St. Cloud State men's hockey finalizes roster

Brian Moos / Program Director

St. Cloud, Minnesota. — St. Cloud State announced their incoming freshman class and finalized their roster for the upcoming season on Friday. The Huskies will bring in five freshmen and three transfer additions to complete their 2024-2025 roster. 19 Huskies from last season remained at St. Cloud State, while SCSU lost only three players to the transfer portal.

The Huskies freshman class is characterized by a focus on retaining Minnesota-born talent. Four of Husky's five freshmen call Minnesota their home state, while the only non-Minn. Born recruit, enrolled in prep school and played junior hockey in Minnesota. Coupled with this Minnesota-focused class, two of the three incoming transfers to SCSU also played high school hockey in Minnesota.

From the freshman class, SCSU signed three forwards and two defensemen. The forward group promises top scoring potential, with a mix of speed and power skating. The pair of defensemen hope to replenish the puck-moving power the Huskies lost in the offseason.

The freshman forward group is led by Austin Burnevik and Gavyn Thoreson, both of whom played offense at the elite level in Minnesota's high school league and in America's top junior hockey league. They are joined by Dana “Ocean” Wallace, who committed to SCSU late in the recruiting cycle after Joe Molenaar transferred to Minnesota-Duluth. Both Burnevik and Wallace bring a power skating forward archetype to SCSU, each standing 6-foot-4 or taller and weighing more than 200 pounds. Gavyn Thoreson may not be as big as his fellow freshman forward, but he brings elite speed to the Huskies after breaking records at Andover High School.

Austin Burnevik: Finished second in the USHL in goals (40) and seventh in points (71) for the 2023-2024 season with the Madison Capitols. Spent two seasons in the US National Team Development Program and played two seasons for Totino-Grace High School.

Gavyn Thoreson: Finished ninth in the USHL in assists (45) and 13th in points (65) for the 2023-2024 season with the Waterloo Blackhawks. He graduated from Andover High School and set the Minnesota high school hockey world on fire, averaging over three points per game for a total of 226 in his high school career.

Dana “Ocean” Wallace: A native of Boulder, Colo., Wallace joins SCSU after three seasons as an integral part of the NAHL's Austin Bruins. He is also fresh off a career year for the Bruins, scoring 21 goals and dishing out 23 assists last season. Before Austin, Wallace was a boarding student at Shattuck St. Mary's in Faribault, Minnesota and played hockey there for three seasons.

SCSU's new defensemen, Thor Byfuglien and Colin Ralph, hope to fill the shoes of former Huskies Dylan Anhorn and Jack Peart, who signed professional deals this offseason. Both Byfuglien and Ralph are from Minnesota and provided plenty of competition in high school. Byfuglien appears to have solid defensive fundamentals both offensively and defensively with a capable stick. Ralph has an extremely high lead, towering at 6ft 1in and exudes elite all-round skills.

Thor Byfuglien: Hailing from Roseau, Minnesota, Byfuglien collected 93 points in his high school career for the Roseau Rams. Moving to the USHL by joining the Chicago Steel, Byfuglien quickly became one of the most reliable defensemen in the league, with 123 games played over two full seasons and a brief ten-game stint near the end of the season 2021-2022.

Colin Ralph: Although he didn't gain much junior hockey experience, Ralph dominated the American high school prep competition with Shattuck St. Mary's. Last season, he led all defensemen in assists while finishing in the top 20 for all players in points. Ralph is high on many candidate lists for the upcoming NHL draft this summer and will join sophomore Warren Clark as NHL drafted defensemen at SCSU.

St. Cloud State will open the 2024-2025 regular season in Mendota Heights, Minnesota at future NCHC member St. Thomas on October 6. Ongoing updates from the offseason, along with coverage of the NCHC media day and more preseason events will be covered by KVSC. The entire men's hockey season will also be broadcast on 88.1 FM KVSC, St. Cloud State's student radio.