The Gophers men’s hockey team saw six players with remaining eligibility leave the program to sign professional hockey contracts during a span of four days after its first-round ouster in the NCAA tournament. Included were first-round draft picks Jimmy Snuggerud, Oliver Moore, Sam Rinzel and Matthew Wood, plus second-rounder Ryan Chesley and sixth-rounder Connor Kurth.
Together, the group produced 89 goals and 125 assists in 2024-25, meaning coach Bob Motzko and his staff will have plenty of holes to fill for next season.
On Wednesday, the Gophers began augmenting that roster when former Nebraska Omaha forward Tanner Ludtke, who entered the transfer portal last week, indicated on the X social media platform that he has committed to play for Minnesota.
Ludtke, an Elko native and former Lakeville South High School standout, spent two seasons at Nebraska Omaha, leading the Mavericks in scoring in 2023-24 with 28 points on 11 goals and 17 assists. The 2023 third-round draft pick of the Arizona Coyotes and now property of the Utah Hockey Club had one goal in five games this season before suffering an upper-body injury Oct. 25 that required surgery. He missed the remainder of the regular season before returning against North Dakota for the first-round NCHC playoff series, in which he registered an assist. He will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Gophers.
Before playing for Nebraska Omaha, Ludtke spent two seasons with Lincoln of the USHL, notching 33 goals and 34 assists in 81 games. At Lakeville South, Ludtke had 44 goals and 81 assists in 78 games.
Along with the six players who have left early for the pros, the Gophers also had five seniors or graduate students exhaust their eligibility with the 5-4 overtime loss to Massachusetts in the Fargo Regional semifinals Thursday. One of those, defenseman Mike Koster, signed with the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders on Tuesday.
