“I like our group this year, I think we still need to mature a little bit.”
“We gotta find a way to make these kids buy in and once we do that we’ll be rewarded.”
Anytime head coach Rand Pecknold talks about his team, you definitely hear him use these phrases in one way or another.
And on paper, it makes more than enough sense. Over the past three years, the Bobcats’ roster has seen a pretty significant turnover, with 11 new names joining the roster this year, replacing the same number lost in the off-season to graduation and transfers.
“We don’t change much each year, we tweak things here or there,” Pecknold said in a pre-season interview. “I think we make sure that we get players that fit our culture, fit our identity and certainly they need to mature once they get into our program but I think we do a great job on bringing the right kids in the door and that’s why we got success.”
And while the number of players in the locker room might have stayed the same, there is a significant difference when it comes to the size of the senior class.
This year only six players are seniors — no graduate students — and only three of them have spent more than one season on the squad.
“We have guys like (senior forward) Anthony (Cipollone) and (senior forward) Alex (Power) and (senior forward) Victor (Czerneckianair) who have been here four years, so they definitely know what they’re doing, the mentality was built into them from day one,” senior defender Charlie Leddy, assistant captain in his second season with the Bobcats in a pre-season interview said.
“But guys like me and a couple other transfer older guys, we had to readjust and relearn things. We got a lot of differences between young and older guys, we kind of gotta exclude that and just work. We’re all here for a reason, we’re all in the same place at the same time so let’s stay together.”
On the opposite side of the spectrum are nine freshmen, Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey’s largest incoming first-year class since 2019.
“Honestly they’ve been great,” Czerneckianair said, who boasts the ‘C’ on his chest this season in a pre-season interview. “They kind of came in knowing what to do and what they were expecting, they don’t complain and they’re just putting their head down right to work so it’s really easy with those guys.”
Almost all of the newcomers have at least a year of junior hockey experience, and the team overall has a 21-year-old age average.
The ECAC Tournament Champion earns an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, and while Quinnipiac has earned the regular season champs Cleary Cup nine times, the Whitelaw Cup has eluded them for the past nine years, making the team have to rely on its Pairwise ranking to get an NCAA Tournament bid.
Last year, the team was on the verge of missing out on that spot after a rather miserable start to its season, and almost falling out of the USCHO’s top 20 for the first time since 2017.
“I thought last year we really struggled in October, cause we had a lot of kids kind of going rouge and trying to do their own thing and we got the buy in, we’d like to get to a better start this year,” Pecknold said.
Let’s take a look at the roster of players who will do their best to achieve that in the 2025-26 season.
FORWARDS
Quinnipiac’s roster sees 10 returners on its front line, alongside five newcomers. With only 12 spots across the four lines — and the caliber of Quinnipiac’s incoming class — all of the players have their work cut out for themselves.
“It’s a work in progress, kids are still battling for spots, to be on the power-play and kill penalties and then things change over the course of the year, guys that might not be killing now might be doing it in January,” Pecknold said. “We push our kids to be better, we don’t kind of lock them into roles. They can always change their fate and get more ice time and guys battle everyday.”
One of the most significant returners is sophomore Chris Pelosi, who in his first year of collegiate play netted 13 goals — tied for the second most goals amongst ECAC freshmen last season.
The center already has two more goals this season to his name and is slowly but surely shaping up to be one of the most important players for the Bobcats.
Another name to keep an eye on is senior Jeremy Wilmer, who netted 15 goals last season and recorded 26 assists.
His experience on the front line is going to be crucial for the Bobcats as he’s one of only four senior forwards on the team, only three of whom have appeared in all 38 games last season.
These seniors include Czerneckianair, Anthony Cipollone and Alex Power.
An important name on the roster is junior Mason Marcellus. The center has been a consistent player since his first season with the Bobcats.
Sophomore Aaron Schwartz was seen practicing in a no-contact jersey at the end of September and yet has already notched three points in the game against Notre Dame.
Among the newcomers, freshman Ethan Wyttenbach is definitely a stand out. The second youngest player on the team already has four points to his name (two goals and two assists).
