Omaha Hockey Open House Set for Saturday, Sept. 27

 

The Omaha Hockey Open House will be Saturday, Sept. 27 at 11:30 a.m. Baxter Arena. There will be a one-period hockey scrimmage, Skate with the Mavs, and autographs. (If they do it like they did in previous years, they’ll divide the team in half, with half on the ice, and half at a table in the concourse signing autographs.)

There is NO COST to attend, and no reservations are required. Free parking is available in the west lot. 

Fans are welcome to bring their own skates. A limited number of skates are available to borrow from the Baxter Arena Skate Shop (however, waiting in line for skates will reduce the amount of time available to skate with the players). All skaters must sign a waiver form. (And, if it’s like previous years, no one without skates will be allowed on the ice.)

Omaha Hockey will provide photos for autographs, or you are welcome to bring your own photos or merchandise to be autographed. Players have black Sharpie pens, so if you have a puck or something that requires a different color Sharpie, you must supply your own.

The event is scheduled to end at 2 p.m. 

Omaha Hockey Announces 2025-26 Leadership Group

Omaha hockey head coach Mike Gabinet announced Tuesday senior goaltender Simon Latkoczy and senior defenseman Griffin Ludtke will serve as the program’s 26th and 27th Menke Family Captains in program history, respectively, alongside senior forwards Tyler Rollwagen and Cam Mitchell, who the Mavericks have named as assistant captains for the 2025-26 campaign.

This is the fifth time that the Mavericks have had co-captains in a single season, the first since 2015-16, when defenseman Brian Cooper and forward Jake Guentzel both donned a “C” on their sweater.

“We are proud to name Simon Latkoczy and Griffin Ludtke as our captains, with Tyler Rollwagen and Cam Mitchell serving as our assistant captains this season,” Gabinet said. “Simon has earned the trust of our group with his relentless dedication, discipline and preparation, lifting the standard in every environment he’s in. Griffin has a unique ability to know each player and connect with our group. He leads with a natural positivity and care for this program that sets the tone for how we want to operate every day.”

Latkoczy is coming off a 2024-25 campaign in which he cemented himself as the NCHC Goaltender of the Year, the first in Omaha history. The Trencin, Slovakia native recorded a 2.71 goals against average, a .922 save percentage and 952 saves (second-most in the NCHC).

The 5-foot-11, 177-pound netminder enters the 2025-26 season with 44 wins, the fourth-most in program history.

Ludtke enters his senior season with Omaha after playing in all 36 games and recording 13 points (2G-11A) just a season ago. Ludtke buried his second career game-winning goal on March 1, 2025, against then-No. 12 Arizona State.

During the Elko, Minn., native’s 2023-24 campaign, Ludtke finished second among all Mavericks with 27 points (4G-23A).

Both of Omaha’s incoming assistant captains are coming off career-high seasons in points.

Rollwagen tallied 15 points (3G-12A) through 36 games in 2024-25 and has skated in 107 games since his freshman season in 2022-23. The Bloomington, Minn., native netted three power play goals last season.

Mitchell enters his senior season with the Mavericks after setting career highs across the board with 33 games played, eight goals, 12 assists and 20 points. The Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada native led Omaha with two shorthanded goals and had a highlight reel game-winner on Jan. 3, 2025, when he scored in overtime against Holy Cross in the inaugural Cactus Cup in Palm Desert, Calif.

“Tyler is a highly competitive, vocal leader with a great work ethic who holds himself and others to a high standard daily,” Gabinet added. “Cam does the right things day in and day out, and his professionalism and consistency make him a steady presence and a natural leader in our locker room. We also have a locker room full of players who lead in different ways, even if they aren’t wearing a letter. These individuals could easily wear one, and that collective leadership will drive us forward this season.” 

Four Mavericks Named to CSC Academic All-District Team

Krenzen, Glynn, Bremer, and Ludtke Named to College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® Team

Omaha hockey alumni Nolan Krenzen, Jimmy Glynn and Brock Bremer — along with junior Griffin Ludtke — were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team®, it was announced Tuesday.

