The Massachusetts hockey team’s 2024-25 season is rapidly approaching and after coming off a semi-successful season last year after rebuilding its identity, UMass’ roster is packed yet again with talent in every position. Here are the top players to keep an eye out for this season:

1.) Lucas Mercuri

Named an assistant captain alongside linemate Ryan Lautenbach and now-captain and graduate Linden Alger, Mercuri finally has his opportunity to be a leader off the stat sheet.

From his freshman year, Mercuri has been itching to take a true leadership position for the team. As a junior, head coach Greg Carvel relied on him and Lautenbach to be the face of leadership for the group of forwards as defensemen Ryan Ufko and Aaron Bohlinger shared co-captaincy in 2023-24. Now taking an official role for the Minutemen, his success as a forward and leader will not go unnoticed.

As a junior, he scored eight goals on 57 shots and had 16 assists for a total of 24 points. In times of desperation and frustration, Mercuri was the forward who stepped up to the challenge. Against Providence in the 2023-24 regular season, he sunk in the game winning goal with less than a minute left in regulation. When facing Boston College in the Hockey East Semifinals, Mercuri found the back of the net which opened the scoring for the evening.

Aside from being a reliable goal scorer, Mercuri is also a power forward who uses his size to his advantage whenever he can. While this paints him as a target for penalties at times, size and strength will be crucial for a team welcoming in a series of younger defenseman.

Expected to stay with Lautenbach on the top line, Mercuri’s reliability, power and leadership will shine through on and off the ice in his final run with the Minutemen.

2.) Michael Hrabal

The Arizona Coyotes’ (now-Utah Hockey Club’s) 38th pick in the second round of the 2023 NHL Draft had an impressive rookie run as a true freshman. Hrabal started in 30 games during the 2023-24 season, easily surpassing Cole Brady as the number one guy in net.

He ended his freshman season with a 0.912 save percentage with 796 total saves and a 16-12-1 record over the whole season, specifically putting up a ​​11-10-1 Hockey East record with a 0.917 save percentage in conference matchups. He also played in the World Juniors Championship for Czechia, earning bronze before heading back to Amherst. To cap off the year, Hrabal earned a spot on the Hockey East Second Team All-Star squad as UMass’ first rookie goaltender to do so.

With Carvel’s faith in him and one year under his belt, Hrabal’s sophomore season should pick up right where he left off, improving game by game. In his first season, Hrabal redeemed his poor judgment at times with his size. Being six-foot-seven-inches, he protected all areas of the net even when misreading a shot. Having that college hockey and NHL development camp experience, it can be expected for Hrabal to have more control over rebounds and chaotic situations in front of the net as well as better judgment on the ice.

3.) Francesco Dell’Elce

Heading into his first year with the Minutemen, Dell’Elce brings talent at the backend of the ice while still operating as a two-way player.

Coming from the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), he put up 38 points on nine goals and 29 assists in 54 regular season games. In the postseason, Dell’Elce tallied eight points on two goals and six assists. He was also named a Second Team All-Star and made the All-Rookie Team for the BCHL. Joining Finn Loftus, another talented freshman defenseman, the two together should slowly fill the shoes of previous Minutemen once adjusted to the level of college hockey.

With a high hockey IQ and an “offensively gifted defenseman,” according to Carvel, the freshman should fit in well with the returning defensemen. Because of his offensive power, Dell’Elce may be able to bring out the two-way abilities of other defensemen, like Owen Murray who struggled to find an offensive groove in the 2023-24 season.

 4.) Aydar Suniev

Another true freshman from the 2023-24 season returning for his sophomore year, Suniev is on track to put up more impressive performances this year with the Minutemen.

Early in his first season, he proved himself to be a reliable, mature forward and eventually slid into the top line with veterans Mercuri and Lautenbach. The three together were a dominant line for UMass, and Suniev’s creative goal scoring had a significant impact on their success. Game by game, he was determined to build his resume and the only thing that held him back was the growing frustration on the ice when he could not find the back of the net. Keeping himself composed during a scoring drought will be key for him this season.

Last season Suniev had 12 goals on 99 shots as well as 12 assists, tying his linemate and now-assistant captain Mercuri with 24 total points. Heading into his sophomore season, though, which Carvel notes is when the biggest improvements are traditionally made in players, Suniev has more focus on the ice. Taking his talent and adding more precision into his game will allow him to find even the smallest openings between the goaltender and the net. Like Mercuri, using his size at six-feet-two-inches and 192 pounds, the forward will also give UMass an upper hand.

5.) Lucas Olvestad

The junior transfer from Denver University is bringing National Championship experience to a team that hasn’t seen the Frozen Four ice outside of Alger. As a talented group of defensemen leaving UMass after last season, including Ufko, Bohlinger and Scott Morrow, Olvestad will help fill in the holes. He was the final player to round out UMass’ 2024-25 roster.

With Denver as a sophomore, he totaled six points from assists and 16 blocked shots over 32 games. For Carvel, too, sometimes it’s not all about the ice. Olvestad was also named twice to the NCHC Academic All-Conference Team and was an NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete.

Due to his championship experience, Olvestad will likely be relied on by Carvel to defend against other teams’ top lines. Maturity, too, will also be put on the junior’s shoulders as he joins a younger group of defensemen who don’t have the college hockey experience just yet. Expect Olvestad to be quieter offensively, but a key component in his pair.

Sydney Ciano can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter/X @SydneyCiano.