It’s been some time since the UMass Minutemen won the Hockey East, and with coach Greg Carvel heading into his 11th season with the program, can they get back to their winning ways? And who are the new freshmen stepping onto campus?

All entry years are from CollegeHockeyNews and are subject to change. Players are listed alphabetically by last name. 

Drafted in the third round by the Chicago Blackhawks in this past season’s NHL draft, Alalauri put up an impressive 25 points in 40 games. In the previous year, he only put up five points in 26 games.

At six-foot-two and 220 pounds, he has the frame to play the college game and the skill to help elevate himself and his teammates.

Although Barabanov only played one season in the OHL, he made the most of his time there. The Calgary Flames’ fourth-round pick in this year’s draft put up a staggering 91 points in 68 games for the Spirit. 

In his four playoff games this past season, he was even in points with four.

Curran was over a point per game in his final two seasons in the WHL. A really talented passer that the Calgary Flames took in the fifth round of the 2024 draft. 

Curran also represented Czechia at the World Junior Championship, where in seven games he had a very solid five points.

Dexheimer isn’t much of a point producer from the blueline. Combining for 25 points over a three-season span in the USHL, he toppled that total in his final year at Edina High in Minnesota.

With that said, you can’t deny that he’s a champion. Winning the Clarke Cup with the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the 2024-25 season.

Eskit had some productive years, even with Victoria, which lost Cole Reschny and Keaton Verhoeff to North Dakota.

In his final junior season, Eskit had a 22-21-9 record, a 2.99 GAA, and a .904 save percentage. Standing at six feet, Eskit doesn’t have ideal size, but he brings a lot of junior experience to the room.

Kuhta adds to the European players joining UMass next season, and similar to Barabanov, his only major junior season was a success, and he can now ride that momentum into the 2026-27 season.

Kuhta had 63 points in 62 games this past season. He also posted eight points in seven games at the World Junior Championships.

The Anaheim Ducks may have gotten a steal in the third round of the 2024 draft with Masse. A QMJHL high in points and goals is nothing to scoff at. 

Masse was also the highest point producer in the QMJHL playoffs from a player not on the Moncton Wildcats with 24 points in 20 games.

Novotny was a stand-out player in Sweden’s U20 league, where he was eventually drafted in the seventh round by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2025 draft.

Novotny’s one season in the USHL went very well. In 48 games, he had 22 goals and 57 points. He brought that into the playoffs, where he had 15 points in 16 games for the Lumberjacks.

Taillefer started the year in Halifax for the Mooseheads, but he was traded to the Armada, where, in his 27 games for them, he had 10 points and a plus-minus of plus-17. 

The six-foot-two defenseman was also able to contribute in the playoffs, where in 17 games he had six points during the Armada’s long QMJHL post-season run.

Trejbal, despite being a goalie, may be the best recruit joining the team this upcoming season. He was the top goalie selected in this year’s draft when the Calgary Flames took him 42nd overall.

He went 30-9-3 this past season, along with a .916 save percentage and a 2.12 GAA