OXFORD — A now revitalized Miami RedHawks hockey program looks to make another jump this upcoming season in head coach Anthony Noreen’s third year at the helm. 16 RedHawks return and 11 newcomers arrive, giving the roster a boost that should help them push toward the top half of a now 10-team NCHC with the addition of St. Thomas.
“The exciting part is the number of guys we have returning, the quality of guys we have returning, the people in that room, and the excitement about the new guys coming in, whether it’s the nine freshmen or the two transfers,” Noreen said.
Incoming forwards: Ryan Seelinger (FR), Layne Loomer (FR), Chuck Blanchard (FR), Matouš Kucharcík (FR), Austin Baker (SO)
Incoming defensemen: Branko Vukas (FR), Cal Huston (FR), Jack Hamilton (FR), and David Helledy (JR)
Incoming goalie: Yegor Yegorov (FR)
Many of these newcomers have been committed for quite a while. Freshman forward Ryan Seelinger, for example, committed to the Bergeron staff in 2022 at 16 years old.
Building Toward an NHL Factory Again
There are seven NHL draft picks across the 2026-27 roster, headlined by first-rounder Ilia Morozov (Buffalo) and second-rounder Timmy Runso (Montreal). The roster looks far more like a typical NCHC group, now dotted with NHL logos across the line chart.
“If we’re going to compete the way we want to compete, we have to get back to being an NHL factory,” said Noreen. “That’s not to say being a draft pick is the end all be all, but having guys sign in the NHL is a pretty good indicator of success. We’re going to keep pushing to make sure it becomes more and more year in and year out.”
Many current and future RedHawks attended NHL development camps as invitees or potential undrafted free agents:
David Deputy (Boston), Shaun McEwen (Nashville), Kocha Delic (Columbus), Matteo Giampa (San Jose), Matteo Drobac (Dallas), Yegor Yegorov (Calgary), Austin Baker (Detroit), Matouš Kucharcík (Buffalo), Vladislav Lukashevich (Florida), Timofei Runtos (Montreal), Ilia Morozov (Buffalo)
Recruits: Maxim Dubé (Ottawa), Jimmy Rieber (Anaheim)
Elite Freshman Forwards Arrive
Two elite scoring freshmen arrive in Loomer and Seelinger. Both finished top five in USHL scoring and enter as older freshmen at age 21 — 70 points in 64 games for Seelinger and 84 points in 67 games for Loomer.
“They bring a ton of experience. They wore letters in a great league and a hard league to score in. Layne broke out last year,” said Noreen. “Ryan reached a completely different level. He proved he could be an elite scorer — not a lot unlike maybe David Deputy when we were watching him the year before in the USHL (Muskegon).”
Kucharcík, a 2025 fourth-round pick of Buffalo, is a promising tall, 196-pound, 6-foot-4 center who missed time last season in Youngstown (USHL) due to injury. He will play a big role in faceoffs and special teams depth as a freshman.
“His metrics compared to what his numbers were, like, he was as high end of an offensive driving play forward as there was in the USHL,” said Noreen. “There’s a reason he was drafted to the NHL where he was. We think that’s a guy that’s just kind of scratching the surface of what he could be as a player.”
Improved D-Corps
The returning defensemen logged heavy minutes last season. Lukashevich led the group at 22:35 per game, followed by Phelan at 19:01, Thompson at 18:28, and McEwen at 17:29.
“That freshman group got as many minutes. I think we had four freshman D that were top 10 in the country in minutes played. They got a ton of experience over the course of the year. A guy like Vlad got a ton of experience. He’s a guy we expect to take another step as a junior.”
Runtso, Montreal’s late second-round pick this past June, brings elite power play ability and two-way upside. Last season, he took over Victoria’s back line as a rookie and led in power play assists with 15.
“He was in our first recruiting class. We recruited him that summer before our guys even reported and we even hit the ice. He’s a guy that Troy (Thibodeau) was really familiar with through doing some work out in the Pacific District.”