The 2025 Academic All-District® Men's At-Large Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

The trio of Omaha alumni were all working towards their Master's in Business Administration (MBA). Glynn finished his time as a Maverick with a perfect 4.0 GPA while pursuing his MBA. Krenzen, the 25th captain in Omaha history, finished his final season with Omaha, boasting a 3.88 GPA while also working toward an MBA. Bremer concluded his time in the program with a 3.59 GPA.

Ludtke heads into his senior season with the Mavericks carrying a 3.76 GPA while working towards a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration.

This is the first Academic All-District® honor for all four Mavericks.

2025-26 Omaha Hockey Schedule

We’re starting to put together the pieces of the 2025-26 Omaha Hockey schedule. (Let us know if you hear of any games/series! Email MavpuckEvents(at)gmail.com)

Updated 5/20/25

** Note: The NCAA Official Start Date is Friday, Oct. 3 – No games before that date **

Friday, Oct. 3

Exhibition vs. Air Force at Baxter Arena

Friday, Oct. 10-Saturday, Oct. 11 (thanks @Penguins59 on Instagram)

Minnesota State-Mankato at Omaha (non-conference)

Friday, Oct. 24-Saturday, Oct. 25

UMass at Omaha (non-conference) • HOMECOMING

Friday, Oct. 31-Saturday, Nov. 1

Omaha at Colorado College (Colo. Springs, CO)

Friday, Nov. 7-Saturday, Nov. 8

North Dakota at Omaha

Friday, Nov. 14-Saturday, Nov. 15

Omaha at Minnesota Duluth (Duluth, MN)

Friday, Nov. 21-Saturday, Nov. 22

Western Michigan at Omaha

Friday, Nov. 28-Saturday, Nov. 29

Omaha at Yale (non-conference)

Friday, Dec. 5-Saturday, Dec. 6

BYE

Friday, Dec. 12-Saturday, Dec. 13

Omaha at North Dakota (Grand Forks, ND)

Friday, Dec. 19-Saturday, Dec. 20

Omaha at Augustana (Sioux Falls, SD) (non-conference)

** WINTER BREAK **

Tuesday, Dec. 30

Manitoba Exhibition at Omaha (Season Ticket Member Appreciation)

Friday, Jan. 2-Saturday, Jan. 3

Omaha at Cornell (Ithaca, NY)  (non-conference)

Friday, Jan. 9-Saturday, Jan. 10

St. Cloud State at Omaha

Friday, Jan. 16-Saturday, Jan. 17

Omaha at Miami (Oxford, OH)

Friday, Jan. 23-Saturday, Jan. 24

Colorado College at Omaha

Friday, Jan. 30-Saturday, Jan. 31

Omaha at Western Michigan (Kalamazoo, MI)

Friday, Feb. 6-Saturday, Feb. 7 

BYE

Friday, Feb. 13-Saturday, Feb. 14

Denver at Omaha

Friday, Feb. 20-Saturday, Feb. 21

Omaha at Arizona State

Friday, Feb. 27-Saturday, Feb. 28

Miami at Omaha

** NCHC REGULAR SEASON CONCLUDES ** 

Friday, March 6 / Saturday, March 7 / Sunday, March 8

NCHC Quarterfinals (campus sites)

Saturday, March 14

NCHC Semifinals (campus site, higher seed)

Saturday, March 21

NCHC Championship (campus site, higher seed)

MavPuckCast Podcast – S8 Ep 1: An Interview with Harrison Israels

Season 8, Episode 1:

