Swedish Defenseman Axel Lofgren Flips Commitment to Gophers

New Gophers men's hockey coach Brett Larson has picked up his first commitment since taking over the program in March. Swedish defenseman Axel Lofgren announced on his personal Instagram on Thursday that he will play for the Gophers next season.

The 6-foot-4 lefty defenseman had previously been committed to play at UMass starting in the 2026-2027 season. Lofgren currently plays for the Fargo Force of the USHL, where he has tallied 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists) in 56 games. His 33 points are the 13th-most by a defenseman in the USHL this seaason.

"Proud and honored to announce my commitment to play D1 hockey at the University of Minnesota," Lofgren said in the IG post. "I would like to thank my family, friends, coaches, advisors and everybody that has helped me along the way!!"

AXEL LOFGREN SHOOTOUT GAMEWINNER🥶 pic.twitter.com/lGR6fr5hj0
— Fargo Force (@FargoForce) February 2, 2026

Lofgren is a 6'4", 201-pound left-shot defenseman from Luleå, Sweden. His first year of North American junior hockey came in the BCHL in 2024-25.

This announcement comes days after it appeared that 6-foot-1 lefty defenseman and Minnesota commit Matthew Grimes had reopened his recruitment. According to a popular X account, @FutureGophers, Grimes has removed his commitment announcement and all references to the program from his social media profile. Grimes, like Lofgren, has been playing in the USHL this season, where he has recorded 35 points (9 goals, 26 assists) for the Sioux Falls Stampede. He has 58 total points (13 goals, 45 assists) in three seasons with the Stampede.

The transfer portal for college hockey opens on Monday, and there is expected to be quite a bit of movement following the head coaching change in Minnesota. In a recent interview, Larson acknowledged that he has a lot of "tough decisions" to make about his first Gophers roster.

"Obviously they're all good kids but my main job is to make sure we put the right lineup on the ice next year," Larson told the Gophers Puck Live podcast. "That's our No. 1 goal right now. We're talking behind the scenes as much as we can, as a group, and making sure we're on the same page. Making sure that we feel really good about the team that we put on the ice. So, it's never easy. They aren't easy decisions, but nothing great comes easy. You have to make some tough decisions and do what you think is best for the program.

"So, we'll certainly have some tough decisions ahead for us. But, you know what? I'd rather have tough decisions than no decisions. That means we've got good players and we have to make tough decisions on good players. So, I'd rather have those tough decisions to make because that means we're going to put a really good product on the ice."