From Minot Daily News
By Sean Williams
After taking some time to enjoy the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division I National Championship celebration, MSU men’s hockey head coach Wyatt Waselenchuk has been working hard on continuing to build a bright future for his Beaver hockey program.
Although the national championship celebrations were sweet and memorable, Waselenchuk quickly went back to work as he focused on putting together a recruiting class for the upcoming season. Fortunately, a national title makes a destination more appealing, but Waselenchuk has been doing a lot more to help players see what he has brewing in the Magic City.
“It’s been really good. Obviously with us winning that helps. Then announcing a couple of NCAA Division I opponents…people want to be a part of it. Good players want to be a part of good programs and I’m certainly seeing that through our recruiting,” Waselenchuk said.
The goal of the incoming recruiting class is to help improve the depth of the Beavers. Depth is something Waselenchuk believes helped the team win a championship last year, but he also wants to find student-athletes who will shine beyond the ice.
“Well-rounded recruits that are great men and will excel in the classroom and in our community, that’s first and foremost where I’m at. Just getting better overall and adding to the depth of our program.”
In addition to the depth the incoming class will provide, experience is something that is a strength of the guys who have committed so far. The future Beavers have played big roles and a lot of minutes in junior hockey and are expected to come in and compete for minutes on day one at Minot State.
With the recruiting class nearly finalized, there isn’t one player in particular that Waselenchuk is most excited about. He believes all of them have the ability to be impact players for the Beavers. Two of those members of the class are very familiar with Minot and the Maysa Arena.
The first is forward Colby Joseph, who comes over after playing in 115 regular season games with the Minot Minotauros. Joseph totaled 63 points on 33 goals and 30 assists during his time with the Tauros, and he will begin the next chapter of his hockey journey on the same ice that he closed his chapter with the Tauros.
“He’s just a great kid first and foremost. He’s a Manitoba kid and knows just about every player on our roster from growing up and playing around them. At the end of the day, he’s three hours from home, he’s in a place that he loves, and he couldn’t speak more highly about Minot and the ability to stay here,” Waselenchuk said on the addition of Joseph.
Waselenchuk added, “He can have a great four years by earning a degree and playing some darn good hockey and being a big part of what we are doing here. Above all else, he’s just a phenomenal kid. He does a lot in the community here and I couldn’t be more excited for Colby and his family, and for him to join our family. From day one he will give us a big boost and will be a big, big piece here.”
Joining Joseph as another former Tauro to commit to Minot State is defenseman Ben Johnson, who played in 80 regular season games with the Tauros. In those games, Johnson totaled 31 points on seven goals and 24 assists.
“I love Ben as a kid. He’s a big body that shoots the puck a ton. He’s exactly what I like in a defenseman. We’ve gotten along really, really well since he came here to Minot,” Waselenchuk said on Johnson.
He added, “Ben is a great kid that has done a lot in the community, he’s very involved with Prairie Grit. He loved that aspect of staying here and we are so excited to have him. To have a player of Ben Johnson’s caliber coming in is going to be huge for us.”
Having worked for two years with head coach and general manager of the Minotauros, Cody Campbell, Waselenchuk has a strong relationship with the Minotauros organization and understands the importance of using local talent to build a bright future at Minot State.
“Obviously, you pay your bills by putting butts in the seats, so having those connections with some of those Minotauros players and the local kids is huge. You need to build connections within the community. Community is everything for us. I’m always looking for the best talent and if we can have some of those local kids stay in Minot, I’d be happy to have them here.”
Joining Joseph and Johnson in the recruiting class is someone else who has a connection to Minot State. Current Beaver defenseman Payton Jerome will have his brother, Walker Jerome, making his way to Minot State next season.
- Jerome will come to Minot after playing for the La Ronge Ice Wolves of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). In 54 games last year, W. Jerome posted 52 points on 19 goals and 33 assists.
He won’t be the only member of the Ice Wolves making their way to Minot either, as W. Jerome’s linemate Trenton Curtis committed to Minot State as well. Curtis posted 44 points on 16 goals and 28 assists with the Ice Wolves last season.
“Both had phenomenal seasons, both are big bodies and produced a ton of points. You can’t help but get a smile on your face when watching the offensive ability of both of those players,” Waselenchuk said on W. Jerome and Curtis.
Rounding out the Beavers’ current recruiting class is Logan Cyca who most recently played for the Yorkton Terriers of the SJHL and Ryan Monias who played for the OCN Blizzard in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
With the Terriers, Cyca posted 21 points on seven goals and 14 assists in 47 games last season. “Logan competes so, so hard and is a player that is going to be a great leader for us. He reminds me a lot of Reid Arnold.”
Monias totaled 24 points on 14 goals and 10 assists in 40 games with the OCN Blizzard last season. “Ryan is another guy who is a big body and can put the puck in the net. I’ve heard really great things about Ryan, and I like his game a lot.”
While Waselenchuk and the Beavers have built a good foundation with the current recruiting class, there will be a few more names who will join the program in the coming weeks.
(Originally published at https://www.minotdailynews.com/sports/local-sports/2023/06/familiar-faces-highlight-msu-mens-hockey-recruiting-class/)
