A beginner's guide to UConn men's hockey

Let’s start with the bad news. If you’ve decided this is the year you finally jump on the Ice Bus and get into UConn men’s hockey, you missed out on the two best seasons in program history.

The good news? The best (should be) yet to come.

The Huskies put together a historic campaign in 2024-25, matching a school record for wins (23), winning their first CT Ice crown and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Last season, they followed it up with another CT Ice championship and a second trip to the big dance.

There’s plenty UConn has yet to accomplish, though. The Huskies still are searching for their first Hockey East championship — they’ve made it to the league championship game in each of the last two seasons and three times in the last five years but failed to win any — and have yet to reach a Frozen Four.

Still, UConn has firmly established itself on the national scene and the future remains blindingly bright. You’ve picked a good time to come aboard.

So if this is your first season following the Huskies, or haven’t paid attention recently, you’re in the right place. This is a beginner’s guide to UConn men’s hockey.

The roster

Under the revenue sharing rules, college hockey rosters are capped at 26 players, almost always broken down into 15 forwards, eight defensemen and three goalies. On game days, UConn will dress 12 forwards (split into three lines), six defensemen (in three pairings) and every netminder.

Outgoing: Forwards Tabor Heaslip (captain), Ryan Tattle (alternate captain), Jake Richard, Tristan Fraser, Huston Karpman, Jake Percival; defensemen Tom Messineo, Viking Gustafsson Nyberg; Goaltender Tyler Muszelik

UConn lost a lot over the offseason. The winningest senior class in program history graduated, including team captain Tabor Heaslip, points leader Ryan Tattle and starting goaltender Tyler Muszelik. Beyond that, Jake Richard (fifth-most career points in the program’s Hockey East Era) and Viking Gustafsson Nyberg signed NHL deals with the Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota Wild, respectively.

Incoming: Forwards Jeremy Loranger (transfer from Omaha), Brittan Alstead, Lirim Amidovski, Cole Davis, Colin Frank, Jesse Heslop; Defensemen Will McIsaac, Charlie Morrison, Jacob Reese; Goaltender Veeti Louhivaara

UConn has 11 newcomers, split into 10 freshmen and one transfer.

Jeremy Loranger is the headliner. He put up seven goals and 12 assists as a freshman at Omaha in the tough NCHC conference, but won BCHL MVP in 2025 with a ridiculous 40-goal, 65-assist campaign.

Beyond that, the Huskies don’t have any elite prospects but make up for it with a deep, balanced group. There are no priority walk-on types. Everyone is capable of contributing from day one.

Returners: Forwards Joey Muldowney, Ethan Gardula, Mike Murtagh, Kaden Shahan, Ethan Whitcomb, Alexandre Blais, Carlin Dezainde, Joe Odyniec, Carter Sproule; Defensemen Owen Simpson, Trey Scott, Kai Janviriya, Anthony Allain-Samaké, Brendan Dunphy; Goaltenders Kam Hendrickson, Ryan Sanborn

Joey Muldowney is back for his senior season. He’s established himself as the best goal-scorer to come through the program since UConn joined Hockey East with 51 tallies through three seasons. Muldowney had a monster 29-goal, 47-point season two years ago and followed it up with a respectable-but-less-productive 17-goal, 29-point showing. He did battle injuries for much of the season, which limited him down the stretch. Now that he’s fully healthy, he could be primed for another All-American-type season.

Beyond that, UConn has a lot of intriguing pieces. Juniors Ethan Gardula, Mike Murtagh, Kaden Shahan and Ethan Whitcomb have flashed at different points but haven’t put it all together yet. Alexandre Blais and Carlin Dezainde were impressive as freshmen and are prime candidates for second-year leaps.

On defense, the Huskies have four studs in Trey Scott, Kai Janviriya, Anthony Allain-Samaké and Brendan Dunphy. They don’t have an established starter in net, but sophomore Kam Hendrickson and freshman Veeti Louhivaara should both be capable options.

The coaching staff

Head coach Mike Cavanaugh: Now in his 14th season at UConn, Cavanaugh took over a forgettable program that hadn’t done much of note and turned it into one that’s made back-to-back NCAA Tournaments. The Huskies usually have a high floor and have been slowly bumping up their ceiling.

Associate head coach Tyler Helton: Outside of support staffers, nobody has been around the program longer than Helton. He arrived in Storrs as a freshman defenseman in 2012 but was cut when Cavanaugh took over the following year. Helton remained on as a student assistant, then served as a graduate assistant for two seasons before being elevated to a full-time head coach in 2018. He earned the associate head coach title in 2023.

