 2 1 30 63 77 36 13 20 3 99 117
St. Cloud State 24 7 16 1 2 3 0 23 53 79 36 14 21 1 79 110
Miami 24 0 23 1 0 3 0 4 38 114 34 3 28 3 63 143
Championship: March 22, 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

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Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Exhibition
October 5 7:00 pm USNTDP* #17 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan (Exhibition)     W 4–1   
Regular Season
October 11 7:00 pm Ferris State* #17 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Rowe W 4–1  3,637 1–0–0
October 12 7:00 pm at Ferris State* #17 Ewigleben ArenaBig Rapids, Michigan FloHockey Slukynsky W 5–1  1,112 2–0–0
October 17 7:00 pm Bowling Green* #17 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Rowe W 6–2  2,179 3–0–0
Exhibition
October 19 6:00 pm York* #17 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan (Exhibition)   Slukynsky W 8–0  1,829
Regular Season
October 26 7:00 pm at #2 Boston College* #14 Conte ForumChestnut Hill, Massachusetts ESPN+ Slukynsky L 2–4  7,884 3–1–0
November 8 8:00 pm at Omaha #14 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Rowe W 2–1  6,683 4–1–0 (1–0–0)
November 9 8:00 pm at Omaha #14 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska   Slukynsky W 4–2  7,022 5–1–0 (2–0–0)
November 15 7:00 pm #8 Colorado College #13 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Rowe W 3–2 OT 3,437 6–1–0 (3–0–0)
November 16 6:00 pm #8 Colorado College #13 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Slukynsky T 1–1 SOL 3,966 6–1–1 (3–0–1)
November 22 8:00 pm at Minnesota Duluth #9 AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, Minnesota   Rowe W 5–2  5,057 7–1–1 (4–0–1)
November 23 6:00 pm at Minnesota Duluth #9 AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, Minnesota   Slukynsky W 4–1  5,831 8–1–1 (5–0–1)
November 29 7:00 pm #6 Michigan* #7 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Rowe W 4–1  3,974 9–1–1
November 30 7:00 pm at #6 Michigan* #7 Yost Ice ArenaAnn Arbor, Michigan BTN+ Slukynsky L 1–2  5,800 9–2–1
December 6 7:00 pm #2 Denver #7 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Rowe W 3–2  3,586 10–2–1 (6–0–1)
December 7 6:00 pm #2 Denver #7 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Slukynsky L 2–3 OT 3,930 10–3–1 (6–1–1)
Great Lakes Invitational
December 29 3:37 pm vs. Michigan Tech* #6 Van Andel ArenaGrand Rapids, Michigan (Great Lakes Invitational Semifinal) Midco Sports+ Rowe W 4–3 OT 9,900 11–3–1
December 30 7:00 pm vs. #1 Michigan State* #4 Van Andel ArenaGrand Rapids, Michigan (Great Lakes Invitational Championship) Midco Sports+ Rowe L 1–3  6,857 11–4–1
Regular Season
January 3 7:00 pm Alaska Anchorage* #4 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Rowe W 4–1  2,654 12–4–1
January 4 6:00 pm Alaska Anchorage* #4 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Rowe W 5–2  3,033 13–4–1
January 17 8:00 pm at #14 North Dakota #4 Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota Midco Rowe W 3–2 OT 11,603 14–4–1 (7–1–1)
January 18 7:00 pm at #14 North Dakota #4 Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota Midco Slukynsky W 5–1  11,659 15–4–1 (8–1–1)
January 24 7:00 pm Miami #3 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Rowe W 8–3  3,595 16–4–1 (9–1–1)
January 25 6:00 pm Miami #3 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Slukynsky W 2–0  3,840 17–4–1 (10–1–1)
January 31 9:00 pm at Colorado College #3 Ed Robson ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado CBSSN Rowe W 4–1  3,541 18–4–1 (11–1–1)
