Mike Cavanaugh breaks down UConn's newcomers

When UConn joined Hockey East in 2014, it brought in 10 freshmen — a move that still reverberates over a decade later. Since then, the Huskies’ roster has turned over every four years.

In 2018, that first Hockey East class graduated and UConn replaced it with 12 new freshmen — Jachym Kondelik, Jonny Evans, Carter Turnbull and company. When they departed in 2022, the Huskies’ most recent senior class arrived — Ryan Tattle, Tabor Heaslip, Tom Messineo, etc.

That cycle renewed this summer, which means UConn has 10 new freshmen, a transfer and a sophomore who joined the team in January but didn’t appear in a game. That’s a lot of new faces, so ahead of the Huskies’ season opener with Penn State on Friday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+), head coach Mike Cavanaugh broke down all the newcomers.

Forwards

Jeremy Loranger (No. 16)

5-9, 181 pounds | Trois-Rivieres, Quebec | Omaha (NCHC)

Loranger is UConn’s lone transfer addition, coming in after one season at Omaha in the NCHC.

“He's got a ton of skill. We had seen him play at Sherwood Park (in the BCHL). He's a super skilled player. The puck seems to find him in a lot of areas. We're going to work on his 200-foot game but offensively, he's a special talent.”

Brittan Alstead (No. 10)

5-9, 174 pounds | Plymouth, Minnesota | Penticton Vees (WHL)

“Another skilled, heady player. He’s got a lot of offensive talent. He's gotta get stronger on the puck. I think that's going to be one of the things he'll need to work on this year — his strength. But he certainly has a great head for the game.”

Lirim Amidovski (No. 29)

6-1, 196 pounds | Allison, Ontario | North Bay Battalion (OHL)

“Reminds me a lot of Marc Gatcomb (who played at UConn from 2018-22 and is now in the NHL with the Vegas Golden Knights). Big, strong power forward. He's really heavy. He's good down low, in the corners. I think he's a kid that you're going to see vast improvement as the season goes on. A lot of times with those kids — and even with Marc, I remember — they may start a little slow, but I think by the end of the year, he's going to be a real integral piece.”

Cole Davis (No. 9)

5-10, 187 pounds | Sutton, Ontario | Windsor Spitfires (OHL)

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