Why Gophers Men’s Hockey Could Have a Busy Transfer Portal Cycle Ahead

The Division I men's college hockey transfer portal will officially open after this weekend's national championship on Monday, April 13. New Gophers head coach Brett Larson could have a busy offseason of roster movement ahead of himself. Here's why.

Larson officially made his first roster move as head coach of the Gophers on Thursday. Former UMass commit Axel Lofgren flipped his college choice to Minnesota, and he's expected to join the program for the 2026-27 season. He's likely the first domino to fall in a busy offseason.

St. Cloud State players

When Larson was hired by Minnesota after eight seasons coaching St. Cloud State, rumors immediately began about whether any Huskies players would follow him to the Twin Cities.

A few users on X began to point out on Thursday night that Huskies defenseman Tanner Henricks removed "SCSU" from his Instagram bio. There's growing optimism that the Blue Jackets' fourth-round pick from 2024 could be transferring to Minnesota this offseason.

Austin Burnevik and Barrett Hall are two more players worth keeping an eye on, as St. Cloud State has yet to name a replacement for Larson as the program's next head coach.

Landon Dupont

Gavin McKenna's recruitment was a huge storyline last offseason as the potential No. 1 NHL Draft pick from Canada choosing to play college hockey. It's not transfer portal news, but Dupont might follow a similar path this offseason.

Dupont is an early favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. He'll turn 17 at the end of May, and the 6-foot defenseman is reportedly considering a year at the NCAA level. Much like McKenna's recruitment, every top program in the sport is expected to make a run at DuPont.

Minnesota appears to be on the outside looking in, with top programs such as Denver and Michigan looking like favorites. There are a few things that could be in the Gophers favor in his recruitment, but they likely need to make up some ground quickly.

Potential departures

The Gophers have appeared to already lose a commitment from incoming defenseman Matthew Grimes, and goaltender Nathan Airey has already entered the transfer portal. There are expected to be more departures. The question then becomes, how many and who?

Each Division I men's hockey team is allowed to have a maximum of 26 players on their roster. With incoming recruits and returning players, the Gophers are currently set to have 27. The movement on that number will likely be what impacts Minnesota's strategy this offseason.