Does the Gloom Finally End for New Hampshire? Season Preview
It’s been a long time since UNH was one of the college hockey powers in Hocley East, and after the last few seasons it’s become a question of if, not when.
Head coach Mike Souza is heading into his 9th season at the helm in Durham, and you’d have to imagine results must come fast for the Wakefield, Mass. native if he wants to hang on to his throne. The Wildcats haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2013 and have finished tenth in Hockey East in back-to-back seasons.
Fortunately for the Wildcats, a roster that desperately needed revamping got some crucial additions during the offseason. UNH brought in seven transfers, including some firepower and goaltending help.
With both Morgan Winters and Cy LeClerc graduating, the Wildcats went into the offseason without two of their top four scorers. They attempted to fill that hole with veterans Rasmus Svartström, Ryan Johnson and Nick VanTassell.
Svartström is slightly the most impressive of the bunch. The Finland product tacked on 24 points for St. Lawrence last season in a surprisingly competitive ECAC, finishing second on the team in points.
Meanwhile, Johnson helped lead the forward line for Alaska Anchorage, putting up 15 points, finishing second on the team in the category.
VanTassell, though, offers a more complete package, coming over from UMass as one of the more physically active players on the ice. The Ottawa Senators prospect can play big, use his speed, add goals and has experience playing in the Hockey East. He started to put it together last year, but an injury held him back for a majority of the second half of the season. It’s a question mark whether he can get back to his late-2025 self, but if he does, UNH has a big-time addition.
Souza and his staff put the biggest emphasis in the offseason on the goalie situation, where the Wildcats didn't return anyone. Kristian Coombs headed back to Canada, and both Kyle Chauvette and Jared Whale graduated.
The coach replaced them with three players out the transfer portal. None of them raise eyebrows, but Teagan Kendrick is the one with the statistics and experience to start off the rip. He made 20 appearances for Sacred Heart last season and posted a 2.42 goals allowed average and a .920 save percentage. The Wildcats also brought in Michael Simpson from Providence and Stefan Carney from Division II to compete.
Defensively, the Wildcats weren’t a bad unit in 2025-26. Despite finishing in the bottom half of the conference in goals allowed, they still had talent on the back end, and most of it is returning.
Brendan Fitzgerald is undeniably the most notable player of the group. The senior finished third on the team in points, leading all Wildcat defenders in the category. He’s back as Souza’s No. 1 scoring defenseman. UNH also has Ryan Philbrick returning for his sophomore season after leading the team in blocks with 77.
Along with Fitzgerald and Philbrick, Wildcat recruiting dipped into the OHL, the most prestigious level of the Canadian Hockey League, to grab two more on the blue line. Parker Von Richter is a Penguins prospect who scored 49 total points last season, and Wyatt Kennedy notched 26 points, including 23 assists, for the Windsor Spitfires.
The recruiting didn’t conclude there as Souza and his staff added forwards from around North America. Mason Zebeski tallied 46 points in the OHL for multiple teams, Émile Guité, a Ducks prospect, added 65 points for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens of the QMJHL and Nicky Romeo put up 56 points for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the USHL.
After seasons of frustration and pain, it feels like UNH put together a formidable roster to compete with the rest of Hockey East, but a lot of things have to come together, and quickly. Will the goaltending be respectable? Will the freshmen hold their own? Can the transfers shake off their lack of experience in the conference?
Often, when a team needs a lot of “ifs” to come true for success, things don’t go too well, and that could certainly be the case for the 2026-27 Wildcats. Expect them to be a tough team to beat, but one that finishes towards the bottom part of the conference once again.
October can’t get here quick enough… See you at the Whitt!
— UNH Men's Hockey (@UNHMHOCKEY) June 5, 2026
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The School
Location: Durham, NH
Founded: 1866
Enrollment: 11,365
Nickname: Wildcats
Colors: Blue, White
Arena: Whittemore Center Arena (7,500)
The Team
Coach: Mike Souza 9th season (105-135-28)
2025-26 record: 14-20-1 (8-15-1 Hockey East)
Last NCAA Tournament appearance: 2013
Last Frozen Four: 2003
Last national championship: N/A
Last conference titles: 2010 regular season; 2003 tournament
Key departures: F Morgan Winters, F Cy LeClerc, G Kyle Chauvette
Key returning players: F Nick Ring, D Brendan Fitzgerald, D Conner de Haro
This is the fourth story in a series of season and conference previews for the upcoming 2026-27 season. Check out the previous story on reigning champion Merrimack.
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Ezekiel Altman is studying sports journalism and broadcasting at the University of Massachusetts. He is the Director of Sports Operations at UMass' student radio station and anchors a student-run sports television show for UMass Journalism. He has written for multiple different publications, including the Minuteman Command, Massachusetts Daily Collegian, Irish Sports Daily and the Daily Times Chronicle.
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