Assistant coach Alex Westlund: UConn’s goalie coach, Westlund helped Tyler Muszelik put together the best season of his career (2.11 GAA, .926 save percentage). He joined the Huskies last summer after previously working as the Detroit Red Wings’ goaltender coach.

Assistant coach Sean Walsh: The newest coach on Cavanaugh’s staff, Walsh replaces Nick Peruzzi, who left for Wisconsin after two seasons with the Huskies. Walsh spent last season at Alaska Fairbanks and worked at Bowdoin — Cavanaugh’s alma mater — prior to that. His dad, Shawn Walsh, was a legendary coach who won two national championships at Maine.

Director of player development Ryan Shannon: Another addition to the staff this offseason, Shannon is the first director of player development under Cavanaugh. He played at Boston College from 2001-05 — when Cavanaugh was an assistant there — and then spent six years in the NHL, winning a Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007.

Expectations

There’s a wide range of possibilities for UConn this season.

If Muldowney puts up another 20+ goal season, one of the returning juniors or sophomores emerges as a first-line player and the goaltenders hold their own, the Huskies should be an NCAA Tournament team that also competes for a Hockey East title.

On the other hand, if Muldowney has another good-but-great season while the freshmen take some time to settle in, UConn could find itself in the midst of a reset and finish outside the top five in Hockey East.

Still, when the Huskies reach a certain level, they usually stay there. They have the pieces to reach the NCAA Tournament for a third straight season. That should be the standard going forward.

Hockey East

College hockey is a unique sport. Only 64 schools sponsor a Division I men’s team, including some that are Division II in all other sports. There are only six conferences, nearly all of which are hockey-specific: Hockey East, Big Ten, NCHC, ECAC, CCHA and Atlantic Hockey.

• Hockey East is the eastern power and the most historic league in the sport. UConn joined on the men’s side in 2014.

• The Big Ten is the only conference to exist outside hockey and has the most money to throw around. It includes six of its full members plus Notre Dame.

• The NCHC is a western power that has produced eight of the last 10 national champions (Denver in 2017, 2022 and 2026; Minnesota Duluth in 2018 and 2019; Western Michigan in 2025).

• The ECAC is a mishmash of Ivy League teams (minus Columbia and Penn), upstate New York schools and Quinnipiac. It can produce national title winners (Quinnipiac in 2023, Union in 2014, Yale in 2013) but doesn’t have the same depth as Hockey East or the NCHC.

• Atlantic Hockey is UConn’s former home. It’s essentially a low-major conference and usually only sends the winner of its automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

• The CCHA is the newest conference in the sport, having reincarnated ahead of the 2021-22 campaign. It’s a step up from Atlantic Hockey — Minnesota State made the national title game in 2022 — but is a clear step below the other two western leagues.

• There are also six independent programs: Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Anchorage, Lindenwood, LIU, Maryville and Stonehill.

Here’s a quick preview of Hockey East, presented in order of the preseason coaches’ poll.

1. Providence — The reigning regular season champions, Providence is expected to be one of Hockey East’s top teams yet again. The Friars won a national championship in 2015.

2. UMass — The last team in the league to win a national championship, UMass has established itself as one of the sport’s newest powerhouses. The Minutemen have been relatively quiet over the last few years but bring in a highly-touted freshman class.

3. Boston University — One of the most storied programs in the country, BU has won five national championships and went to the Frozen Four in 2023, 2024 and 2025. In the two years on either end of that stretch — 2022 and 2026 — the Huskies ended their season. The Terriers are routinely stocked with future NHL players.

4. Boston College — The crosstown rival of BU, BC is no longer coached by Jerry York — the winningest coach in college hockey history — but has returned to national prominence under Greg Brown. The Eagles made the national championship game in 2024 and also feature one of the most talent-laden rosters in the league.

5. UConn — *gestures wildly to the rest of this story if you want to know more about the Huskies*

6. Merrimack — Although historically the doormat of the league, Merrimack is in the midst of its best stretch ever thanks to head coach Scott Borek. The Warriors beat UConn in the 2026 Hockey East championship game to capture its first-ever league title.

7. Maine — The Black Bears have the best fanbase in Hockey East, which makes Alfond Arena the toughest environment in the league. Maine was a powerhouse back in the 1990s and has experienced a resurgence under Ben Barr, though it’s found success difficult to sustain in the modern landscape of college athletics.

