Hockey Opens Season with Exhibition in Plymouth

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Western Michigan will begin its season with an exhibition against the US National Under-18 Team on Saturday night in Plymouth. The Broncos are coming off of a 23-win season that saw them reach the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. 

50 YEARS OF BRONCO HOCKEY
WMU will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of varsity hockey this season, which will be commemorated in a variety of ways. Along with a 50th anniversary logo at center ice, there will be special in-game tributes to former players and teams and an alumni weekend for the Colorado College series on January 26 and 27. 

PRESEASON POLL
The NCHC released its preseason poll on Sept. 12, with WMU picked to finish fourth in the conference. 

The Broncos have never finished below third under head coach . Denver led the poll with 199 points, while North Dakota (175) and St. Cloud State (155) rounded out the top three. 

Minnesota Duluth (123), Omaha (113), Colorado College (89) and Miami (28) were picked as the bottom four teams in the conference. 

VETERAN PRESENCE
When Western Michigan opens its season on Oct. 7 in an exhibition with the U.S. National Under-18 Team, it will do so with a wealth of experienced players. The Broncos have 15 players on the roster in their senior or graduate year of eligibility. 

With that, 13 of the 15 have played in the NCAA Tournament and three of them are former NHL Draft picks (Berger, Phillips and Colangelo). Outside of the veteran transfers WMU brought in, four of WMU's top five returners are seniors and each scored more than 15 points last season. 

A CHANCE AT HISTORY
The 2023-24 Broncos will have a chance to make history, as the program has never reached the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons. WMU has made back-to-back appearances on two separate occasions (2011 & 2012, 2022 & 2023). 

In 2022, the Brown and Gold earned a No. 1 seed in the tournament and picked up the first NCAA Tournament win in program history. The Broncos upended Northeastern, 2-1, in overtime. 

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
Senior forward was named the program's captain, while fellow seniors , and will serve as assistants. 

Grainger is the team's leading returning scorer, as he posted 32 points on 12 goals and 20 assists last season. 

SCOUTING USNTDP
The U.S. Under-18 Team is loaded with young talent, as they have a squad full of players committed to some of the top college hockey programs in the country. So far this season, the USNTDP is 4-2-0 with wins over the Youngstown Phantoms, Dubuque Fighting Saints, Omaha Lancers and Green Bay Gamblers. 

The team is led by Cole Eiserman and James Hagens, who each have 10 or more points in six games this season. Eiserman leads with 13 points on 10 goals and three assists, while Hagens has added 10 points on four goals and six assists. 

On defense, the team has some strong players as well, as Logan Hensler leads the group with six points (two goals, four assists). He is also a +3 on the season. 

In net, Jack Parsons has gotten the bulk of the work, playing in four  games. He boasts a 3-1-0 record, 3.27 goals against average and .871 save percentage this season. Nick Kempf is another goalie to look out for, as he is 1-1-0 in two games this season. He has a 4.00 goals against average and .882 save percentage. 

NEW TO KALAMAZOO
After finding success in the transfer portal a season ago, the Broncos once again hit the portal to fill some gaps. Western Michigan added Northeastern's , Miami's , Boston University's and North Dakota's . 

Colangelo had an excellent three-year career with the Huskies, playing in 72 games and scoring 54 points on 21 goals and 33 assists. He was the team's most improved player in 2021-22. He was selected by Anaheim in the second round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. 

Cassetti tied for the team lead in goals last season and scored 31 points (18 goals, 13 assists) in 70 games for Miami over three years. He is also a three-time NCHC Academic All-Conference selection. 

Costantini comes to WMU after two seasons at North Dakota, where he totaled 24 points on 10 goals and 14 assists in 60 games. He was named to the NCHC All-Rookie Team in 2021-22. He was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

Finally, Phillips had a great career at Boston University before heading to Kalamazoo. He finished his career with the Terriers having played in 89 games while scoring 38 points on 12 goals and 26 assists. In 2022-23, he was named to the Manchester All-Region Team after leading all skaters with four points. He was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. 

FRESHMEN PHENOMS
To supplement their additions in the portal, WMU added a star-studded seven man freshmen class, consisting of , , , , , and . 

Crusberg-Roseen and Napier are both defenseman who played in the USHL last season. Crusberg-Roseen notched 21 points (7 goals and 14 assists) with the Lincoln Stars, while Napier had 22 points (7 goals and 15 assists) with the Fargo Force. 

Offensively, WMU added a bunch of players who know how to put the puck in the net. Bump is a 2022 fifth round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, and he had 39 points in 48 games with the Omaha Lancers and Tri-City Storm last season. 

Szydlowski and Somoza each played for the Wenatchee Wild last season. Somoza had 74 points on 22 goals and 52 assists with the Wild last season, while Szydlowski totaled 26 points on 10 goals and 16 assists in 34 games. 

Michaels played for the USHL's Dubuque Fighting Saints last season, finishing with 26 points on 15 goals and 11 assists. He also had eight points in five playoff games. 

In net, the Broncos added , who had a great career with the La Ronge Ice Wolves. During his final year with the team, he posted a 19-11-4 record, .933 save percentage and 2.47 goals against average. He also added two playoff wins.