# 2023–24 Northern Michigan Wildcats men's ice hockey season

The 2023–24 Northern Michigan Wildcats men's ice hockey season was the 48th season of play for the program and 26th in the CCHA. The Wildcats represented Northern Michigan University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, played their home games at Berry Events Center and were coached by Grant Potulny in his 7th season.

## Season

Despite high hopes for a squad that was picked to finish second in the conference pre-season poll, Northern Michigan got off to a poor start. With four games against ranked opponents to begin with, the Wildcats had the opportunity to gain some notoriety early in the year, however, Béni Halász struggled in goal and the team was unable to overcome his slump. One bright spot was the stellar debut of Tanner Latsch, who had sat out the entire previous season while recovering from hip surgery. The redshirt freshman recorded a hat-trick in his first college game and then scored in each of the next three as well. Unfortunately, he was bit by the injury bug against Ferris State and played just three games afterwards.
The loss of Latsch was bad enough but the team was also in desperate need for offense. Northern Michigan got a reprieve in mid-November when backup Charlie Glockner turned in a few good performances but those results were unsustainable. Halász did start playing better once he got his starting job back but the scoring never really materialized. Over the course of the season, the Wildcats recorded 40 fewer goals than they had in 2023, which equated to about 0.8 goals per game. Even with the defense improving as the season went along, that missing offense prevented the team from being able to capitalize on its chances and left NMU stuck in neutral. In the second half of the season, Northern Michigan lost just five games, however, the team was unable to break a tie on several occasions and could only manage a .500 mark in the spring semester.
The mediocre results placed the team 5th in the conference and forced them to hit the road for their playoff series with Minnesota State. The first game saw the Wildcats outshoot the Mavericks by a wide margin, particularly in the second, but the pop-gun offense could only muster a single goal and the team fell 1–2. They opened the scoring in the rematch with a shorty from André Ghantous but afterwards NMU could only watch as the Minnesota State offense poured on the offense to the tune of 6 goals. The Wildcats couldn't come close to matching that output and quietly ended their disappointing season.
After the season, Grant Potulny stepped down as head coach to continue his career in the professional ranks.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Nathan Butler | Forward | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Rico DiMatteo | Goaltender | United States | Transferred to Long Island |
| Vincent De Mey | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Kansas City Mavericks) |
| Alex Frye | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Orlando Solar Bears) |
| Jett Jungels | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| David Keefer | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Kalamazoo Wings) |
| Simon Kjellberg | Defenseman | Sweden | Graduation (retired) |
| Joey Larson | Forward | United States | Transferred to Michigan State |
| A. J. Vanderbeck | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Kansas City Mavericks) |
| Tanner Vescio | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Brett Willits | Forward | Canada | Left program (retired) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Mitchel Deelstra | Forward | Canada | 24 | Wallace, ON; transfer from Ferris State |
| Viking Gustafsson Nyberg | Defenseman | Sweden | 20 | Stockholm, SWE |
| Travis Hensrud | Forward | Canada | 21 | Thunder Bay, ON |
| Matvei Kabanov | Forward | Russia | 20 | Togliatti, RUS |
| Kevin Marx Norén | Forward | Sweden | 21 | Knivsta, SWE |
| Michael Mesic | Forward | United States | 19 | Plymouth, MI |
| Jack Perbix | Defenseman\Forward | United States | 22 | Elk River, MN; graduate transfer from Western Michigan; selected 116th overall in 2018 |
| Brendan Poshak | Forward | United States | 21 | Green Bay, WI |
| Grant Slukynsky | Forward | United States | 21 | Edina, MN |
| Carsen Stokes | Goaltender | United States | 21 | Prior Lake, MN |
| Jeppe Urup | Defenseman | Denmark | 24 | Odense, DEN; graduate transfer from Sacred Heart |

## Roster

As of September 18, 2023.

