2023–24 St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey season

The 2023–24 St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey season was the 89th season of play for the program, the 27th at the Division I level and 11th in the NCHC. The Huskies represented St. Cloud State University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, played their home games at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center and were coached by Brett Larson in his sixth season.

2023–24 St. Cloud State Huskies
men's ice hockey season
ConferenceT–3rd NCHC
Home iceHerb Brooks National Hockey Center
Rankings
USCHO#18
USA Hockey#18
Record
Overall17–16–5
Conference11–9–4
Home9–8–2
Road6–7–3
Neutral0–1–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachBrett Larson
Assistant coachesDave Shyiak
R. J. Enga
Clark Kuster
Matt Bertram
CaptainDylan Anhorn
Alternate captains
  • Josh Luedtke
  • Joe Molenaar
  • Zach Okabe
St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey seasons
« 2022–23 2024–25 »

Season

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Entering the season, St. Cloud was set to have Dominic Basse as the primary starter while returning luminaries like Veeti Miettinen and Zach Okabe were expected to shoulder the load up front. Unfortunately, the Huskies didn't play well to start the season. Basse looked pedestrian in net while the offense struggled to get on track. However, after starting 2–4, St. Cloud picked up its game once conference play began. The Huskies went undefeated in their 8 NCHC matches during the first half of the season and planted themselves firmly atop the standings.[1]

The team's outlook improved after the winter break when they swept Bemidji State to finish with a respectable non-conference record and only had to play well in the second half to give themselves a shot at the NCAA tournament. However, January was not kind to the Huskies; St. Cloud went through a 3-week stretch where they could not buy a win and the team began to see their postseason chances slip away. Basse's play was not up to par and twice the team turned to one of its freshmen goaltenders, but neither was able to seize the job. The Huskies recovered a bit in February, earning splits with both Colorado College and Western Michigan but Basse's poor play eventually led to him being replaced in goal by Isak Posch.

The change in goal seemed to work initially as Posch earned his first career shutout against the Broncos. However, he was less than effective over the final two weeks of the regular season. St. Cloud lost every game largely because they couldn't keep the puck out of the net. Basse was reinserted as the starter for the season finale but he proceeded to allow 6 goals on 30 shots and was back on the bench when the playoffs began. The losses to end the year cost St. Cloud a conference championship and dropped the team to 3rd in the NCHC standings.

Due to their tumble, the Huskies began the postseason facing Western Michigan, who were all but guaranteed a spot in the tournament at the time. Posch shook off his recent struggles and played a solid game while the offense got contributions for up and down the lineup. The combination allowed St. Cloud to take the first game but Western replied with a convincing win of their own in game two. With their season on the line, the Huskies leapt out to a fast start in the rubber match and had a 3-goal lead before the 12-minute mark. Posch stopped 32 of 33 shots to backstop a quarterfinal victory and keep the Huskies' alive.

As they were preparing for Denver in the semifinals, St. Cloud was right on the bubble of the NCAA tournament. Depending on how other games played out, it was possible for the team to earn an at-large bid if they could knock off the Pioneers even though they team was only 2 games above .500. Knowing that a loss would be the death knell for their season, the Huskies fought hard against the nation's top offensive team and tried to beat Denver at its own game. St. Cloud got four separate 1-goal leads in the match but they were unable to pull away from the Pioneers. Overtime was needed to settle the score and both teams fought hard to get the winning goal. Just past the 6-minute mark, Denver got a partial break in on Posch and deke right at the goal caught the netminder out of position. Josh Luedtke tried to sweep the puck away from the goal but he fanned on the attempt and could only watch as it slid into the net and ended their season.[2]

Departures

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Player Position Nationality Cause
Chase BrandForward United StatesGraduate transfer to Augustana
Brendan BushyDefenseman United StatesGraduation (signed with Kalamazoo Wings)
Jaxon CastorGoaltender United StatesGraduation (signed with Florida Everblades)
Grant CruikshankForward United StatesGraduation (signed with Toronto Marlies)
Jami KrannilaDefenseman FinlandGraduation (signed with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins)
Spencer MeierDefenseman United StatesGraduation (retired)
Micah MillerForward United StatesGraduation (signed with Tucson Roadrunners)
Aidan SpellacyForward United StatesGraduation (signed with Kalamazoo Wings)
Ondřej TrejbalDefenseman Czech RepublicGraduation (signed with SaiPa)
Brady ZiemerDefenseman United StatesTransferred to Augustana

