Sept. 24, 2025 Press Conference Transcript (Season Preview)
Mike Patterson, Omaha World-Herald:
Well, for either one of you, are you ready for this season to get started? And how excited are the guys to get the season started?
Griffin Ludtke (Senior Defenseman and Co-Captain, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, I mean, I think a lot of anticipation leading up to this year with the rule changes and the roster additions we made in the off-season, not just unique to our team, but really across the conference, and across the country. So we’ve been going at it now for five to six weeks. And I think it’s just … training camp has been going really well, but I think we’re all just looking forward to starting next week against Air Force, and getting the year going. So it’s been a lot of fun, and we have a special group, so I’m excited for it.
Brett Hyland (Sophomore Forward, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, well, I think he kind of nailed it on the head there. Yeah, I think we’ve had a good two months of practice here, and we’re all really eager to see what we can put together, what we have been putting together in that time. So yeah, again, just really eager to get going.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
So Griffin, fans see the roster, but they don’t know what it takes to bring in all these new guys and get them to gel. Can you give us kind of the behind-the-scenes perspective of how that’s all kind of come together in these last five or six weeks?
Griffin Ludtke (Senior Defenseman and Co-Captain, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, I think initially when you — prior to this year and the rule change — you either decide whether you’re going to go (to) college or the major junior route. So you really never expect to play with the majority of the guys on our roster now. So, for me, and for a lot of the guys, especially the Americans, it was a lot of faces and names we didn’t know prior.
So there was really no expectation — other than trusting our staff and the quality of people they recruit, and have recruited. So we knew that they were going to be great dudes coming into it. But when it comes to meshing, I think we just got — I don’t want to say lucky — but we have a super great group of guys who are just really good friends, I would say.
And it hasn’t felt forced at all. It’s not like we’re intentionally always trying to have time together away from the rink, but a lot of it’s just cracking jokes, and no one’s elevated above other guys. And I think that should be — or hopefully is felt by our new players and that that’s the standard here at Omaha.
Brett Hyland (Sophomore Forward, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, I can add to that. Yeah, we do feel like that as a newcomer. Absolutely. These guys have done a great job taking us in, and kind of just making it feel like home. I’m making it feel like a team, I guess. It’s tough coming into a new place, and you’re not really sure what to expect. But our older group, Griffin especially, all our leadership, all the older guys have really, really led the way for us.
Mike Patterson, Omaha World-Herald:
Brett, talk about your decision to come to Omaha. Why the Mavericks?
Brett Hyland (Sophomore Forward, Omaha Hockey):
Well, I knew as soon as the (CHL) rule opened up, I had to make the move. And so the question was just, where do I go? So the reason for Omaha is I just had a great talk with Coach Gabs (Gabinet), and it felt the most personable.
He told me a little bit about what this team believes in, and what they stand for. And that really resonated with me and a few of my other teammates that I was playing with at the same time. So yeah, we are super lucky that it worked out with them (Omaha).
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
Brett, you’ve put up points throughout your career. What do you think will be the best way for you to transition your game to the NCAA, and what can fans expect from you?
Brett Hyland (Sophomore Forward, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, I think I don’t really associate my game a ton with the numbers that I’m getting or anything like that. I think at the root of my game, they can expect some hard work, physicality, and to bring energy every night and hopefully put some pucks in the net at the same time.
Mike Vaillancourt, Learfield Sports:
Griffin, from a leadership standpoint, this is the second year in a row there’s been a pretty good turnover in the roster. What did you learn from last year, and how can you apply that experience now — stepping into the captain’s role — that might make this year less of a learning curve for the new guys?
Griffin Ludtke (Senior Defenseman and Co-Captain, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, I think the last few years especially have been unique. And I think I had great captains before me with Nolan Krenzen and Nolan Sullivan, who I’ve learned a lot from over that time. And I think — I feel like this is kind of just the way college is headed. I think turnover is going to be natural, especially at great programs like ours too, where you’re going to — we push, put players on to the next level too.
So I think a lot of that is honestly still year to year. Some of that is you have to get a little bit lucky too with every single guy meshing. And I’m not saying that didn’t happen (in) years prior. I think it just took longer. So I think this year, like I said in a previous question, is it hasn’t felt forced.
Like, it’s seriously just a lot of really good friends who love what we do. And the thing I love most about our group — especially with Brett and the newcomers who were coming from USport — is everyone’s hungry here, with something to prove.
Because, prior to this rule change, I mean, I can’t speak for those guys, but it was from what I understand, it’s you play in USport and then try to earn a contract again. And now we get to have them join us here at Omaha in the NCHC and play against the top talent every weekend.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
Griffin, you mentioned Nolan Sullivan coming, learning from his leadership example, and I saw he came back and spoke to you guys. What takeaways did you get from that, and from being a player under him?