## Standings

2023–24 Central Collegiate Hockey Association Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Bemidji State † | 24 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 48 | 82 | 64 | 38 | 20 | 16 | 2 | 117 | 111 |
| St. Thomas | 24 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 68 | 62 | 37 | 15 | 20 | 2 | 97 | 105 |
| #19 Michigan Tech* | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 63 | 54 | 40 | 19 | 15 | 6 | 109 | 102 |
| Minnesota State | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 73 | 62 | 37 | 18 | 15 | 4 | 111 | 96 |
| Northern Michigan | 24 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 36 | 57 | 67 | 34 | 12 | 16 | 6 | 83 | 105 |
| Bowling Green | 24 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 60 | 69 | 36 | 13 | 22 | 1 | 86 | 116 |
| Lake Superior State | 24 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 79 | 73 | 38 | 17 | 20 | 1 | 114 | 113 |
| Ferris State | 24 | 6 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 49 | 80 | 36 | 10 | 24 | 2 | 83 | 125 |
| Augustana ^ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 12 | 18 | 4 | 90 | 105 |
| Championship: March 22, 2024 † indicates conference regular season champion (MacNaughton Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Mason Cup) ^ Augustana is playing a transition schedule of 16 games against conference opponents that are not counted in the standings Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll ||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 13 | 8:07 pm | at #17 Minnesota Duluth* | AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota | | Halász | T 5–5 $^{OT}$ | 5,947 | 0–0–1 |
| October 14 | 8:07 pm | at #17 Minnesota Duluth* | AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, Minnesota | | Glockner | L 5–8 | 6,497 | 0–1–1 |
| October 20 | 9:00 pm | at #18 Arizona State* | Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Halász | L 2–3 | 4,495 | 0–2–1 |
| October 21 | 9:00 pm | at #18 Arizona State* | Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Halász | L 1–5 | 4,357 | 0–3–1 |
| October 27 | 7:07 pm | Ferris State | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Halász | L 1–2 $^{OT}$ | 4,040 | 0–4–1 (0–1–0) |
| October 28 | 6:07 pm | Ferris State | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Halász | W 4–1 | 4,135 | 1–4–1 (1–1–0) |
| November 3 | 8:07 pm | at St. Thomas | St. Thomas Ice Arena • Mendota Heights, Minnesota | FloHockey | Halász | L 2–4 | 614 | 1–5–1 (1–2–0) |
| November 4 | 7:07 pm | at St. Thomas | St. Thomas Ice Arena • Mendota Heights, Minnesota | FloHockey | Halász | L 1–6 | 922 | 1–6–1 (1–3–0) |
| November 10 | 7:07 pm | Lake Superior State | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Halász | W 6–4 | 3,239 | 2–6–1 (2–3–0) |
| November 11 | 6:07 pm | Lake Superior State | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Glockner | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 3,774 | 3–6–1 (3–3–0) |
| November 17 | 7:07 pm | Alaska* | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Glockner | W 3–1 | 2,303 | 4–6–1 |
| November 18 | 6:07 pm | Alaska* | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Glockner | W 3–1 | 2,381 | 5–6–1 |
| November 24 | 7:07 pm | at Bowling Green | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey | Glockner | L 2–6 | 2,610 | 5–7–1 (3–4–0) |
| November 25 | 7:07 pm | at Bowling Green | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey | Halász | W 2–0 | 1,340 | 6–7–1 (4–4–0) |
| December 1 | 7:07 pm | Augustana* | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Halász | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | 2,859 | 6–7–2 |
| December 2 | 6:07 pm | Augustana* | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Glockner | L 3–5 | 2,911 | 6–8–2 |
| December 8 | 7:07 pm | at Michigan Tech | MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan (Rivalry) | FloHockey | Halász | L 2–4 | 3,649 | 6–9–2 (4–5–0) |
| December 9 | 6:07 pm | Michigan Tech | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan (Rivalry) | FloHockey | Halász | W 3–1 | — | 7–9–2 (5–5–0) |
| January 6 | 6:07 pm | Michigan Tech* | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan (Rivalry, Exhibition) | FloHockey | Halász | W 7–2 | 3,911 | |
| January 12 | 7:07 pm | at Lake Superior State | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | FloHockey | Halász | L 1–5 | 995 | 7–10–2 (5–6–0) |
| January 13 | 6:07 pm | at Lake Superior State | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | FloHockey | Glockner | L 2–5 | 877 | 7–11–2 (5–7–0) |
| January 19 | 7:07 pm | St. Thomas | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Halász | W 3–2 | 2,562 | 8–11–2 (6–7–0) |
| January 20 | 6:07 pm | St. Thomas | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Halász | L 1–3 | — | 8–12–2 (6–8–0) |
