Hockey season is underway with the Irish hard at work in training camp to prepare for the upcoming season that begins October 4th. The Irish will be led by legendary Head Coach Jeff Jackson for one final season, just a year following the disappointing 2023-24 campaign.
Photo by The Irish Tribune
Last season’s Irish squad finished 15-19-2, the program’s first season finishing with under a .500 win percentage since 2014-15. Their fifth-place regular season conference finish led to defeat at the hands of Michigan in the Big Ten quarterfinals.
As mentioned before, this will be the final season for Jeff Jackson leading Irish hockey. The former Team USA assistant has been in charge of the Notre Dame program since 2005, currently holding a 407-266-73 record during this time. Current associate head coach and former Irish player, Brock Sheahan ‘08, will be Jackson's replacement next year.
The Irish enter this season ranked 19th in the USCHO Poll. Coach Jackson will have some work to do early in his final campaign, namely replacing the starting goaltender and three of the top six point scorers from a year ago.
As always the Big Ten slate will provide must-watch entertainment every single game, with each team being ranked or receiving votes in the preseason USCHO Poll. Here are Big Ten foes currently ranked within the top 20: #4 Michigan State, #6 Minnesota, #7 Michigan, and #10 Wisconsin.
One of the more notable games is scheduled for January 3rd. The Irish will be participating in “The Frozen Confines: Big Ten Hockey Series,” which will be held at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Notre Dame is set to face Penn State for this outdoor game under the lights, with puck drop listed at 7:30 local time. Coach Jackson is excited about this “great experience” as the Irish will need to maintain poise during this important Big Ten battle.
The schedule is no easy ‘walk through the park’ as the Irish are slated to face some very talented teams during out-of-conference play. Here are notable OOC games:
10/4 vs USNTDP (exhibition)
10/11 at St Lawrence
10/12 at Clarkson
10/25 & 10/26 vs Long Island
Friendship Four in Northern Ireland
11/29 vs Harvard
11/30 vs #3 Boston University or Merrimack
The Friendship Four series is a week that Irish hockey players and staff have marked on their calendars. The week-long trip to Northern Ireland will provide a “once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Coach Jackson stated. Additionally, the Big Ten gave Notre Dame a bye week following this mid-season trip.
Regarding the roster, Notre Dame lost talent in each position group this offseason so it may take some time to determine where exactly the team has its strengths and weaknesses.
Coach Jackson explained he is excited for the returning players who look like “they have been on a mission” to take steps and improve their game. Key returnees mentioned by Jackson include forwards Danny Nelson (9 G, 14 A, 23 Pts), Cole Knuble (9 G, 11 A, 20 Pts), Maddox Fleming (3 G, 9 A, 12 Pts), Carter Slaggert (3 G, 4 A, 7 Pts), Jayden Davis (2 G, 1 A 3 Pts), Hunter Strand (4 G, 15 A, 19 Pts), Grant Silianoff (4 G, 7 A, 11 Pts), and defenseman Paul Fischer (2 G, 14 A, 16 Pts) and Michael Mastrodomenico (1 G, 6 A, 7 Pts).
Center and 2023 New York Islanders’ second-round pick Danny Nelson's 23 points were the third-most on the Irish a year ago. The 2024 U.S. National Junior Team gold medalist missed six games last season but Nelson is looking to rebound and build off his impressive rookie season.
Fellow sophomore center Cole Knuble is also looking to grow on his 20-point freshman season. Knuble was the owner of the Irish’s lone hat trick last year, which was a part of one of his two multi-goal games. The center also led the Irish in faceoff wins (376) and percentage (52.2%).
Another returning sophomore is defenseman Paul Fischer. The 2023 U18 World Junior Championship gold medalist's 14 assists last year were the third-most on the Irish. Coach Jackson remarked he would like to see more “grit” from Fischer this year, a value that is required in the competitive and talented Big Ten. Jackson added that Fischer will be relied upon in the power play and penalty kill.
The sophomore star trio of Nelson, Knuble, and Fischer are a part of a key class that also includes Fleming, Slaggert, and Davis who Coach Jackson acknowledged have had solid preseason performances.
Upperclassmen that Coach Jackson is expecting to see jumps from this season include Strand (senior), Silianoff (grad student), and Mastrodomenico (junior).
An influx of new faces will be introduced to the program this season, including five incoming freshmen and five incoming transfers.