Griffin Ludtke (Senior Defenseman and Co-Captain, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, Nolan (Sullivan), if you know him, he’s just a really special human. We got to live together one year here as roommates, and he kind of — I’m the big brother in my family, and I’ve never had a big brother. So I would say Nolan’s probably the closest to that for me. So that’s just a little shout-out to him.
But when it comes to what he spoke to us (about), he gave us three tidbits that I’m going to keep for our group to hold on to. But it was really special when it comes to just identifying what we have individually, collectively, and then even just here as a community in Omaha. Him reflecting on his time here, how it has shifted, how the culture has remained the same in a lot of areas, but also how we’ve expanded on that. And he’s just such a — he’s really aware of his surroundings too of like, “Man, they’ve got this,” or like, “Oh, this might be a question,” and even challenging us in some areas too, of what some outside noise we might be facing early on in the year.
So we’re just really fortunate to have him as an alumni and as a friend. Because even I know he was chatting with Brett and Aiden Della (Aiden de la Gorgendiere) after(wards) too for a little bit. And he just makes time for our program — for the returners and the new guys.
Tyler Doremus, UNO Gateway:
Griffin, with all the turnover year over year and seeing a bunch of new faces — but still seeing the same level of play and intensity — does that kind of reinforce your belief in this coaching staff and this?
Griffin Ludtke (Senior Defenseman and Co-Captain, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, I mean, I’ve been committed here since I was 15 years old. So that’s 2018. And I know you weren’t saying this, but they’ve never lost my belief in the staff. They work hard. They work hard, and it starts at the top. They set the standard for how our team’s going to work too. And that’s been the identity of UNO Hockey.
Starting when I was a freshman with captains like Nolan Sullivan, Jack Randl, and Matt Miller, the identity of UNO has always been to “do the work” and to prioritize that. But when you mention the word “intensity,” I think this is the most intense our practices have ever been.
And it’s not because we’re going longer or doing reimagined drills. It’s because of the guys we brought in, and they have elevated our standard to a new level too, which has been fun as returners, and as a senior. And I know our senior class would all agree is that this has been a — it’s been a hard training camp, but in the best ways. Because Brett and the other newcomers have really helped us elevate our standard.
Mike Patterson, Omaha World-Herald:
Griffin, your brother left the program. You stayed. Just talk about your decision to stay. And do you kind of get a sense of “unfinished business” maybe here with the Mavs?
Griffin Ludtke (Senior Defenseman and Co-Captain, Omaha Hockey):
For sure. I mean, to me, I just love — Brett mentioned it’s feeling like home for these new guys already. And I think that’s something I’m proud of … in playing a small role and creating a home-like feeling for guys. And for me, Omaha is home.
There’s so many people within the organization, and outside of it, that I love and are near and dear to me. And then when it comes to the “unfinished business” question, I feel like that gets mentioned here and there … after every year when maybe you don’t go as far as you had hoped, or whether it’s individually or collectively.
And I think we’re just focused on Simon, our other (captain), who I co-captain with. He’s always just being present and being where your feet are and how that’s going to carry us to where we’re going. So I’m not thinking about really the full business we have ahead, but really just we have our intra-squad scrimmage this weekend, and then we get Air Force here the following (week), and that’s what I’m excited for.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
Brett, Griffin just mentioned home. This is obviously a new experience for you being in Omaha. What has surprised you most about Omaha, and how are you adjusting?
Brett Hyland (Sophomore Forward, Omaha Hockey):
It’s kind of a loaded question because, yeah, a lot’s happened in two months. It’s a whole new country for me. One thing, the large pop sizes are much bigger here than in Canada. So I’m loving that. Groceries are cheaper.
But no, in all seriousness, it did take some adjusting, especially moving into a new place here. It was just uncomfortable.
But once I got over that — and I’m still kind of getting over that — it’s been really good. I don’t know what else much to say about it. It’s been a big change, but I’m adapting well.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
Any favorite food places that you’re frequenting?
Brett Hyland (Sophomore Forward, Omaha Hockey):
Pickleman’s. Pickleman’s over there in Aksarben Village has to be number one.
Jordan Sarnoff (Sports Information, Omaha Athletics):
We got time for two more (questions for the) student-athletes.
Mike Patterson, Omaha World-Herald:
Griffin, have you talked to anybody about hanging around a couple more years so you can go play in Ireland?
Griffin Ludtke (Senior Defenseman and Co-Captain, Omaha Hockey):
I saw that news, and I’m like, “Man, I should have played juniors a few extra years.” But no, I wouldn’t change the time I came into this program, because I love the six — or the five other seniors — who I get to start and finish my career with here at UNO. And that’s something we’re all super proud of. But I’ll definitely be following along our younger guys as they trek over to Ireland in the coming years.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
I’ll finish with a fun one for you then. So we saw Cam (Briere) playing DJ early in the season. Who’s running the aux in the locker room?
