2019-20 Roster  |  BUY: Season Tickets  |  GIVE NOW: Howlin' Huskies Fund

BOSTON -- Fernie Flaman Men's Hockey Coach Jim Madigan announced his initial 2019 incoming class on Wednesday. The group of ten consists of six forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender.
 
"We're excited to announce a brand new class coming to the Northeastern men's ice hockey program for this fall," Madigan said. "This is the hard work of Jerry Keefe and Jason Smith during the course of the last 1-2 years attracting such a wonderful class of young men who have high character and who are real good hockey players who will contribute to our success immediately."
 
Jeremie Bucheler, Matt DeMelis, Riley Hughes, Mike Kesselring, Aidan McDonough, Alex Mella, Connor Murphy, Neil Shea, Tyler Spott and TJ Walsh comprise the initial 2019-20 freshman class.
 
Bucheler, McDonough and Spott are all eligible for this weekend's NHL Draft in Vancouver, with Bucheler and Spott ranked No. 114 and No. 184 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, respectively. Kesselring (Edmonton, sixth round, 164th overall) and Hughes (New York Rangers, seventh round, 216th overall) were both selected in last year's draft.
 
"We lost some goal scorers and some playmakers, along with some gritty two-way wingers, and I think we've addressed that with this year's class. As I said our staff did a tremendous job bringing in high-level talent to our program that will allow us to continue competing at the highest level in Hockey East and allow us to compete at the national level."

The group will join 16 returning letterwinners from last season's team following the graduation of Lincoln Griffin, Brandon Hawkins, Liam Pecararo, Austin Plevy, Ryan Ruck, Patrick Schule and Eric Williams, along with the departures of 2019 All-Americans Jeremy Davies (New Jersey Devils) and Cayden Primeau (Montreal Canadians) to the professional ranks. Drew Blackmun, Bobby Hampton and Eetu Selanne will not return to the 2019-20 roster.

Season tickets to see the defending conference champions are now on sale! To secure your seats today, please click here. Please call (617) 373-4700 or email huskytix@northeastern.edu with any questions. Online sales will be available later this summer.
 
Jeremie Bucheler  |  Defense |  6'4''  | 194  |  Right |  NHL: 2019 Draft Eligible
Bucheler Before Northeastern: 2019 NHL Draft eligible … Ranked No. 114 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting … Played the 2018-2019 season in the BCHL for the Victoria Grizzlies (69 games) … Finished the season with 52 points (nine goals, 43 assists), dishing out the most assists among defensemen on his team, ranking third among defensemen in the league … In 2017-2018, saw action in 51 games for the Chicago Steel, finishing the campaign with one goal and five assists in his lone season in the USHL.
 
Madigan on Bucheler (WATCH): "Jeremie played in Victoria in the BCHL and had a tremendous year this season. He's still a young man, a 2000 birth, but gives us some size on the defense. He's very skilled, plays with his eyes up, moves pucks extremely well, can join in on the rush offensively, and can break you out of your zone quickly. We expect him to log a lot of minutes, and he can contribute both offensively and defensively."
 
Tyler Spott  |  Defense |  5-11  |  174  |  Left  |  NHL: 2019 Draft Eligible
Spott Before Northeastern: 2019 NHL Draft eligible … Ranked No. 184 among North American prospects by NHL Central Scouting … Appeared in 62 games for the Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) in 2018-19, notching eight goals and 21 assists … Led or tied for lead among team defensemen in goals, assists, and points (29) … Finished 2018-19 top-20 in the USHL in points among defensemen … Skated for the Gamblers in 2017-2018 as well, scoring two and assisting nine in 53 games while recording a plus-eight rating.
 
Madigan on Spott (WATCH): "Tyler has really grown and blossomed after playing three years of junior hockey as a puck moving defenseman. He's very smart and skilled as a pass-first defenseman out of his own zone. He's someone who is under sized, but uses real good technique. He has continued to get better and better, we are excited that Tyler will be a part of our program. With his smart puck moving ability, and his two-way play on the back end, he should be a contributor on both sides of the puck. He should help fill in the void left by the departure of Davies and Williams this past season."
 
