As the summer continues along, incoming recruiting classes are rested and ready for their first taste of collegiate action. We shift our focus to the freshmen entering their respective institutions this fall. All entry years are from College Hockey Inc and are subject to change. Players are listed alphabetically by last name.

After so nearly making the NCAA Tournament last year, Augustana is reloading for another push. The loss of star goaltender Josh Kotai to the NHL’s New York Islanders is significant, but the Vikings return plenty of veterans and add some budding stars in a strong freshman class. 

Erick Comstock — Defenseman, Watertown Shamrocks (NAHL)

Comstock will be one of the smallest defenders in the NCAA next season at only five-foot-six. That is likely why he’s going to college beginning at age 21 and has spent the last four seasons playing across the USHL and NAHL. Comstock began his career at Warroad High in Minnesota before heading to the Wisconsin Windigo of the NAHL and the Chicago Steel. While he produced with the Windigo, he recorded just six points in 60 games with the Steel, which caused him to go back to the NAHL for two more seasons. He spent last year with the Watertown Shamrocks, where he scored four goals and added 32 assists in 48 games. Comstock will likely play bottom-pair minutes. 

Charles Menard — Goaltender, Lincoln Stars (USHL)

A sound positional goaltender with good tracking, Menard is undersized at five-11. Still, he posted the fifth-highest save percentage in the USHL this year with a .910. Menard will likely be further down on the depth chart as there are two older goaltenders ahead of him, including one with ECHL experience, but the Alaska native is a good option for the Vikings down the line. 

Cooper Moore — Forward, Kamloops Blazers (WHL) 

Another undersized player, Moore stands just five-foot-seven and 154 pounds. A high-energy two-way forward, he spent last year with the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL, racking up 39 points in 68 games. He also took a career-high 39 PIMs. The 20-year-old was described as a high-energy two-way forward, and he can likely find a place in the top six if he proves he can handle the heavy physicality of the NCAA game. 

Matvei Morshchyonok – Center, Austin Bruins (NAHL)

The Belarusian center is joining the team with his twin brother, Semyon. Matvei only played one year in the NAHL with the Austin Bruins but scored 26 goals and added 54 assists. He’s slightly less of a scorer than Semyon is, but he’s still proficient at finding the back of the net, once scoring 93 points in 42 games with the USPHL’s Potomac Patriots. Matvei will likely spend time in the top six for Augustana or possibly slotting in at 3C. 

Semyon Morshchyonok — Forward, Austin Bruins (NAHL)

Semyon’s development path is identical to Matvei’s, though their point totals differ. Semyon is a finisher, once scoring 112 points in 41 games in the USPHL. Last year with the Austin Bruins, he scored 30 goals and added 57 assists in 59 games. Semyon will likely find a home on the wing in Augustana’s top six.

Health Nelson — Left Winger, Victoria Royals (WHL)

The left-shot left-winger began with Minnesota high school hockey, spending two years with Centennial High before he moved on to the USHL’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. There, he averaged half a point per game with 31 points in 61 games divided evenly between goals and assists. The jump to the WHL with Victoria went fairly smoothly as his production increased to 45 points in 68 games (though his penalty minutes also increased to 20 PIMs, more than he’d had collectively in his career before this season). Nelson should find a home in the middle six. 

Ryan Whiterabbit — Defenseman, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)

An offensive defenseman who specializes in the power play, Whiterabbit also came up through Minnesota high school hockey as he played with Gentry Academy. He spent three years with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL before he was traded to the Youngstown Phantoms. He didn’t record a goal with the Phantoms in 17 games (and had just 5 assists), and despite his power play prowess, he’s not generally racking up scoring. However, the USHL is a league notorious for low point totals, so Whiterabbit may have more offense than meets the eye. Ideally, he’d see second-unit penalty kill minutes and potentially a second-line role.