Griffin Ludtke (Senior Defenseman and Co-Captain, Omaha Hockey):
That’s a hot topic right now. I feel like … it’s shifting every day. And some guys show up, and they want to play music, and then other days they don’t want to play. So I’m like, “We got to get some consistency around here on who’s playing the tunes.”
Brett Hyland (Sophomore Forward, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, it’s a rotation right now. It’s quite the rotation, and kind of what everyone’s feeling for the vibe. Everybody’s kind of got a different style.
Tyler Doremus, UNO Gateway:
Anybody been blacklisted from the aux yet?
Griffin Ludtke (Senior Defenseman and Co-Captain, Omaha Hockey):
No one’s been blacklisted.
Brett Hyland (Sophomore Forward, Omaha Hockey):
It’s still early.
Griffin Ludtke (Senior Defenseman and Co-Captain, Omaha Hockey):
There’s guys who are better than others, but it’s early.
Jordan Sarnoff (Sports Information, Omaha Athletics):
Awesome. Thanks, guys.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
Thank you.
Brett Hyland (Sophomore Forward, Omaha Hockey):
Thanks.
Mike Patterson, Omaha World-Herald:
Good luck with the season.
Griffin Ludtke (Senior Defenseman and Co-Captain, Omaha Hockey):
Thank you.
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, first off, good to see everybody. Awesome to get rolling here again, and nice to get a chance to have a press conference here and get the season kicked off. So really excited. I thought Brett and G (Griffin) did a great job kind of just giving you some insight just to the special group we have here. And yeah, (we’re) really excited about the group. High character individuals, working extremely hard, ultra-competitive, and it’s been some fun practices. These guys play for keeps, and I think that level of intensity makes everybody around us better. So that’s been great. And (we’re) looking forward to a little fan day here on Saturday to meet everybody and to get the chance for the guys to play in Baxter Arena. And then obviously, we’re opening up (the season) with Air Force here, which will be a great test for an exhibition game.
Mike Patterson, Omaha World-Herald:
Mike, you touched on it yesterday a little bit. Just talk about the influence of the Canadian Hockey League players this year, the effect on the Mavs, and maybe on the whole league.
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, surprise, surprise. There’s been some changes, right? In the NCAA, it feels like every year there’s some type of change. And so you got to just adapt and keep evolving. And yeah, I think it was — I don’t know what the official number is — 1,700 new players eligible, kind of like that (snaps fingers). And I think 90% of them are Canadians. So obviously, I think if you just look around college hockey, there’s a large influx of some Canadian major junior hockey players right now, and we’re no different. So again, I think it’s been exciting for us. It’s always a little bit more difficult for us to expose people to Omaha, with our footprint and our location. So just to have more people (get) the chance to talk about Omaha, get to experience Omaha, I think it does great for us.
And we’ve recruited some tremendous individuals too in that process. So yeah, really excited to expose them. And we got to remember that, as Brett mentioned, it’s a whole new world for these guys too, and experiencing that. So that’s going to take a little bit of time for them to get adjusted, but they’re fitting in nicely here, and we’re excited with the new additions.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
So talk about the team. Which returning player do you think the fans are going to notice the most difference from last season to this season?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Oh, man. Well, like G (Griffin) mentioned, we have so many good seniors coming back, whether on the back end, Griffin Ludtke or Jacob Guevin, Simon (Latkoczy) in net, Rollie (Tyler Rollwagen), Slippy (Jacob Slipec), all these good guys there. And they’ve all worked extremely hard there in the off-season. So it’s been nice to see all these guys elevate their game. We’ve been doing on-ice testing, and you can see their numbers have increased, and they’ve all put the work in. So I think I would do them — I’d be unjust — to just name one of them. I think all those guys are going to elevate their games for this season.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
So, (a) follow up then, which newcomer has surprised you the most?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
You know what? Again, there’s just been a lot of guys on different days that have really stepped up. I mean, I’ll talk about Brett (Hyland) because he’s been here. He’s just a tremendous addition. Ultra-competitive out there. Very, very physically competitive there. Can really skate and think the game at a high level. So I think he’s just been fun to watch (in) practice there.
And again, I think we really did our due diligence in recruiting guys that want to get better. They want to continue to be hockey players. They want to push themselves. They’re okay being in an environment with high expectations and high standards. And when you enter individuals like that into this environment, I think that’s where you see a lot of growth happen. So I think they’re kind of reverting back to when they were 16, 17 (years old), just fresh into junior hockey and (with) a lot of runway in front of them. I think they have that same feeling now with a lot of hockey in front of them here and a lot of chance to continue to get better. So really impressed with him so far.
Mike Vaillancourt, Learfield Sports:
Griffin mentioned the increased intensity in training camp the last couple of years prior. Have you noticed on a day-to-day basis, as you watch these guys gel and come together, that speed, precision, all of that good stuff has picked up extensively from the first day until today?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah. First off, a shout-out to Ben Silvers, our strength and performance coach. I think he’s done a tremendous job. The guys (have) been working hard, and we’ve been intentional about — it’s been our hardest training. I know it hasn’t been maybe a ton different from certain things, but we’ve definitely had a focus on, “You can do hard and you’ll be okay,” kind of deal. And the guys have responded well.
