Gophers Expected to Add Another St. Cloud State Transfer, Top Prospect Decommits

Minnesota continues to revamp its roster under first-year head coach Brett Larson.

Outside view of 3M Arena at Mariucci. | Picture via: University of Minnesota Athletics

St. Cloud State defenseman Finn Loftus is expected to join Huskies teammates Austin Burnevik, Tanner Henricks and head coach Brett Larson and join the Gophers through the transfer portal. Former UMass defenseman Owen Murray was the first to report the news, followed by Gophers fan account @FutureGophers on X.

COMMITMENT: St. Cloud State defenseman Finn Loftus will follow Brett Larson to the Gophers through the transfer portal, via @FutureGophers

Blaine, MN native began his college career at UMass. 16 points (4 goals and 12 assists) last season. https://t.co/WQzAYPOz2b pic.twitter.com/yu5bWb3qKA

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) April 13, 2026

Hailing from Blaine, Minnesota, Loftus played four years of high school hockey before joining the Sioux City Museketeers in the USHL. His college career began at UMass in 2024-25, where he played a reserve role with just one point in 31 games. He transferred to St. Cloud State last offseason and regained his confidence under Larson.

Loftus had 16 points (4 goals and 12 assists) in 36 games last season with the Huskies. At 6-foot-1, he proved himself as a solid defenseman in the NCHC. He's 22 years old, and he'll now have two years of eligibility remaining to prove himself in the Big Ten.

Loftus joins Burnevik, Henricks, Minnesota State's Evan Murr and Michigan State goaltender Melvin Strahl as the Gophers fifth transfer portal commitment since things officially opened on Monday. He's Minnesota's third transfer defenseman.

Levi Harper decommits

With three veteran defensemen transfer portal additions, it appears that Minnesota is losing a commitment from one of its top prospects. Harper committed to the Gophers last September before joining the OHL with the Saginaw Spirit. He has been one of the most productive defensemen in that league with 57 points (12 goals and 45 assists) in 68 games.

He removed all Gopher-related content from his social media on Monday, so it appears that he's reopening his college recruitment. The Gophers are reportedly in the market for WHL defenseman Tarin Smith, so it's not a huge surprise that Harper is looking elsewhere, to go along with a coaching change.

Harper is a talented player and a significant loss, but it appears as if Larson and Minnesota's new coaching staff had a plan for how they intend to build their blue line in 2026-27.