Interview with Omaha Maverick Hockey #oldbull Forward Harrison Israels

On this special episode of the Mavpuckcast, Jon and Jason have a wide-ranging chat with former Omaha Maverick Hockey forward Harrison Israels (now playing professional hockey in the ECHL for the Florida Everblades). Israels (a native of Mississauga, Ontario) talks about his career, how he ended up choosing the Mavericks in the transfer portal (after four seasons with Alaska-Fairbanks), how he prepares for games, his favorite road venue to play in, his love for travel, hobbies, and goals. Special thanks for your support of the podcast and MavPuck.com. Your support is greatly appreciated!! Support the MavPuckCast: https://mavpuck.com/donate Follow MavPuck.com online! https://www.mavpuck.com   / mavpuckpage     / mavpuck     / mavpuck     / mavpuckcast  

Transfer Portal Opens Sunday: "Crazy Environment" is the New Norm

The transfer portal opens on Sunday and the “absolute chaos” of the 2025 “preseason” (“there is no offseason, only preseason™”) is here.

Omaha Hockey went 18-17-1 (14-9-1 in the NCHC) in 2024-25. The Mavericks were swept by North Dakota in the NCHC quarterfinals at Baxter Arena on March 14-15, ending the season.

Omaha welcomed 14 new players in the 2024-25 season, including eight freshmen (Joe Gramer, Marcus Broberg, Alexi Van Houtte-Cachero, Myles Hilman, Liam Watkins, Chase LaPinta, Kevin Reidler, and Isaiah Norlin) and six transfer student-athletes (Aiden Gallacher, Sam Stange, Brady Risk, Garrett Pinoniemi, Harrison Israels, and Dylan Gratton). 

More change is underway for 2025-26, as eight Omaha players have exhausted their playing eligibility: Gallacher, Stange, Urdahl, Risk, Nolan Krenzen, Jimmy Glynn, Harrison Israels, and Brock Bremer.

That means at least eight new names and faces on the roster for the next season. There will likely be more.

With the changing nature of college athletics — and the NCAA’s decision to lift the ban on Canadian Hockey League (CHL) players, allowing them to play in NCAA Division I hockey starting Aug. 1, 2025 (provided they aren’t compensated “beyond necessary expenses” while in the CHL), change is going to be the new constant.

Players have more opportunities to change their playing situation than in the past. In April 2024, the NCAA eliminated the “year-in-residence” rule, allowing Division I student-athletes to transfer and be immediately eligible to play, regardless of how many times they have transferred, as long as they are academically eligible (“in good standing in accordance with their previous institutions standard; and meet the applicable ‘progress-toward-degree’ requirements at their new institution”).

Student-athletes seeking to transfer must enter the transfer portal during the prescribed “windows,” unless there are certain circumstances, such as the departure of the head coach. This year, the hockey transfer portal window is March 30 to May 13, 2025.

Coach Gabinet said his two main priorities in recruiting are “Making the roster better and maintaining the culture.”

“The new reality of college athletics is there is a lot of movement — and there will be movement every year,” Gabinet said. “Nobody likes it.” 

There will be Omaha players whose names are in the transfer portal tomorrow. 

Gabinet said this is the new normal for college hockey — it will be more like the pro ranks each year. “The team is made up of 28 free agents at the end of each season” — they are free to move on if they choose to. 

But Gabinet said the future is bright. “We have some really good guys coming in.” 

He promises several “big pieces are coming back” from last year’s team, and they hope to announce the returning players soon.
 

MavPuckCast Podcast – S7 E23: Swept, Favorite Memories, Key Takeaways This Season

Season 7, Episode 23:

Swept, Favorite Memories, Key Takeaways This Season

On this episode of the MavPuckCast, Jon, Bridget, and special guest Brent Bean discuss the Omaha Maverick Hockey team’s recent conference playoff series against North Dakota — including video clips and their picks for “Player of the Week.” They make their picks for the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. Each shares their favorite memory of the 2024-25 season. And the three offer their key takeaways this season.

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Chapters: 00:00 - North Dakota Playoff Series Recap 26:25 - Players of the Week 32:20 - NCHC Frozen Faceoff 48:45 - Favorite Memory This Season 56:07 - Key Takeaways This Season