We’re being smart with our time and recovering — all that good stuff there. But I think you also have to do hard things to get to where you want to and to earn your confidence. And so we’ve had a couple of times where we’ve been contemplating maybe a day off, and we’ve pushed through it, and gone harder. And then obviously, we’ll hopefully be peaking here as the season starts. But it’s been really good.
It’s been hard. It’s been intense. And again, I give a lot of credit to the players taking responsibility for themselves to create that environment. At the end of the day, they’re the ones that are out there practicing and driving that level of competition and intensity. And man, they’re all — like I said, I’ve been using the word a lot — they’re all “playing for keeps” out there. And if you’re not ready to go, you’ll be exposed.
And so you get to face some of the best players right in practice. So what an opportunity to get better. And I think it’s been showing in their growth that we’ve seen so far.
Mike Patterson, Omaha World-Herald:
Mike, he’s a co-captain this year, but just talk about the importance of the return of Simon (Latkoczy) in net. (He) just really has been a rock here, and a great place to start this season.
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah. I mean, he’s tremendous, not only from a goaltender standpoint that we all know how good a goalie he is, but just even from a human standpoint … and just leadership character. Very mature, gets it. He understands like where you’re coming from as the coach, where the players are coming from. So those are guys you love to communicate with, right?
Because you’re not only giving them information, you’re learning from them as well. And he’s a guy — and Griffin — I really respect their opinion on things and listen to them, and learn from those guys too of what the player’s going through. So to have some leaders like that that we got, and I think we have a really nice balance of different types of leaders this year too, which I think is important.
I think it’s really important as a leader to be yourself, and to be an authentic version of yourself. And so it’s kind of nice when you have some really — guys that have different qualities, and they’re all positive, but they’re different. And so I really like our mix of vocal leaderships to guys that include everybody, the guys that show up and just kind of do the right thing every day with their actions.
And it’s a really nice combination of everything.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
Focusing on the “student” part of “student-athlete” — with so many international students this year — and I think there’s some different requirements for them in terms of in-classroom time — does that impact your ability for practices and travel and things like that, or is it negligible?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah. I think you just have to be smart about it. So I think all these guys have a pretty demanding academic schedule there. But we’re super fortunate with Lindsey (Ekwerekwu), our academic kind of liaison with the university and our athletic department. Christy (helps) our business guys, which we have a lot of guys in there. They do a tremendous job kind of setting them up for success.
So as long as you’re showing up on time, and you’re listening to your advisors and your instructors, usually school takes care of itself. So (it’s) something we’re conscious of, but we’ve done a really good job with the schedule where it doesn’t cramp the style of our practice plan or things like that. And the guys are doing a good job staying after it).
But it’s a good reminder for me to stay after them about it. So thank you for that. Yeah. Yeah.
Mike Vaillancourt, Learfield Sports:
You mentioned talking with Griffin and Simon. How much in their input to you, how much have you used that to really — with the kind of reshape of the roster — kind of reinforce, restructure, rebuild — whatever term you want to use it — with the culture here at UNO and getting those new guys acclimated and up and running as fast as possible?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah. Again, first off, credit to those guys for welcoming those guys, right? It could be a little bit intimidating too when you’ve been here for X amount of years, and now there’s a new influx of players, from different backgrounds as well. And so again, just in my pre-talks with those guys, I was really emphasizing just how many good players and good people we’re bringing in.
And I think you can see that as their response. I think everybody’s been really pleasantly surprised with the fluidity that those guys have merged into our culture there, and making them feel comfortable, making them feel welcome. And I think they’ve done good.
And I think it’s also been interesting too, just even talking to a guy like G (Griffin Ludtke), that some of the uncomfortable situations that a guy like Brett (Hyland) has to go through coming here, where all of a sudden now you’re trying to find a place to live and furniture and just all those things. You’re a 24-hour drive away from your hometown, and getting situated for that.
So I think even some of that vulnerability by the new guys all of a sudden made the returning guys be like, “Oh, man, it’s not whether these kids have — now we’re going to shift our mode of helping these guys, kind of get settled in and getting comfortable.” So I just really feel there’s a lot of care for each other. And I think that’s one of the biggest ways to build a relationship is when you care about somebody else besides yourself.
So (I’m) really, really thankful that our older guys have done a good job welcoming those guys as these new guys get settled in.
