Following a bounce-back season, the Massachusetts hockey team is looking to keep its momentum with eight freshmen and two transfers, rebuilding the team’s talent and depth after losing 12 players from the 2023-24 roster.
Joey Musa and Lucas Olvestad were both added to the team in July, as the transfers will bring experience and leadership to the young back end.
Coming from Dartmouth, Musa joins his younger brother, sophomore Jack Musa, as a forward for the Minutemen. With six goals and 11 assists in his last season with the Big Green, he can be an offensive asset for UMass. He led his team in blocked shots in the 2022-23 season.
Olvestad is coming off an NCAA national championship with Denver University, who beat the Minutemen in the first round of the tournament in double overtime. The Sweden native is a smooth-skating defenseman who will help the team shut down its opponents’ top lines. Head coach Greg Carvel compared him to exiting defenseman Samuli Niinisaari.
Of the eight players that make up the freshmen class, five are defensemen, who look to strengthen UMass’ back line and fulfill the hard style of defending that is the Minutemen’s identity. Alongside Olvestad, they will play a particularly important role given the team lost five of its six starting defensemen after last season. Two notable losses are Ryan Ufko and Scott Morrow, who are both appearing on NHL training camp rosters this year for the Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively, where they look to earn a full time NHL role.
Along with sophomores Michael Hrabal and Jackson Irving, James Norton is another goaltender for UMass. Norton is a left-catch goalie who could be a game changer both on and off the ice. Norton recorded a .877 save percentage in the USHL with both the Dubuque Fighting Saints and the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. He was the 2022-23 Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Best Goaltender with a .934 save percentage over 35 games.
Hailing from Minnesota, Finn Loftus brings a high hockey IQ and defensive control to the Minutemen. In his two seasons with the USHL Sioux City Musketeers, serving as an assistant captain in 2023-24, he put up 12 goals and 45 assists, proving his offensive capabilities. His passing ability and leadership qualities will make him an asset on a defensive pairing.
Cam Dunn spent two seasons with the Odessa Jackalopes of the NAHL, putting up 28 goals and 38 assists through 95 games. The six-foot-two-inch, 185-pound forward can play a hard physical game and should develop well in the program, especially with the leadership of the other forwards.
Another offensive contributor will be Daniel Jenčko, from Humenne, Slovakia. With great hockey sense and vision, Jenčko is a skilled playmaker who could aid one of the seasoned forward lines.
Defensemen Larry Keenan and Francesco Dell’Elce were teammates on the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League during the 2023-24 season. Keenan, a six-foot-four-inch, 195 pound blueliner, may be able to make a big impact on games with his mobility, large frame and ability to disrupt entry attempts. He was a 2023 fourth-round Detroit Red Wings draft pick.
Dell’Elce is an offensively gifted defenseman who has great vision under game pressure. He is expected to become another future pro, as he is eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft. Keenan and Dell’Elce are expected to be very important pieces in the UMass defensive corps, and the team’s success could rely on their ability to compete.
Charlie Lieberman, a six-foot-five-inch, 230-pound defenseman, has the build and aggressive playing style that fit Carvel’s bill for the Minutemen’s defensive line, and has the opportunity to add a lot to the team’s physical dominion on the ice. Before coming to UMass, Lieberman spent time in the USHL with the Youngstown Phantoms and Omaha Lancers, and in the NAHL with the Janesville Jets.
Forward James Duerr will also add size and on-ice presence to the team. The six-foot-three-inch, 195-pound forward spent the last two seasons in the USHL with the Green Bay Gamblers. He has the physical game skills and leadership to be an all-around difference-maker on the team.
Kaz Sobieski, a local from Deerfield Massachusetts, joins the lines as a right-shot defenseman. With his hard shot and skating maneuverability, he could help support the Minutemen on the defensive line.
The newcomers hope to contribute to the program’s continued success. They will get their first chance to represent UMass with the scheduled season opener at Bentley on Oct. 5 at 7 p.m.
Caroline Burge can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @Caroline-Burge