Aidan McDonough  |  Forward |  6-2  |  201  |  Left  |  NHL: 2019 Draft Eligible
McDonough Before Northeastern: 2019 NHL Draft Eligible … Spent the 2018-2019 season in the USHL for Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (56 games) … Finished the season with 49 points (25 goals, 24 assists) … Ranked No. 209 in 2018 by NHL Central Scouting … Held seven separate point streaks of three games or more during the 2018-2019 season … His plus-12 rating was second best on the team among forwards … Earned USHL Player of the Week honors on February 4th, 2019 for scoring three points in three games (two goals, one assist), leading the Rapids to two wins that week.
 
Madigan on McDonough (WATCH): "Aidan faced a little adversity early in the season when he was injured, and because of that injury his start was delayed, and then once he got going by the mid-to-late October had a tremendous season. We expect Aidan to come in and challenge for a top role in our club and to contribute offensively right away. He's someone who has a very good stick, shoots the puck really well, gets the puck off his stick quickly in the slot area, and can score from 25-feet out as well as scoring in around the net.
 
Riley Hughes  |  Forward |  6-1  |  174  |  Right  |  NHL: New York Rangers (2018 | 7th | 216th)
Hughes Before Northeastern: Drafted in the seventh round of the 2018 Draft by the New York Rangers (216th overall) … Was ranked No. 113 by NHL Central Scouting and No. 122 by Future Considerations… Played the 2018-2019 season in the BCHL for Victoria Grizzlies (68 games) … Recorded four different point streaks of at least four games during the 2018-2019 season … Finished the BCHL season with 58 points on 24 goals and 34 assists, the fourth-most by a rookie in each respective category … His eight power play goals were tied for second-most by a rookie.
 
Madigan on Hughes (WATCH): "Riley comes to our program with some very good skill, and as a tremendous skater. He has very good acceleration and top-end speed. Riley has the ability to finish, and this year in Victoria's offense, his skillset came together, putting up a tremendous offensive year as well as improving his play away from the puck. We anticipate Riley to come in and be an offensive contributor right off the bat. He's got tremendous shot off the rush, can score from far out, and score in around the net. His speed will be good for our team and creating turnovers in that offensive zone, or utilizing the speed entering the zone to beat defenders wide. It's nice to have someone with that outside speed, which we haven't had in a couple years."
 
Mike Kesselring  |  Defense |  6-4  |  190  |  Right  |  NHL: Edmonton (2018 | 6th | 164th)
Kesselring Before Northeastern: Drafted in the sixth round of the 2018 draft by the Edmonton Oilers (164th overall) … Was ranked No. 75 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting … Played the 2018-2019 season in the USHL, beginning his campaign with the Des Moines Buccaneers (33 games) and then completing it with the Fargo Force (35 games) … His 34 points last season (12 scored with Des Moines Buccaneers) were the most by any defenseman on the Fargo Force … Scored three game winning goals on the campaign, tied for second on the team.
 
Madigan on Kesselring (WATCH): "Mike is an agile defenseman who possesses good stick skills. At 6'4", he gets around the ice extremely well and plays with his eyes up. He's someone who will support the rush and jump in the rush. He honed his skills in the USHL this year, learning how to take time and space away very well defensively. We expect Mike to come in and contribute offensively and defensively to our program. He's grown up a lot in this last year, maturing his game in the USHL and we expect him to be someone who logs a lot of minutes."
 
Matt DeMelis  |  Forward |  6-0  |  185  |  Left  |  NHL: Free Agent
DeMelis Before Northeastern: Played the 2018-2019 season in the USHL for Youngstown Phantoms (60 games) under Northeastern's former assistant coach Gene Reilly (2004-2008) … Finished the campaign with 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists), good for fourth-most on the team … Named the Bauer Hockey NAHL Forward of the Month in February 2018 after totaling 11 points (five goals, six assists) in just eight games, including four multi-point games … Earned a spot on the Selects White Team at the 2018 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament … In 2017-2018, appeared in 53 NAHL games for Northeast Generals … Was tied for fifth on the team with 43 points (17 goals, 26 assists) … His ten power play assists were good for the second most on the team in the 2017-2018 season.
 