Mike Patterson, Omaha World-Herald:
Mike, the scrimmage on Saturday, is that a fun thing? Is it an intense thing? What do you hope to learn from that?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
I think we introduced it maybe a couple of years ago. I love it, because I think just all of a sudden there’s people watching. Sometimes even when we’re practicing and there’s 10 people that show up for practice, I think it just changes the dynamic. And I think it’s just good for guys to go through that feeling a little bit … of playing in front of people. People are watching. It’s just a little bit of different dynamic. We’re on Baxter Ice, which is always nice for us to skate out there. So I really like it. I really like it. I think it’s something that hopefully will be a staple for us moving forward here. And then obviously the post-(game) skate and you get a chance to meet some people and skate on the ice. I think it’s just a win-win all around. And I think this year we potentially will have some alumni playing in the game as well too.
I think as you’ve seen them — maybe it was in volleyball, Nebraska Volleyball. They say they do some alumni events. I know when I played here back in the day, we used to play an alumni game when the alumni was a lot younger just out of playing (hockey). So we might even be able to have a few alumni that are in town training for their pro seasons play with us too, which would be cool.
Mike Patterson, Omaha World-Herald:
Like a former defenseman from Edmonton maybe?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah. Yeah. You don’t want to see me out there. Yeah, that’s for sure.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
I was going to say it’s 25 years ago that you first came on campus. Again, kid from Edmonton coming down here just like Brett. What kind of advice or guidance have you given the guys, since you were kind of in a similar situation 25 years ago?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah. It’s okay to feel uncomfortable. I think that’s something we talk about early on. It’s okay to just not feel great all the time. And I think that’s part of growing. So that’s what we talk about a lot with these guys is — you’re going to feel a little uncomfortable. Everything’s going to be new. Things are going to be coming at you fast. And that’s okay. I think that’s how you grow. So I kind of love hearing sometimes like, “Coach, this is confusing or this is…” It’s like, “Yeah, that’s great. You’re growing.” Right? This is exactly where you need to be. This is part of becoming an adult. This is part of growing up. And so I think it’s pretty cool, right? You get to do all those things for the first time sometimes that we all have to do at some point. And they get a chance to do it in a really cool environment. So it’s uncomfortable for these guys.
I have empathy for them. But I’m also — as long as they can stick it out and just keep on showing up and responding the right way — I think it’s really going to serve them well in their future. So yeah, we just talk about it. Hey, it’s going to be uncomfortable. It’s going to be a little bit uneasy, and it’s not a bad thing.
Mike Vaillancourt, Learfield Sports:
I know before kind of looking forward to you with this question, you’ve used terms like “good players know good players,” (and) “good people know good people.” With the expansion of the recruiting now of the youth sports and CHL guys, how much does that increase the Maverick network in recruiting two, three, five years down the line? How much of a wider fishnet can you now cast?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah, it’s great because some of these guys, we went to their first-round draft picks in the CHL, right? So you recruit them when they’re 15 and they choose to go to the CHL, and then you can’t get them. So it’s just nice to be able to now revisit some of those players, expand your network a little bit. And to your point, like Brett said, when this (CHL) rule changed first off, we heard right away, “He’s going. He’s going to the NCAA.” We knew a lot of these guys that are looking at that option, and now it’s about trying to get them to choose Omaha.
And so when you get one of them, and then they know a buddy and they’re just about the same things — I mean, a couple of those guys from U of A (University of Alberta), they all work extremely hard. I’m not surprised they’re friends. I’m not surprised they do summer skates with each other. I’m not surprised they have the same skill coach, and do a lot of those same things — because hard workers like hard workers, good people like good people. And so it’s been nice — like, Samuel Huo that we got — he played with Marc (Lajoie) in junior.
And so, right away that he knows him and just knows the type of kid he is. And it’s really nice when you can get peer reviews from people that you trust their opinion — rather than just you’re doing your recruiting due diligence. So it’s been great to have some guys that know each other.
Bridget Brooks, MavPuck.com:
And speaking of that, Marc’s (Lajoie) dad — (you) obviously worked very closely with him. So those relationships are important. Can you speak a little bit about how those things pay off after many, many years?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah. There’s always a funny story about Marc. I used to, when we played University of Minnesota, when I was an assistant coach at NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology), he came on the trip with us, and I skated him after our team skate, and he got off the ice on me because I was skating him too hard. So now we can’t do that anymore. But, so yeah, just obviously I’ve known Serge (Lajoie) for a long time and kept in touch over the years.
And even though when Marc went to the major junior (route), I still kept in touch with him a little bit there. So funny how things end up coming around there. So yeah, it’s been great. Those are good. And I happen to know Brett’s girlfriend’s father as well too. So kind of just some of those “small world” connections there that help you land a recruit.
Jordan Sarnoff (Sports Information, Omaha Athletics):
Any (other questions)?
Tyler Doremus, UNO Gateway:
Just thinking “big picture” about the entire game with the new rule changes with the Canadian rule and the revenue share. I know Omaha didn’t opt in, but I mean, what are some of the biggest impacts right away that people are going to see when they turn on TV and watch college hockey?