8. Northeastern — The other Huskies in Hockey East, Northeastern will play essentially every game on the road this season as it builds a new arena on campus.

9. New Hampshire — A once-proud program that’s fallen on hard times, UNH has not finished in the top five of Hockey East since 2019 and hasn’t reached the league semifinals since 2015.

10. UMass Lowell — Norm Bazin’s teams used to be some of the toughest to beat in the league. That hasn’t been the case recently — the River Hawks have finished 11th, seventh and ninth in the last three years.

11. Vermont — Gutterson Fieldhouse is the best rink in the league (at least for my money) and there’s no better road trip than Burlington. But in terms of hockey? UVM hasn’t done much right recently, owning five last-place finishes in seven years.

The rink

Toscano Family Ice Forum serves as the practice facility and home rink for both UConn’s hockey programs. It opened in January 2023, replacing Freitas Ice Forum next door (which is now the UConn Volleyball center). This is the first season that the Huskies don’t have a single player on the roster who played at Freitas.

UConn is also scheduled to play four home games at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, which served as the team’s home ice from 2014 until 2023, when Toscano finally opened on campus.

The schedule

There’s a rhythm to the college hockey schedule. Teams typically play Friday and Saturday. In Hockey East, most matchups are home-and-homes, with the exception of Vermont and Maine. Since there’s an unbalanced number of schools in Hockey East, each team plays everyone twice, plus four other teams a third time.

Got it? Good, because UConn’s schedule doesn’t actually follow some of those conventions this season. It has 10 Friday-Saturday weekends but only one of those is a true home-and-home. For various reasons, the Huskies have six Thursday-Saturday series.

Despite being in Hockey East for 13 seasons now, UConn doesn’t have a true rival. That means there’s no one matchup to circle on the schedule (the way BC and BU have the Battle of Comm Ave or Maine and UNH have the Border Battle).

The Huskies do have a burgeoning rivalry with Quinnipiac, an ECAC school, since they’ve met in every edition of CT Ice and four of the last five finals. The two teams have combined to win the tournament all but once — the inaugural event in 2020, which Sacred Heart claimed.

In Hockey East play, teams get three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime or shootout win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss and no points for a regulation loss. The top five seeds get a bye into the quarterfinals while the top four secure home ice.

The entire Hockey East Playoffs are single-elimination. The first round and quarterfinals are held on home ice while the semifinals and final are at TD Garden in Boston.

NPI

The biggest learning curve for new college hockey fans is understanding the NPI, formerly the Pairwise. Unlike every other sport, where a selection committee decides the NCAA Tournament field, hockey relies entirely on the NPI. The six conferences all receive automatic bids and the remaining 10 schools are decided by the NPI.

Last season, UConn was the last team in at No. 14. Generally, teams want to be in the top-12 to avoid getting bumped out by bid-stealers.

There’s a whole formula for how the games are weighed (here’s an explainer if you want to get into the details), but the ethos is simple: Win as many games as possible. Secondarily, avoid bad losses to teams towards the bottom of the rankings. Last season, UConn hurt itself by dropping games to New Hampshire (40th), UMass Lowell (46th) and Vermont (52nd) — not to mention a tie with Stonehill (57th). The Huskies were boosted by winning 20 games, including some over Providence (seventh), Quinnipiac (10th) and Boston College (18th).

Program history

The UConn men’s hockey program started in 1960. Since then, there have only been four coaches in the 67-year history of the program: John Chapman (1960-81), Ben Kirtland (1981-88), Bruce Marshall (1988-2013) and Cavanaugh (2013-present).

For much of their existence, the Huskies played at the Division III level at an outdoor rink, which was located where the UConn Volleyball Center (formerly Freitas Ice Forum) now stands. Cavanaugh played there as a junior at Bowdoin in 1988.

In 1998, the Huskies moved up to Division I and into Freitas Ice Forum. They won the 2000 MAAC Tournament championship — the only conference title the program has won so far — though it didn’t include an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Cavanaugh took over as head coach in 2013 in anticipation of their entry into Hockey East in 2014. He had worked the previous 18 seasons at Boston College, where he helped win four national championships in 2001, 2008, 2010 and 2012.

UConn has sent 13 players to the NHL and 11 came through the program during the Hockey East era. Three have established themselves as regulars: Tage Thompson (Buffalo Sabres), Marc Gatcomb (Vegas Golden Knights) and Yan Kuznetsov (Calgary Flames). Thompson is the Huskies’ first bona fide superstar, averaging 74.2 points over the last five seasons. He also won gold with Team USA at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.