Recruiting

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Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Warren ClarkDefenseman Canada18Riverside, ON; selected 179th overall in 2023
Tynan EwartDefenseman Canada21Duncan, BC
Karl FalkDefenseman Sweden23Värmdö, SWE; transfer from Alaska
Tyson GrossForward Canada20Calgary, AB
Verner MiettinenForward Finland20Espoo, FIN
Nick PortzForward United States23St. Cloud, MN; transfer from North Dakota
Isak PoschGoaltender Sweden21Umeå, SWE
Jack ReimannForward United States20Ham Lake, MN
Kaleb TiessenDefenseman Canada21Leamington, ON

Roster

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As of September 27, 2023.[3]

No. Nat. Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Canada James Gray Freshman (RS) G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2002-05-24 Toronto, Ontario North York Rangers (OJHL)
2 Sweden Karl Falk Junior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-01-20 Västerås, Sweden Alaska (NCAA)
4 Canada Dylan Anhorn Graduate D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-01-21 Calgary, Alberta Union (ECAC)
5 Canada Warren Clark Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2004-08-31 Riverside, Ontario Steinbach Pistons (MJHL) TBL, 179th overall 2023
6 United States Mason Reiners Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2001-05-03 Edina, Minnesota Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
7 United States Jack Reimann Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2002-10-10 Ham Lake, Minnesota Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)
8 Canada Tynan Ewart Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 186 lb (84 kg) 2002-02-26 Duncan, British Columbia Battlefords North Stars (SJHL)
10 Canada Kyler Kupka Graduate F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-05-11 Camrose, Alberta Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL)
11 United States Grant Ahcan Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 2002-05-18 Savage, Minnesota Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
12 Canada Ryan Rosborough Sophomore (RS) F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-05-24 Mt. Brydges, Ontario South Shore Kings (NCDC)
13 Canada Tyson Gross Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-09-23 Calgary, Alberta Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
14 Canada Zach Okabe Graduate F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-01-04 Okotoks, Alberta Grande Prairie Storm (AJHL)
15 United States Barrett Hall Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2003-12-29 Apple Valley, Minnesota Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) SEA, 164th overall 2022
16 United States Mason Salquist Junior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2000-03-21 Grand Forks, North Dakota Fargo Force (USHL)
17 Canada Ethan AuCoin Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2002-08-10 Calgary, Alberta Lloydminster Bobcats (AJHL)
18 United States Nick Portz Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2000-05-15 St. Cloud, Minnesota North Dakota (NCHC)
19 Finland Verner Miettinen Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 2003-04-07 Espoo, Finland Fargo Force (USHL)
20 United States Jack Rogers Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2002-09-23 East Northport, New York Steinbach Pistons (MJHL)
21 United States Josh Luedtke Junior D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-09-29 Minnetonka, Minnesota Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)
22 United States Joe Molenaar Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1999-10-16 Minnetonka, Minnesota Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
23 United States Jack Peart Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2003-05-15 Grand Rapids, Minnesota Grand Rapids High School (USHS–MN) MIN, 54th overall 2021
26 United States Cooper Wylie Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2001-10-26 Stillwater, Minnesota Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
27 Canada Kaleb Tiessen Freshman D 6' 5" (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2002-06-03 Leamington, Ontario Maryland Black Bears (NAHL)
29 Finland Veeti Miettinen Senior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 2001-09-20 Espoo, Finland Kiekko-Espoo (Nuorten SM-liiga) TOR, 168th overall 2020
30 Sweden Isak Posch Freshman G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2002-01-03 Umeå, Sweden Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL)
31 United States Dominic Basse Senior G 6' 6" (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-04-22 Alexandria, Virginia Colorado College (USHL) CHI, 167th overall 2019
34 Canada Adam Ingram Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2003-10-14 West St. Paul, Manitoba Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) NSH, 82nd overall 2022

Standings

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Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#8 North Dakota2415811404987674026122151105
#1 Denver *2415723014511080443293202120
#18 St. Cloud State2411941324177743817165121114
#15 Colorado College241482520416656372113311193
#12 Omaha2413835034068744023134117112
#14 Western Michigan2411130150357864382116113697
Minnesota Duluth2481423322865803712205103125
Miami24121202074410036726378135
Championship: March 23, 2024
† indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup)
* indicates conference tournament champion (Frozen Faceoff Championship Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Updated: April 1, 2024