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
Yeah. I think you’re just going to see the level of college hockey increase. I mean, it was already at a super high level. And if you just look around our league (the NCHC) with the guys that are coming into North Dakota or ASU or to all these programs, it’s going to be a high level of hockey there. So yeah, it’s going to be the — I think it’s going to be the best college hockey you’ve ever seen, just with the level of talent here, and with the pro guys getting eligible and different things happening and a lot of the first and second round draft picks choosing to come to the NCAA to play. So it’s going to be fun to watch and fun to coach and fun to play. And there’s going to be lots of good players out there.
Jordan Sarnoff (Sports Information, Omaha Athletics):
Awesome. Thanks, everyone.
Mike Gabinet (Head Coach, Omaha Hockey):
All right. Thanks, guys. Thank you.
Well, for either one of you, are you ready for this season to get started? And how excited are the guys to get the season started?
Yeah, I mean, I think a lot of anticipation leading up to this year with the rule changes and the roster additions we made in the off-season, not just unique to our team, but really across the conference, and across the country. So we’ve been going at it now for five to six weeks. And I think it’s just … training camp has been going really well, but I think we’re all just looking forward to starting next week against Air Force, and getting the year going. So it’s been a lot of fun, and we have a special group, so I’m excited for it.
Yeah, well, I think he kind of nailed it on the head there. Yeah, I think we’ve had a good two months of practice here, and we’re all really eager to see what we can put together, what we have been putting together in that time. So yeah, again, just really eager to get going.
So Griffin, fans see the roster, but they don’t know what it takes to bring in all these new guys and get them to gel. Can you give us kind of the behind-the-scenes perspective of how that’s all kind of come together in these last five or six weeks?
Yeah, I think initially when you — prior to this year and the rule change — you either decide whether you’re going to go (to) college or the major junior route. So you really never expect to play with the majority of the guys on our roster now. So, for me, and for a lot of the guys, especially the Americans, it was a lot of faces and names we didn’t know prior.
Yeah, I can add to that. Yeah, we do feel like that as a newcomer. Absolutely. These guys have done a great job taking us in, and kind of just making it feel like home. I’m making it feel like a team, I guess. It’s tough coming into a new place, and you’re not really sure what to expect. But our older group, Griffin especially, all our leadership, all the older guys have really, really led the way for us.
Brett, talk about your decision to come to Omaha. Why the Mavericks?
Well, I knew as soon as the (CHL) rule opened up, I had to make the move. And so the question was just, where do I go? So the reason for Omaha is I just had a great talk with Coach Gabs (Gabinet), and it felt the most personable.
Brett, you’ve put up points throughout your career. What do you think will be the best way for you to transition your game to the NCAA, and what can fans expect from you?
Yeah, I think I don’t really associate my game a ton with the numbers that I’m getting or anything like that. I think at the root of my game, they can expect some hard work, physicality, and to bring energy every night and hopefully put some pucks in the net at the same time.
Griffin, from a leadership standpoint, this is the second year in a row there’s been a pretty good turnover in the roster. What did you learn from last year, and how can you apply that experience now — stepping into the captain’s role — that might make this year less of a learning curve for the new guys?
Yeah, I think the last few years especially have been unique. And I think I had great captains before me with Nolan Krenzen and Nolan Sullivan, who I’ve learned a lot from over that time. And I think — I feel like this is kind of just the way college is headed. I think turnover is going to be natural, especially at great programs like ours too, where you’re going to — we push, put players on to the next level too.
Griffin, you mentioned Nolan Sullivan coming, learning from his leadership example, and I saw he came back and spoke to you guys. What takeaways did you get from that, and from being a player under him?
Yeah, Nolan (Sullivan), if you know him, he’s just a really special human. We got to live together one year here as roommates, and he kind of — I’m the big brother in my family, and I’ve never had a big brother. So I would say Nolan’s probably the closest to that for me. So that’s just a little shout-out to him.
Griffin, with all the turnover year over year and seeing a bunch of new faces — but still seeing the same level of play and intensity — does that kind of reinforce your belief in this coaching staff and this?
Yeah, I mean, I’ve been committed here since I was 15 years old. So that’s 2018. And I know you weren’t saying this, but they’ve never lost my belief in the staff. They work hard. They work hard, and it starts at the top. They set the standard for how our team’s going to work too. And that’s been the identity of UNO Hockey.
Griffin, your brother left the program. You stayed. Just talk about your decision to stay. And do you kind of get a sense of “unfinished business” maybe here with the Mavs?
For sure. I mean, to me, I just love — Brett mentioned it’s feeling like home for these new guys already. And I think that’s something I’m proud of … in playing a small role and creating a home-like feeling for guys. And for me, Omaha is home.
Brett, Griffin just mentioned home. This is obviously a new experience for you being in Omaha. What has surprised you most about Omaha, and how are you adjusting?
It’s kind of a loaded question because, yeah, a lot’s happened in two months. It’s a whole new country for me. One thing, the large pop sizes are much bigger here than in Canada. So I’m loving that. Groceries are cheaper.
Any favorite food places that you’re frequenting?
