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Wisconsin goaltender Kyle McClellan watches Minnesota's Brody Lamb celebrate after scoring the game-winning goal in a 2-1 overtime victory Friday February 2, 2024 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Mark Stewart / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Gophers hockey 2025-26 depth chart projection: Is one more big move coming?

Originally posted on Minnesota Golden Gophers on SI
By Tony Liebert | Last updated Jun 6, 2025 11:08 AM ET

Gophers hockey typically doesn't rebuild; they reload. That was put to the test this offseason as Minnesota was tasked with replacing its top five leaders in points from last season. Between two additions from the transfer portal and up to seven incoming freshmen, let's take a look at what their roster could look like next season.

Lotta talk about Gophers hockey recruiting — I did my best to predict what their depth chart could look like next season with a future scholarship outlook.

How do we feel about this roster heading into 2025-26? Do they need one more splash? pic.twitter.com/0sxYQNK6oB
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) June 6, 2025

Potential 2025-26 depth chart

*= incoming freshman, **= incoming transfer

Forwards

1st line: Tanner Ludtke** - Erik Pahlsson - Brody Lamb
2nd line: Beckett Hendrickson - LJ Mooney* - Brodie Ziemer
3rd line: Mason Moe* - Jimmy Clark - *Tate Pritchard
4th line: *Javon Moore - John Middelstadt- *Teddy Townsend
Extras: *Jacob Kvasnicka - August Falloon

Minnesota's biggest splash of the offseason is adding Ludtke from the transfer portal. He will join Lamb, Ziemer and Clark as the team's top three returning leaders in points from last season. Mooney projects as a high 2025 NHL Draft pick, and he could be in line for a big role as a true freshman. The team has not officially announced which freshmen will make the jump from juniors, but early signs point towards Moe, Pritchard, Moore, Townsend and Kvasnicka rounding out their incoming class.

Related: Gophers an odd exception as CHL stars flock to NCAA hockey powers

Defense

1st pair: Cal Thomas - Leo Gruba
2nd pair: Luke Middelstadt - John Whipple
3rd pair: *Jacob Rombach - Axel Begley
Extra: Max Rud

If the Gophers make a late addition to the 2025-26 roster, it will likely be a defenseman. They carried nine defensemen last season, and they currently have only seven projected to be on next year's squad. With Sam Rinzel off to the NHL, Thomas and Gruba will have big shoes to fill.

Goalies

Starter: Nathan Airey
Backup: **Luca Di Pasquo
Emergency: Zach Wiese

Airey was solid for the Gophers last season, allowing 42 goals in 19 appearances. He finished the season with a 2.47 GAA and .900 save percentage behind Liam Souliere as the de facto No. 2. Minnesota went out and added Di Pasquo from Michigan State through the transfer portal, who should push Airey for the top spot in 2025-26.

Potential additions

Teams across the country are still adding players from the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), the United States Hockey League (USHL), and other avenues. The Gophers could still have at least two scholarships available. They will undoubtedly have a younger roster in 2025-26, but they could use one more big splash to round out their rotation. That's something we'll be watching for closely in the coming days and weeks.