Freshmen forwards Jack Larrigan and Michael Schermerhorn have been and will continue to compete for depth roles this season. Defensively, the Irish bring in freshmen Jimmy Jurcev and Jaedon Kerr who will also be competing for depth roles as Coach Jackson commented that these young defensemen are “developmental projects” with “great potential.” The final freshman is goaltender Nick Kempf, former USNTDP netminder and 2024 fourth-round NHL Draft pick by the Washington Capitals. Kempf has impressed throughout camp and with no true starting goalie on the Irish roster, expect to see him in the rotation. Coach Jackson admitted Kempf has “a lot of potential,” however he is young and may need time to adjust at this level.
Coach Jackson and the Irish staff needed to be active in the portal and they did just that, bringing home five transfers, four of whom should make instant impacts.
The most recent transfer was former Air Force captain and defenseman Luke Robinson (2 G, 7 A, 9 Pts). For various reasons, including being a late transfer, Robinson is not currently listed on the Irish roster, however, he is practicing with the team. Assuming the veteran leader is eligible to play, his best chance to see ice time may only occur when the Irish dress ten defensemen, rather than the usual nine. A reason for this is due to Coach Jackson’s commitment to developing younger talent.
The first true impact transfer is the Swedish defenseman, Axel Kumlin (2 G, 9 A, 11 Pts), a junior from Miami (OH). Kumlin is expected to be a top-four defenseman right away this season as Coach Jackson raved about his offensive instincts and playmaking abilities during his season-opening press conference. Jackson added he has “high expectations” for Kumlin including making an “immediate impact” on the power play.
In addition to Kempf, the Irish added Mercyhurst junior transfer goalie Owen Say in an effort to replace elite starter Ryan Bischel, who is now in the Boston Bruins organization. Say holds the most NCAA experience in the Notre Dame goalie room, including a 50-save performance against the Irish last year. He finished last season with a solid save percentage (91%) with a below-average defense in front of him.
The goaltender battle of Say, Kempf, and junior Jack Williams will be one to watch, especially early in the season. Coach Jackson admitted “The big question mark for us is going to be identifying who the starting goaltender is,” and he did not shy away from naming Kempf and Say ahead of Williams at this time. The unknown of a starting goaltender has not phased Jackson as he praised all three goalies, stating, “This is the first time since I’ve been here that we have three goalies that all look pretty good.” There is a chance all three play in the exhibition opener.
The Irish also brought in a combination of forwards with Ian Murphy (11 G, 12 A, 23 Pts) and Blake Biondi (8 G, 11 A, 19 Pts). Murphy served as the captain at Princeton before deciding to spend his graduate year in South Bend. The former ivy-leaguer totaled 71 points in 81 games during his time at Princeton. Coach Jackson expects Murphy to compete for a “top-six forward” spot right away in addition to power play and penalty kill opportunities.
Blake Biondi, like Murphy, is also a graduate transfer. The former Minnesota Mr. Hockey comes over from Minnesota Duluth as a potential 20-goal scorer for the Irish. Biondi was a fourth-round selection in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. The talented forward has dealt with injuries in past seasons, most recently missing the bulk of last year due to a shoulder issue. Positively, Coach Jackson claimed that Biondi has been “one of our best players in camp.” A great sign for this upcoming season. Senior forward Justin Janicke (4 G, 12 A, 16 Pts) remarked about how Biondi reminds him of his brother, former Irish assistant captain Trevor Janicke, and how they play similar "power forward" styles.
As a whole, this Notre Dame squad is not short on motivation. The first, and probably less important, motivation factor has been the disrespect shown by preseason polls, picked to finish fifth out of the seven Big Ten teams. When asked about this, Janicke replied “...it’s exactly where we want to be, the teams at Notre Dame that have done well are the ones who are underrated…using it as motivation.” During Janicke’s presser, he placed heavy emphasis on playing for each other and as a team this season.
The largest motivator this season is sending out Coach Jackson a winner in his final season. Senior forward Tyler Carpenter (5 G, 4 A, 9 Pts) commented, “(we) want to make a lasting impact on Coach Jackson’s last year, make it one to remember…obviously a national championship is the goal but ‘wants to take it one day at a time.” This message has been sent and received by everyone in the Notre Dame locker room. Expect to see a hungry Irish hockey team hitting the ice this season with a chip on their shoulder.
As always Notre Dame will be tested early and often especially when Big Ten play commences in November. Coach Jackson will want the focus to be on the team and its current operations but there is no doubt the looming passing of the torch at the head coaching position will be at the forefront of Irish fans’ minds as the season gets into full swing.
Author Note: All quotes are taken from either the 09/18 or 09/31 press conferences
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