Pickleman’s. Pickleman’s over there in Aksarben Village has to be number one.
We got time for two more (questions for the) student-athletes.
Griffin, have you talked to anybody about hanging around a couple more years so you can go play in Ireland?
I saw that news, and I’m like, “Man, I should have played juniors a few extra years.” But no, I wouldn’t change the time I came into this program, because I love the six — or the five other seniors — who I get to start and finish my career with here at UNO. And that’s something we’re all super proud of. But I’ll definitely be following along our younger guys as they trek over to Ireland in the coming years.
I’ll finish with a fun one for you then. So we saw Cam (Briere) playing DJ early in the season. Who’s running the aux in the locker room?
That’s a hot topic right now. I feel like … it’s shifting every day. And some guys show up, and they want to play music, and then other days they don’t want to play. So I’m like, “We got to get some consistency around here on who’s playing the tunes.”
Yeah, it’s a rotation right now. It’s quite the rotation, and kind of what everyone’s feeling for the vibe. Everybody’s kind of got a different style.
Anybody been blacklisted from the aux yet?
No one’s been blacklisted.
It’s still early.
There’s guys who are better than others, but it’s early.
Awesome. Thanks, guys.
Thank you.
Thanks.
Good luck with the season.
Thank you.
Yeah, first off, good to see everybody. Awesome to get rolling here again, and nice to get a chance to have a press conference here and get the season kicked off. So really excited. I thought Brett and G (Griffin) did a great job kind of just giving you some insight just to the special group we have here. And yeah, (we’re) really excited about the group. High character individuals, working extremely hard, ultra-competitive, and it’s been some fun practices. These guys play for keeps, and I think that level of intensity makes everybody around us better. So that’s been great. And (we’re) looking forward to a little fan day here on Saturday to meet everybody and to get the chance for the guys to play in Baxter Arena. And then obviously, we’re opening up (the season) with Air Force here, which will be a great test for an exhibition game.
Mike, you touched on it yesterday a little bit. Just talk about the influence of the Canadian Hockey League players this year, the effect on the Mavs, and maybe on the whole league.
Yeah, surprise, surprise. There’s been some changes, right? In the NCAA, it feels like every year there’s some type of change. And so you got to just adapt and keep evolving. And yeah, I think it was — I don’t know what the official number is — 1,700 new players eligible, kind of like that (snaps fingers). And I think 90% of them are Canadians. So obviously, I think if you just look around college hockey, there’s a large influx of some Canadian major junior hockey players right now, and we’re no different. So again, I think it’s been exciting for us. It’s always a little bit more difficult for us to expose people to Omaha, with our footprint and our location. So just to have more people (get) the chance to talk about Omaha, get to experience Omaha, I think it does great for us.
So talk about the team. Which returning player do you think the fans are going to notice the most difference from last season to this season?
Oh, man. Well, like G (Griffin) mentioned, we have so many good seniors coming back, whether on the back end, Griffin Ludtke or Jacob Guevin, Simon (Latkoczy) in net, Rollie (Tyler Rollwagen), Slippy (Jacob Slipec), all these good guys there. And they’ve all worked extremely hard there in the off-season. So it’s been nice to see all these guys elevate their game. We’ve been doing on-ice testing, and you can see their numbers have increased, and they’ve all put the work in. So I think I would do them — I’d be unjust — to just name one of them. I think all those guys are going to elevate their games for this season.
So, (a) follow up then, which newcomer has surprised you the most?
You know what? Again, there’s just been a lot of guys on different days that have really stepped up. I mean, I’ll talk about Brett (Hyland) because he’s been here. He’s just a tremendous addition. Ultra-competitive out there. Very, very physically competitive there. Can really skate and think the game at a high level. So I think he’s just been fun to watch (in) practice there.
Griffin mentioned the increased intensity in training camp the last couple of years prior. Have you noticed on a day-to-day basis, as you watch these guys gel and come together, that speed, precision, all of that good stuff has picked up extensively from the first day until today?
Yeah. First off, a shout-out to Ben Silvers, our strength and performance coach. I think he’s done a tremendous job. The guys (have) been working hard, and we’ve been intentional about — it’s been our hardest training. I know it hasn’t been maybe a ton different from certain things, but we’ve definitely had a focus on, “You can do hard and you’ll be okay,” kind of deal. And the guys have responded well.
Mike, he’s a co-captain this year, but just talk about the importance of the return of Simon (Latkoczy) in net. (He) just really has been a rock here, and a great place to start this season.
Yeah. I mean, he’s tremendous, not only from a goaltender standpoint that we all know how good a goalie he is, but just even from a human standpoint … and just leadership character. Very mature, gets it. He understands like where you’re coming from as the coach, where the players are coming from. So those are guys you love to communicate with, right?
Focusing on the “student” part of “student-athlete” — with so many international students this year — and I think there’s some different requirements for them in terms of in-classroom time — does that impact your ability for practices and travel and things like that, or is it negligible?