Madigan on DeMelis (WATCH): "Matt is a very skilled center. He has the ability to distribute as well as score by himself. He gives us a lot of flexibility, since he can play both center or on the wing and he sees the ice extremely well. He has the ability to distribute well with his vision, in and around the net, and use his broad vision coming through center ice carrying the puck. His game has grown defensively over the last couple years by playing junior hockey and now he understands how to play a 200-foot game.
  
Alex Mella  |  Forward |  6-0  |  187  |  Left  |  NHL: Free Agent
Mella Before Northeastern: Played the 2018-2019 season in the USHL for Madison Capitols (61 games) … Finished the season with 25 points (15 goals, 10 assists), the third-most points and second-most goals by any forward on the team … Third on the team in points per game (0.41) among left wings … Made 50 appearances for the Austin Bruins (NAHL) in 2017-2018, recording 17 goals and 10 assists … Also played in three games for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL) in the 17-18 season, adding two assists.
 
Madigan on Mella (WATCH): "Alex rounded out his two-way game in the USHL this year. He's very good in the forecheck, heavy and strong on pucks, has the ability to win puck battles and the ability to score in around the net. We look forward to Alex being part of this program. He's a blend of a power forward and being able to contribute on both sides of the puck for our program."
  
Neil Shea  |  Forward |  6-1  |  198  |  Left  |  NHL: Free Agent
Shea Before Northeastern: Appeared in 52 games for the Chicago Steel (USHL) in the 2018-19 regular season, tallying 15 goals and 28 assists … Scored five of his 15 goals on the power play …  Helped team to the USHL Clark Cup finals, scoring three goals and adding four assists as they won the Eastern Conference and finished runners-up to Sioux Falls … Spent two years with Lawrence Academy (USHS-Prep), amassing 91 points on 40 goals and 51 assists in 56 total games.
 
Madigan on Shea (WATCH): "Neil had a tremendous year in the USHL this season, helping advance his team to the Clark Cup Finals. He is a two-way, hard-nosed player up and down the wing, but has the ability to contribute offensively. He drives to the net really hard, will score goals around the net, but will also score from outside. I expect him to give our team a good bit of grittiness, and toughness along the wall, and in battles. He's someone that battles for every single puck, and we're excited for what he's going to bring to the program. We haven't had this type of player here in a couple years."
 
TJ Walsh  |  Forward |  5-9  |  168  |  Left  |  NHL: Free Agent
Walsh Before Northeastern: Played 53 games for the Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) in 2018-19, scoring 17 goals and adding 32 assists … Led team and was tied for eighth in the USHL in power play assists (15) … Was awarded USHL Forward of the Week on Dec. 10 after recording two two-goal games, one of which was a three-point game in which he scored the overtime winner … Played two seasons with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, totaling 24 points on 10 goals and 14 assists.
 
Madigan on Walsh (WATCH): "TJ is an exceptionally gifted offensive player with tremendous offensive instincts and has the ability to be a play maker and distribute as well as score goals. He can give us some flexibility by being skilled enough on offense to play either center or either one of the wings. His skill can really complement a line, no matter which one he is playing with. He will really help us with some of the offense that we lost this past year. I am excited for what he has to bring to our program and team this year."
 
Connor Murphy  |  Goaltender |  6-4  |  190  |  Left  |  NHL: Free Agent
Murphy Before Northeastern: Made 61 appearances for Carleton Place (CCHL) in the 2018-19 season, helping them to the regular season title and posting a league-best 2.07 GAA in the regular season, as well as a .917 save percentage and 31-8-3 (W-L-OTL) record … Had a 9-4-1 record, 2.03 GAA, and .922 save percentage in the 2018-19 playoffs as Carleton Place lost in the championship round, finishing as runner-up … Won CCHL Player of the Week on March 6 after going 2-0-0 and stopping 53 of 55 shots (1.00 GAA, .964 save perc.) … Also played for The Topeka RoadRunners and New Jersey Hitmen in 2017-18.
 
Madigan on Murphy (WATCH): "Connor had a tremendous year this year. He's played three years of junior hockey, and as a goaltender that's really important to have that experience under your belt. He's gone to an NHL development camp in the past, and we're excited for him to come in and compete and challenge for a position. He's a big goaltender, very athletic, plays the puck very well, moves his lower body really well, and he's someone that is looking forward to the opportunity getting to college."