KALAMAZOO, MI –– College hockey’s defending national champions have reloaded.
After winning its first national title in program history last season, Western Michigan hockey announced the addition of 11 newcomers to its roster for the 2025-26 season. The Broncos landed five transfers and six freshman –– with four of those players being NHL Draft picks.
The Broncos lost 12 players to either graduation, promotion or the transfer portal, including captain Tim Washe, goalie Cameron Rowe, and forwards Alex Bump, Cam Knuble and Matteo Constantini, but looked to have replenished its roster with a mix of experienced and rising talents.
Follow along to see all the new additions to WMU’s roster for the upcoming season, which kicks off with its regular season opener at Lawson Arena on Oct. 9 against Ferris State.
TRANSFERS
Former Minnesota Duluth center Cole Spicer. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)AP
Cole Spicer, forward
Previous stint: USHL Dubuque/Minnesota Duluth
Hometown: Grand Forks, North Dakota
Spicer was the latest forward that landed in Kalamazoo, committing to the Broncos this week after initially decommitting from Arizona State earlier this summer. The 5-foot-11, 183-pound southpaw forward spent last season with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints, where he became a star in leading the team in points per game (0.95) and finishing with 35 points on nine goals and 26 assists.
Spicer was taken by the Boston Bruins in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft, and was productive in his time spent at Minnesota Duluth (2022-24), where he tallied 15 points on eight goals and seven assists.
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Zaccharya Wisdom, forward
Previous stint: Colorado College
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Wisdom joins WMU after spending the last two seasons at Colorado College, tallying 41 points on 18 goals and 23 assists. The 6-foot, 174-pound right winger is best on the power play, scoring five goals on the man advantage in his career thanks to his constant movement in the attacking zone. Wisdom was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the seventh round of the 2023 NHL Draft, and before his time at Colorado College, he put up stellar numbers (28 goals, 20 assists) in 59 games with the USHL’s Cedar Rapids Roughriders.
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Theo Wahlberg, defenseman
Previous stint: Ohio State
Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden
After spending the last two seasons with the Buckeyes, Wahlberg joins the defending national champs as a stout, big-bodied defenseman. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound junior skated in 65 games with Ohio State, totaling 29 points on two goals and 27 assists –– all while recording 70 blocked shots. A sixth-round pick of the Ottawa Senators in the 2022 NHL Draft, Wahlberg also spent time with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints (2022-23), where he collected 22 points on five goals and 17 assists.
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University of Michigan forward William Whitelaw (8) skates with the puck around University of Wisconsin defenseman Daniel Laatsch (2) during a division one men’s ice hockey game between the University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024.Josh Boland | MLive.com
William Whitelaw, forward
Previous stint: Michigan
Hometown: Rosemount, Minnesota
Perhaps the most dynamic scoring forward of all the newcomers, Whitelaw blends plus-level skating, blistering pace and a triple-threat scoring profile to the Broncos’ offense, according to EliteProspects. The 5-foot-9, 174-pound junior spent the last two seasons between Michigan (2024-25) and Wisconsin (2023-24), scoring a combined 21 goals and adding 14 assists in his two-year collegiate career. A third-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2023 NHL Draft, Whitelaw also won gold at the U17 Five Nationals Tournament in 2021 and finished fifth at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2022.
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UMass Hockey vs Merrimack 12/7/22. UMass No.7 Cal Kiefiuk, skates after the puck controled by Merrimack No.3 Zach Bookman in the 1st period.
photo by J. Anthony Roberts
Zach Bookman, defenseman
Previous stint: Merrimack
One of the most productive defensemen in the country, Bookman joins the Broncos after spending the last three seasons with Merrimack, where he notched 61 points on 11 goals and 50 assists. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior’s elite passing skills placed him as a Hobey Baker nominee in back-to-back seasons (2024-25), but he’s also a willing defender –– Bookman has blocked 105 shots in his career.
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FRESHMAN
Tyler MacKenzie, forward
Previous stint: Everett Silvertips, WHL
Hometown: Red Deer, Alberta
The 6-foot, 190-pound forward has had his way in the WHL over the last several years, highlighted by his dazzling season with the Silvertips last year, where he recorded 78 points on 33 goals and 45 assists. MacKenzie also was the captain of the Medicine Hat Tigers in 2023-24, as he tallied 47 points on 16 goals and 31 assists that season.
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Sam Huck, forward
Previous stint: Waterloo Black Hawks, USHL
Hometown: Calgary, Alberta
The 5-foot-8, 155-pound freshman forward brings a high-octane track record to WMU, especially after his stellar play in the USHL. In two seasons, Huck combined for a whopping 107 points on 53 goals and 54 assists –– highlighted by his 2023-24 season with Okotoks, where he tallied 81 points on 37 goals and 44 assists.
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Colby Woogk, defenseman
Previous stint: Tri-City Storm, USHL
Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas
Ascending as one of the top defensemen in the nation in recent years, Woogk brings solid size (6-foot-1, 195-pounds) and consistency to the collegiate level after spending the past two seasons in the USHL. Woogk recorded six goals and 16 assists with the Storm last year and tallied 39 points on 18 goals and 21 assists with the Minot Minotauros the year prior. That type of production not only landed him as a finalist for the Defefnseman of the Year award, but also a spot on the NAH All-Central team.
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Bobby Cowan, forward
Previous stint: Madison Capitols, USHL
Hometown: Edina, Minnesota
Cowan stands out as a highly promising young talent in the country, entering the program after a single season in the USHL. During his 2024-25 stint with the Capitols, he amassed 51 points, including 22 goals and 29 assists. Hailing from Minnesota, he is among the state’s elite players, having played high school hockey at Edina. In his final two high school seasons, Cowan racked up 83 points, with 41 goals and 42 assists.
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Jamison Sluys, forward
Previous stint: Youngstown Phantoms, USHL
Hometown: Point Roberts, Washington
Over the past two seasons in the USHL, Sluys has emerged as a standout point producer. In his time split between the Youngstown Phantoms and the Omaha Lancers, he recorded 58 points, with 16 goals and 42 assists. The previous season, while with Omaha, he accumulated 41 points, including 14 goals and 27 assists.
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Gavin Moffatt, goaltender
Previous stint: Green Bay Gamblers, USHL
Hometown: Darien, Connecticut
Moffat brings his talents to the program after a three-year stint playing for the Green Bay Gamblers and the Wisconsin Windigo. Over two seasons with the Gamblers, he racked up an impressive 32 wins and delivered three shutout performances. During the 2022-23 campaign with the Windigo, Moffat showcased his skill with a stellar 2.00 goals-against average, a .938 save percentage, five shutouts, and 21 victories.
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