TROY, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men’s hockey team will add 10 players to its roster for the 2022-23 season, C. Lloyd Bauer ’55 Endowed Men’s Varsity Ice Hockey Coach Dave Smith has announced. Four are from the United States and six are from Canada, while six are forwards, three are defensemen and one is a goaltender. Three of the newcomers are transfers.
“We are really excited about the addition of 10 new players to our program,” said Smith. “We have a mix of transfers and first-year players with a lot of hockey experience. Two of our objectives were to increase our team speed as well as our overall skill level. Coach [Chuck] Weber and Coach [Mathias] Lange have done a great job getting these high character players to RPI. Being a student-athlete at Rensselaer is a special experience that each of these men recognize and they will be positive contributors to our overall athletic and academic community. Our staff is excited to get started with this group.”
Below is the list of Rensselaer’s recruits with their 2021-22 statistics:
Carson Cherepak (6’0″, 161)
Goaltender from Winnipeg, Man. / Dauphin Kings (MJHL)
38 GP: 30-7 record – 2.21 goals against average – .921 save percentage
Nick Ardanaz (5’10”, 170)
Defenseman from Surrey, B.C. / West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL)
53 GP: 4 goals – 31 assists – 35 points
Max Smolinski (5’10”, 174)
Defenseman from Bloomfield Hills, Mich. / Fargo Force (USHL)
62 GP: 4 goals – 17 assists – 21 points
Nick Strom (6’0″, 185)
Defenseman from Dayton, Minn. / Western Michigan University (NCAA)
40 GP: 5 goals – 8 assists – 13 points (for Fargo Force in 2020-21)
Finn Brown (6’3″, 190)
Forward from North York, Ont. / Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL)
47 GP: 15 goals – 8 assists – 23 points
Brendan Budy (5’11”, 192)
Forward from Langley, B.C. / University of North Dakota (NCAA)
22 GP: 1 goals – 0 assists – 1 point
Danny Ciccarello (5’11”, 201)
Forward from Kirkland, Que. / Fort McMurray Oil Barons (AJHL)
26 GP: 9 goals – 4 assists – 13 points
John Evans (5’10”, 161)
Forward from South Surrey, B.C. / West Kolowna Warriors (BCHL)
47 GP: 19 goals – 29 assists – 48 points
Austin Heidemann (6’0″, 190)
Forward from Maple Grove, Minn. / Mercyhurst University (NCAA)
38 GP: 12 goals – 16 assists – 28 points
Sutter Muzzatti (6’5″, 216)
Forward from Okemos, Mich. / Austin Bruins (NAHL)
50 GP: 12 goals – 34 assists – 46 points
The Engineers open their 2022-23 schedule on October 1, with a home scrimmage against Colgate University, before beginning regular season play on October 7 and 8, when they welcome Mercyhurst College to the Houston Field House for a two-game series.
August 8 is the 28th Annual RPI Men’s Hockey Golf Tournament at Shaker Ridge Country Club. Registration is available here.
(RPI Men’s Hockey Photo)