Schedule and results

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DateTimeOpponent#Rank#SiteTVDecisionResultAttendanceRecord
Regular Season
October 7 6:00 pm St. Thomas* #8 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFox 9+ Basse L 4–5 OT 4,863 0–1–0
October 8 4:07 pm at St. Thomas* #8 St. Thomas Ice ArenaMendota Heights, MinnesotaFloHockey Basse W 1–0  556 1–1–0
October 13 7:07 pm at Minnesota State* #10 Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, MinnesotaFloHockey Basse L 2–3 OT 4,398 1–2–0
October 14 6:07 pm at Minnesota State* #10 Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, MinnesotaFloHockey Basse L 1–5  4,767 1–3–0
October 20 7:30 pm Alaska* #20 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFox 9+ Basse W 4–1  3,626 2–3–0
October 21 6:00 pm Alaska* #20 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFox 9+ Basse L 2–5  3,314 2–4–0
November 3 7:30 pm Miami Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFox 9+ Basse W 3–2  3,007 3–4–0 (1–0–0)
November 4 6:00 pm Miami Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFox 9+ Basse W 6–0  3,277 4–4–0 (2–0–0)
November 10 6:00 pm at #12 Western Michigan Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan  Basse W 3–2  3,943 5–4–0 (3–0–0)
November 11 5:00 pm at #12 Western Michigan Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan  Basse W 3–0  3,767 6–4–0 (4–0–0)
November 17 7:30 pm Minnesota Duluth #19 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFox 9+ Basse W 2–1  3,627 7–4–0 (5–0–0)
November 18 6:00 pm Minnesota Duluth #19 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFox 9+ Basse W 6–5  4,211 8–4–0 (6–0–0)
November 24 7:30 pm #14 Michigan* #17 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFox 9+ Basse L 0–2  3,978 8–5–0
November 25 6:00 pm #14 Michigan* #17 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFox 9+ Basse T 3–3 OT 4,014 8–5–1
December 8 7:00 pm at Omaha #15 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska  Basse W 4–1  6,286 9–5–1 (7–0–0)
December 9 7:00 pm at Omaha #15 Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska  Posch T 2–2 SOL 7,370 9–5–2 (7–0–1)
December 29 7:07 pm at Bemidji State* #14 Sanford CenterBemidji, MinnesotaFloHockey Basse W 6–1  3,998 10–5–2
December 30 6:00 pm Bemidji State* #14 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFox 9+ Posch W 6–1  4,789 11–5–2
January 12 8:00 pm at #6 Denver #14 Magness ArenaDenver, ColoradoCBSSN Basse L 1–5  6,372 11–6–2 (7–1–1)
January 13 7:00 pm at #6 Denver #14 Magness ArenaDenver, Colorado  Posch T 4–4 SOW 6,201 11–6–3 (7–1–2)
January 19 7:30 pm #6 North Dakota #13 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFox 9+ Basse L 3–5  4,568 11–7–3 (7–2–2)
January 20 6:00 pm #6 North Dakota #13 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFox 9+ Basse T 3–3 SOW 5,568 11–7–4 (7–2–3)
January 26 7:30 pm Omaha #15 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFox 9+ Basse L 6–7 OT 3,562 11–8–4 (7–3–3)
January 27 6:00 pm Omaha #15 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFox 9+ Gray T 1–1 SOL 11–8–5 (7–3–4)
February 2 8:00 pm at #14 Colorado College #16 Ed Robson ArenaColorado Springs, ColoradoSOCO CW Basse W 2–1 OT 3,640 12–8–5 (8–3–4)
February 3 7:00 pm at #14 Colorado College #16 Ed Robson ArenaColorado Springs, ColoradoSOCO CW Basse L 3–5  3,687 12–9–5 (8–4–4)
February 9 7:05 pm at Miami #16 Steve Cady ArenaOxford, Ohio  Basse W 5–2  2,311 13–9–5 (9–4–4)
February 10 7:05 pm at Miami #16 Steve Cady ArenaOxford, Ohio  Posch W 3–1  2,593 14–9–5 (10–4–4)
February 23 7:30 pm #13 Western Michigan #15 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFox 9+ Posch L 3–4  3,502 14–10–5 (10–5–4)
February 24 6:00 pm #13 Western Michigan #15 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFox 9+ Posch W 3–0  4,116 15–10–5 (11–5–4)
March 1 7:30 pm #5 Denver #15 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFox 9+ Posch L 2–6  3,688 15–11–5 (11–6–4)
March 2 6:00 pm #5 Denver #15 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFox 9+ Posch L 2–7  4,270 15–12–5 (11–7–4)
March 8 7:07 pm at Minnesota Duluth #17 AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, Minnesota  Posch L 2–4  5,446 15–13–5 (11–8–4)
March 9 6:07 pm at Minnesota Duluth #17 AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, Minnesota  Basse L 5–6  5,012 15–14–5 (11–9–4)
NCHC Tournament
March 15 7:37 pm #14 Western Michigan* #18 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, Minnesota (Quarterfinal Game 1)Fox 9+ Posch W 5–2  3,026 16–14–5
March 16 6:07 pm #14 Western Michigan* #18 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, Minnesota (Quarterfinal Game 2)Fox 9+ Posch L 1–6  2,495 16–15–5
March 17 6:07 pm #14 Western Michigan* #18 Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, Minnesota (Quarterfinal Game 3)Fox 9+ Posch W 5–1  17–15–5
March 22 7:37 pm vs. #3 Denver* #17 Xcel Energy CenterSaint Paul, Minnesota (Semifinal)CBSSN Posch L 4–5 OT 8,977 17–16–5
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Central Time.
Source:[4]