“Then he went to the WHL last year and did the same exact thing. Maybe got a lot of expectations walking in the door. Led his team in minutes played and one of the leading scoring defensemen — made the top prospects game,” said Noreen. “He may have been the highest riser from where he was projected or not at the beginning of the year to where he wound up getting drafted. And that’s what we love about him.”
Power play improvement is a priority for Noreen. Miami finished 12.1% last season, near the bottom of college hockey, and didn’t cash in many key moments down the stretch.
“It’s an area we know we need to be better. A lot of it is personnel and getting the right guys in the right spots. The work Timmy’s done the last two years shows he can grow into that role.”
New Look to Goalie Room
Returner and starter of nearly every game last season, Matteo Drobac again headlines the goaltending room. He finished 2025-26 with a 17-16-2 record, allowed 94 goals in 35 games, and posted a 2.69 GAA and .913 SV%.
“Honestly, the backbone of our team (last season) was that goaltending position … early in the season when there were only two of them, they were one of the biggest strengths of our team,” said Noreen.
2023 Calgary sixth-rounder Yegor Yegorov will need some time to adjust to the North American game. He is coming straight from Russia and will be playing overseas for the first time after posting a .918 SV% in 28 MHL games last season.
“Yegorov was a guy that at one point we were looking at last year during the summer as a late addition when we were having some eligibility problems with one of our goalies (Shika Gadzhiev),” said Noreen. “Unfortunately it didn’t work out at the time. We kept in contact with him. We knew academically he would be able to do it. It was just a matter of whether this was the route he wanted to take.”
“After jumping through some hoops with visas and things that are becoming more difficult with Russian student-athletes, thankfully we were able to get it done,” said Noreen.
At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Yegorov adds size and a new look in net.
“He’s super athletic and competitive, an elite skater, able to make the difficult save, and he’s been on a lot of teams where he’s seen a ton of shots. He’s a guy that gives you a chance to win every night.”
A goalie battle throughout preseason is expected between Yegorov and Drobac. I foresee a future 1-2 punch tandem working.
Added “Mobile” Size
The incoming freshmen add a different dimension in terms of size — Hamilton (D) is 6-foot-5, 207 pounds, Vukas (D) is 6-foot-4, 214 pounds — average team height is now 6-foot-1, 192 pounds.
“For us, the freshmen we have coming in, we think it’s a good mix. We get bigger. We feel like we added length, but we also added some power-play ability and a lot of experience through junior hockey with those guys.”
Size was a deliberate priority, but the added players can all skate.
“Our league specifically is physically demanding. You watch the NHL and you see the direction it’s going with size and skating, but we’re not bringing in big guys who are clunky. These are big guys who can skate, who are mobile, who have great agility, who are athletic, and who also have offense.”
Experienced Portal Duo
Helledy, out of Bentley, led his team in ice time at 21:35 per game as a sophomore en route to an AHA championship and is an elite power play defenseman.
“He played a ton of minutes on a team that won a championship, that played in the NCAA tournament, ran a power play — checked a lot of boxes in areas we want to improve,” said Noreen.
Baker, out of Michigan State, arrives in a similar situation to Lukashevich last season. He is a designated student athlete, meaning he does not count toward the roster cap.
“Baker was drafted in the NHL, played for the U.S. National Program, captained in the USHL. His compete level is elite. He can play every situation. Maybe he just wasn’t in the right role or opportunity. We think he can flourish here,” said Noreen.
“We were still pretty young before the transfers. We were only looking at having seven upperclassmen on a 27-man roster,” said Noreen. Now they have nine.
Now less than one month away from the season opener at former CCHA foe Northern Michigan, the RedHawks have something to prove. They were not far off last season against top teams in the country, including Denver, North Dakota, Western Michigan, and Minnesota Duluth, and with the steps they’ve taken in just two seasons, it’s hard not to jump on the bandwagon for these guys.
“It’s a lot more fun when the guys are in town. Seeing their growth, hearing how excited they are, showing the new guys the way,” said Noreen. “The cool thing about building a program is watching it go from coach-led to player-led. Once it’s player-led, you can do special things.”