Yeah. I think you just have to be smart about it. So I think all these guys have a pretty demanding academic schedule there. But we’re super fortunate with Lindsey (Ekwerekwu), our academic kind of liaison with the university and our athletic department. Christy (helps) our business guys, which we have a lot of guys in there. They do a tremendous job kind of setting them up for success.
You mentioned talking with Griffin and Simon. How much in their input to you, how much have you used that to really — with the kind of reshape of the roster — kind of reinforce, restructure, rebuild — whatever term you want to use it — with the culture here at UNO and getting those new guys acclimated and up and running as fast as possible?
Yeah. Again, first off, credit to those guys for welcoming those guys, right? It could be a little bit intimidating too when you’ve been here for X amount of years, and now there’s a new influx of players, from different backgrounds as well. And so again, just in my pre-talks with those guys, I was really emphasizing just how many good players and good people we’re bringing in.
Mike, the scrimmage on Saturday, is that a fun thing? Is it an intense thing? What do you hope to learn from that?
I think we introduced it maybe a couple of years ago. I love it, because I think just all of a sudden there’s people watching. Sometimes even when we’re practicing and there’s 10 people that show up for practice, I think it just changes the dynamic. And I think it’s just good for guys to go through that feeling a little bit … of playing in front of people. People are watching. It’s just a little bit of different dynamic. We’re on Baxter Ice, which is always nice for us to skate out there. So I really like it. I really like it. I think it’s something that hopefully will be a staple for us moving forward here. And then obviously the post-(game) skate and you get a chance to meet some people and skate on the ice. I think it’s just a win-win all around. And I think this year we potentially will have some alumni playing in the game as well too.
Like a former defenseman from Edmonton maybe?
Yeah. Yeah. You don’t want to see me out there. Yeah, that’s for sure.
I was going to say it’s 25 years ago that you first came on campus. Again, kid from Edmonton coming down here just like Brett. What kind of advice or guidance have you given the guys, since you were kind of in a similar situation 25 years ago?
Yeah. It’s okay to feel uncomfortable. I think that’s something we talk about early on. It’s okay to just not feel great all the time. And I think that’s part of growing. So that’s what we talk about a lot with these guys is — you’re going to feel a little uncomfortable. Everything’s going to be new. Things are going to be coming at you fast. And that’s okay. I think that’s how you grow. So I kind of love hearing sometimes like, “Coach, this is confusing or this is…” It’s like, “Yeah, that’s great. You’re growing.” Right? This is exactly where you need to be. This is part of becoming an adult. This is part of growing up. And so I think it’s pretty cool, right? You get to do all those things for the first time sometimes that we all have to do at some point. And they get a chance to do it in a really cool environment. So it’s uncomfortable for these guys.
I know before kind of looking forward to you with this question, you’ve used terms like “good players know good players,” (and) “good people know good people.” With the expansion of the recruiting now of the youth sports and CHL guys, how much does that increase the Maverick network in recruiting two, three, five years down the line? How much of a wider fishnet can you now cast?
Yeah, it’s great because some of these guys, we went to their first-round draft picks in the CHL, right? So you recruit them when they’re 15 and they choose to go to the CHL, and then you can’t get them. So it’s just nice to be able to now revisit some of those players, expand your network a little bit. And to your point, like Brett said, when this (CHL) rule changed first off, we heard right away, “He’s going. He’s going to the NCAA.” We knew a lot of these guys that are looking at that option, and now it’s about trying to get them to choose Omaha.
And speaking of that, Marc’s (Lajoie) dad — (you) obviously worked very closely with him. So those relationships are important. Can you speak a little bit about how those things pay off after many, many years?
Yeah. There’s always a funny story about Marc. I used to, when we played University of Minnesota, when I was an assistant coach at NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology), he came on the trip with us, and I skated him after our team skate, and he got off the ice on me because I was skating him too hard. So now we can’t do that anymore. But, so yeah, just obviously I’ve known Serge (Lajoie) for a long time and kept in touch over the years.
Any (other questions)?
Just thinking “big picture” about the entire game with the new rule changes with the Canadian rule and the revenue share. I know Omaha didn’t opt in, but I mean, what are some of the biggest impacts right away that people are going to see when they turn on TV and watch college hockey?
Yeah. I think you’re just going to see the level of college hockey increase. I mean, it was already at a super high level. And if you just look around our league (the NCHC) with the guys that are coming into North Dakota or ASU or to all these programs, it’s going to be a high level of hockey there. So yeah, it’s going to be the — I think it’s going to be the best college hockey you’ve ever seen, just with the level of talent here, and with the pro guys getting eligible and different things happening and a lot of the first and second round draft picks choosing to come to the NCAA to play. So it’s going to be fun to watch and fun to coach and fun to play. And there’s going to be lots of good players out there.
Awesome. Thanks, everyone.
All right. Thanks, guys. Thank you.
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