| January 26 | 8:07 pm | at Minnesota State | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Halász | T 2–2 $^{SOW}$ | 4,667 | 8–12–3 (6–8–1) |
| January 27 | 7:07 pm | at Minnesota State | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Halász | L 0–4 | 4,981 | 8–13–3 (6–9–1) |
| February 2 | 7:07 pm | Michigan Tech | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan (Rivalry) | FloHockey | Halász | W 4–1 | 4,260 | 9–13–3 (7–9–1) |
| February 3 | 6:07 pm | at Michigan Tech | MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan (Rivalry) | FloHockey | Halász | T 3–3 $^{SOW}$ | 3,730 | 9–13–4 (7–9–2) |
| February 9 | 7:07 pm | Bemidji State | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Halász | L 2–4 | 2,645 | 9–14–4 (7–10–2) |
| February 10 | 6:07 pm | Bemidji State | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Halász | T 3–3 $^{SOL}$ | 3,011 | 9–14–5 (7–10–3) |
| February 23 | 7:07 pm | at Ferris State | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Halász | W 3–2 | 1,950 | 10–14–5 (8–10–3) |
| February 24 | 6:07 pm | at Ferris State | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Halász | T 1–1 $^{SOL}$ | 2,389 | 10–14–6 (8–10–4) |
| March 1 | 7:07 pm | Bowling Green | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Halász | W 4–1 | 2,565 | 11–14–6 (9–10–4) |
| March 2 | 6:07 pm | Bowling Green | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Halász | W 1–0 | 3,007 | 12–14–6 (10–10–4) |
| CCHA Tournament ||||||||||
| March 8 | 8:07 pm | at Minnesota State* | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota (Quarterfinal Game 1) | FloHockey | Halász | L 1–2 | 3,084 | 12–15–6 |
| March 9 | 7:07 pm | at Minnesota State* | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota (Quarterfinal Game 2) | FloHockey | Halász | L 1–6 | 3,494 | 12–16–6 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| André Ghantous | RW | 34 | 9 | 23 | 32 | 48 |
| Artem Shlaine | C | 27 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 23 |
| Josh Zinger | D | 34 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 20 |
| Kristóf Papp | C | 34 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 6 |
| Kevin Marx-Norén | LW/RW | 30 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 14 |
| Connor Eddy | C | 34 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 40 |
| Michael Colella | F | 34 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 6 |
| Rylan Van Unen | F | 33 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 55 |
| Grant Slukynsky | C | 34 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 6 |
| Michael Mesic | C | 26 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Matvei Kabanov | LW | 26 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 4 |
| Tanner Latsch | C | 8 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 6 |
| Aiden Gallacher | D | 34 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 25 |
| Isack Bandu | D | 26 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 45 |
| Reilly Funk | C | 17 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| Mike Van Unen | D | 17 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| Colby Enns | D | 28 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Jack Perbix | D/RW | 31 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 35 |
| Viking Gustafsson Nyberg | C | 33 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 24 |
| Mitch Deelstra | LW | 25 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Zach Michaelis | C | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Jakob Peterson | D | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Tyrell Boucher | D | 21 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Brendan Poshak | F | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeppe Urup | D | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Charlie Glockner | G | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Béni Halász | G | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Total | | | 83 | 138 | 221 | 438 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Béni Halász | 28 | 1650:30 | 9 | 12 | 6 | 78 | 707 | 2 | .901 | 2.84 |
| Charlie Glockner | 10 | 405:12 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 169 | 0 | .885 | 3.26 |
| Empty Net | - | 19:57 | - | - | - | 5 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 34 | 2075:39 | 12 | 16 | 6 | 105 | 876 | 2 | .893 | 3.04 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | 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 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR |
| USA Hockey | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25. Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award | Ref |
| Josh Zinger | CCHA Second Team | |

## 2024 NHL Entry Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
| 7 | 205 | Austin Moline $^†$ | Philadelphia Flyers |
† incoming freshman