February 1 8:00 pm at Colorado College #3 Ed Robson ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado   Slukynsky L 2–3 OT 3,550 18–5–1 (11–2–1)
February 7 7:00 pm St. Cloud State #4 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Rowe W 4–0  3,425 19–5–1 (12–2–1)
February 8 6:00 pm St. Cloud State #4 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Slukynsky W 6–1  3,572 20–5–1 (13–2–1)
February 14 7:00 pm #20 Omaha #3 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Rowe W 5–4 OT 2,823 21–5–1 (14–2–1)
February 15 6:00 pm #20 Omaha #3 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Slukynsky W 6–1  3,580 22–5–1 (15–2–1)
February 21 9:00 pm at #12 Arizona State #3 Mullett ArenaTempe, Arizona   Rowe L 3–5  5,323 22–6–1 (15–3–1)
February 22 7:00 pm at #12 Arizona State #3 Mullett ArenaTempe, Arizona   Slukynsky W 4–3 OT 5,250 23–6–1 (16–3–1)
February 28 7:00 pm #18 North Dakota #4 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Slukynsky W 6–4  3,571 24–6–1 (17–3–1)
March 1 6:00 pm #18 North Dakota #4 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan   Slukynsky L 3–4 OT 3,623 24–7–1 (17–4–1)
March 7 7:00 pm at Miami #4 Steve Cady ArenaOxford, Ohio   Slukynsky W 8–3  1,411 25–7–1 (18–4–1)
March 8 7:00 pm at Miami #4 Steve Cady ArenaOxford, Ohio   Slukynsky W 5–2  2,338 26–7–1 (19–4–1)
NCHC Tournament
March 14 7:00 pm St. Cloud State #3 Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan (Quarterfinal Game 1)   Slukynsky W 6–2  3,553 27–7–1
March 15 6:00 pm St. Cloud State #3 Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan (Quarterfinal Game 2)   Slukynsky W 6–2  3,456 28–7–1
March 21 8:30 pm vs. #17 North Dakota #3 Xcel Energy CenterSaint Paul, Minnesota (Semifinal) CBSSN Slukynsky W 4–2  7,532 29–7–1
March 22 8:30 pm vs. #6 Denver #3 Xcel Energy Center • Saint Paul, Minnesota (Championship) CBSSN Slukynsky W 4–3 2OT 5,853 30–7–1
NCAA Tournament
March 27 5:00 pm vs. #14 Minnesota State* #3 Scheels ArenaFargo, North Dakota (Regional Semifinal) ESPNU Slukynsky W 2–1 2OT 4,817 31–7–1
March 29 5:30 pm vs. #13 Massachusetts* #3 Scheels Arena • Fargo, North Dakota (Regional Final) ESPNU Slukynsky W 2–1  4,329 32–7–1
April 10 5:00 pm vs. #6 Denver* #3 Enterprise CenterSt. Louis, Missouri (National Semifinal) ESPN2 Slukynsky W 3–2 2OT 16,814 33–7–1
April 12 7:30 pm vs. #8 Boston University* #3 Enterprise Center • St. Louis, Missouri (National Championship) ESPN2 Slukynsky W 6–2  16,953 34–7–1
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.
Source:[2]

Scoring statistics

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Rankings

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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 17 17 17 14 13 14 13 9 7 7 6 6 4 4 4 3 3 (1) 4 3 3 (16) 4 (1) 4 (1) 3 3 (5) 3 (5) 1 (50)
USA Hockey 15 17 16 13 14 13 11т 9 7 7 6 6 4 5 5 4 3 4 4 3 (1) 4 (1) 5 3 3 (1) 3 (1) 1 (20) 1 (34)

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 12 or 26.[3]
Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.

2025 NHL Entry Draft

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Round Pick Player NHL team
4 124 Zachary Sharp San Jose Sharks

† incoming freshman [4]

References

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  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.
  3. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  4. ^ "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2025 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved June 29, 2025.