Despite the early loss in the NCAA Fargo Regionals, the Gophers men’s hockey earned many Big Ten awards this season and has seen nine of their players join the professional leagues. 

After finishing the season with a record of 25-11, the Gophers earned multiple awards and honorable mentions in the Big Ten Conference. Two of the main players who received these awards are Sam Rinzel and Jimmy Snuggerud.

Additionally, four Gophers received honorable mention awards. Connor Kurth, Liam Souliere, Matthew Wood and Ryan Chesley were all part of the All-Big Ten honorable mention team.

Sam Rinzel 

Rinzel was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year alongside a career-high of 10 goals and 31 points this season. He was ranked sixth nationally for goals and points earned by a defenseman. 

In addition to his awards, Rinzel signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on March 29. 

Rinzel talked to CHGO Sports about what it was like having to make the decision to sign with the Blackhawks.

“I felt like it would be good to kinda take that next step and live out my dream,” Rinzel said. “It’s every kid’s dream, so when the opportunity comes in front of you it’s hard to say no.” 

Jimmy Snuggerud

Snuggerud ended his college career with back-to-back All-Big Ten First Team accolades after setting career highs this season with 51 points. He found the back of the net 24 times this season and made 27 assists.

Snuggerud signed with the St. Louis Blues on a three-year entry-level deal after being drafted in the first round in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He will forgo his final year of collegiate hockey. 

After signing his contract, Snuggerud interviewed with the Blues and talked about what it is like going to the NHL after his college career.

“I was really fortunate to play with so many good players here at Minnesota,” Snuggerud said. “I like to shoot the puck, but I also like to make plays to my teammates, both those things come in handy when you’re playing with good players.” 

Oliver Moore

Moore signed on the same day as Rinzel for a three-year entry-level deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. 

Moore put up 33 points in the two seasons he played for the Gophers. This season he scored a career-best 12 goals. 

Moore was a first-round pick for Chicago in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. 

Gophers assistant coach Ben Gordon touched on how hard it is to see these players leave the team. 

“We are sad to see them leave,” Gordon said. “Some of them it’s time to move on and spread their wings a little bit.” 

Matthew Wood

Wood signed his NHL contract with the Nashville Predators on March 29. He signed a three-year entry-level contract and was a first-round pick for the Predators back in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. 

Wood played one season with the Gophers after transferring from UConn. Despite his one season, the forward still put up 39 points with 17 goals and 22 assists. 

He finished his NCAA career with a total of 101 points in 109 games played. 

Connor Kurth 

Just one day after Wood, Kurth signed his NHL contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He signed a two-year entry-level contract and is the last of the Gophers so far to have signed with an NHL team. 

Kurth had a career-high in points this season for the Gophers with a total of 39. He will finish off the remainder of the season with the Syracuse Crunch, an affiliated AHL team to the Lightning.

Mike Koster 

After five seasons with the Gophers, Koster signed with the Iowa Heartlanders, an East Coast Hockey League team, on April 2. The Heartlanders are affiliated with the Minnesota Wild and Iowa Wild. 

Koster played 180 games with the Gophers, which is third-most in program history. He made a total of 89 points in his career with Minnesota. 

The defenseman blocked a total of 202 shots in the 180 games played for the Gophers. 

Ryan Chesley

On the same day as Koster, Gophers defenseman Chesley joined the AHL’s Hershey Bears on an amateur tryout. Chesley will finish the remainder of the Bears 2024-2025 season before eventually signing with the NHL Washington Capitals. 

In his three years with Minnesota, Chesley got a total of 38 points and blocked 202 shots in 115 games played. 

Mason Nevers 

Nevers ended his five-year career with the Gophers on April 4 when he signed with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads.

He played 171 games with the Gophers and totaled 66 points, 27 goals and 39 assists. In his five years, Nevers helped Minnesota win three Big Ten regular season titles and a Big Ten championship. 

Aaron Huglen  

Huglen became the last Gophers player as of April 9 to sign with a pro team, inking a deal with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on April 7. 

The senior played a total of 150 games with the Gophers in his four seasons. He put up a total of 32 goals, 41 assists and 73 points.

Huglen received the last Big Ten award on the team as he was one of seven who got the Big Ten sportsmanship award.

Assistant coach Gordon hopes that for the next season, things will go the way they always have, despite the loss of players. 

“New guys will step into new roles on the team,” Gordon said. “Everybody is excited, they understand this is how it goes.”