Scoring statistics

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Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Veeti MiettinenRW372015350
Dylan AnhornD386273334
Kyler KupkaF3814183218
Adam IngramC3810182818
Zach OkabeRW3810142421
Verner MiettinenC38419238
Tyson GrossD347132016
Mason SalquistF357121927
Josh LuedtkeD374131721
Barrett HallC33881616
Jack PeartD383111418
Joe MolenaarF32841219
Grant AhcanF2335815
Ethan AucoinF194268
Jack RogersF2942622
Cooper WylieD3833615
Ryan RosboroughF2032519
Tynan EwartD190552
Nick PortzF1722414
Jack ReimannF2512312
Mason ReinersD260334
Warren ClarkD310338
Karl FalkD330226
Dominic BasseG250112
James GrayG10000
Kaleb TiessenD60000
Isak PoschG140000
Total121204325343

[5]

Goaltending statistics

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Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals against Saves Shut outs SV % GAA
James Gray165:000011210.9550.92
Dominic Basse251461:4712102675803.8962.75
Isak Posch14777:01562383461.9012.93
Empty Net-24:13---8----
Total382328:01171651149474.8932.94

Rankings

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Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 (Final)
USCHO.com 8 10 20 NR NR NR 19 17 17 15 14 14 14 13 15 16 16 16 15 15 18 17 18 18 18
USA Hockey 7 9 20 NR NR NR 17 16 17 15 15 14 14 12т 14 15 16 15 15 13 18 17 17 17 18 18

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25.[6]
Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.

Awards and honors

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Player Award Ref
Dylan Anhorn AHCA West Second Team All-American [7]
Dylan Anhorn NCHC First Team [8]
Jack Peart NCHC Second Team [8]
Isak Posch NCHC Rookie Team [9]

2024 NHL entry draft

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Round Pick Player NHL team
248Colin Ralph St. Louis Blues
4101Tanner Henricks Columbus Blue Jackets
6182Austin Burnevik Anaheim Ducks

† incoming freshman [10]

References

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  1. "A TALE OF TWO TEAMS, HUSKIES BATTLE THROUGH EARLY WOES, FINISH FIRST HALF OF SEASON ATOP THE NCHC". KVSC. December 19, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  2. "3-22-24 St. Cloud State vs Denver Highlights - Frozen Faceoff Semifinal". YouTube. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  3. "2023-24 Men's Hockey Roster". St. Cloud State Huskies. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  4. "2023-24 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule". College St. Cloud State Huskies. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  5. "St. Cloud State Univ. 2023-2024 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  6. "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  7. "Top 25 men's college hockey players earn distinction as CCM/AHCA Hockey All-Americans for 2023-24 season". USCHO.com. April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  8. 1 2 Weisman, Michael (March 13, 2024). "NCHC Unveils 2023-2024 All-Conference Teams". nchchockey.com. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  9. Weisman, Michael (March 12, 2024). "NCHC Reveals 2023-24 All-Rookie Team". nchchockey. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  10. "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2024 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved June 29, 2024.