Wyttenbach is a Calgary Flames pick with only one year of play in the USHL, where he netted 24 goals. Following his performance at the Ice Breaker Tournament, he was named ECAC Rookie of the Week.
To round out the NHL draft picks, freshman Matthew Lansing, a Vancouver Canucks agent, joins the Bobcats with three years in the USHL under his belt. He already nets a goal and an assist.
Freshman Markus Vidicek is another name that battles for his spot on the first line. The center played five years in QMJHL and recorded 328 points.
Another name hailing from QMJHL is freshman Antonin Verreault, who netted two goals so far and one assist.
The only freshman without a point to his name as of right now is Ben Riche.
DEFENDERS
Only four players on Quinnipiac’s blue line have returned from last year’s roster — and all of them are only in their second season with the Bobcats.
That might not be an inherently bad thing. Quinnipiac has seen some struggle on its defensive line-up with player inconsistencies and injuries. Having what is essentially a new team could actually work to Quinnipiac’s advantage.
A big loss came in the form of former senior forward Jack Ricketts who earned the 2025 ECAC Gladiator Best Defensive Forward accolade.
A stand-out amongst the new defenders is freshman Graham Sward. The 22-year-old Canadian has not only years of experience from WHL, but also played in two AHL games with Manitoba Moose and 47 ECHL games under Norfolk Admirals — both affiliates of the Winnipeg Jets — last season, totaling 13 points.
Sward is the only defenseman right now with a goal to his name, which he netted during the opening game as a part of the second defensive line.
His linemate, senior Will Gilson, is Quinnipiac’s only incoming transfer on the season. Gilson previously suited up for the RPI Engineers where he led the team both in points (24) and assists (16).
The starting defending line for now still belongs to the returners, and that to Leddy and sophomore Elliott Groenewold.
Alongside Pelosi, Groenewold is a Boston Bruins prospect, who last season recorded blocked shots in 27 straight games — the longest streak in the country.
“They’ve both had a great freshman year, I think they’re both poised to have really great seasons,” Pecknold said of the two.
He added with a laugh: “If the Bruins can let me have them for at least another year after this I’d appreciate that. But seriously, they are really good players and leaders already as sophomores on our team.”
In the past, Quinnipiac barely had enough defenders to fill the three line-ups, but with nine on the roster this year, the players will have to start fighting harder for that ice time.
Sophomore Drew Hockley who walked onto the team in the middle of the season last January, has yet to see any ice time this season so far. Neither has freshman Logan McCutcheon.
Freshman Brady Schultz and Nate Tivey have both suited up for two games so far, but have yet to make an impact.
Finishing up the defending line up is sophomore Braden Blace who notched one assist against Boston College in Quinnipiac’s opening game of the season.
GOALTENDERS
Not much has changed for Quinnipiac’s last line of defense. The loss of former senior goaltender Noah Altman might be a hit to morale after losing an important leadership figure, but it has not impacted the line-up sheet.
The identity of the starting goaltender before the season was still up in the air. Last year that spot belonged to junior Dylan Silverstein, who started 23 games out of the 39 that Quinnipiac played, noting 492 saves and allowing 53 goals.
He still ended the season with a .903 save percentage. And even though junior netminder Matej Marinov only started in 15 games, his save percentage was .928 with 334 shots saved, and 26 goals allowed.
So on paper, Marinov seems like the better option, right?
Still, once the Boston College game came, it was Silverstein who suited up into the net.
“He’s doing great, big win for him obviously,” Pecknold said of Silverstein on Oct. 3. “I was excited for him tonight, to give him a start.”
Now, four games into the season, both goalies have gotten their chance to shine. Marinov started the exhibition game against Providence and Quinnipiac’s most recent game against Notre Dame, earning a win for the latter game.
Silverstein also notched a loss in Quinnipiac’s game against Alaska, tying the score between the two junior netminders in the win-loss category so far (counting the exhibition match-up). So far it seems that Pecknold is trying both of them out to see who earns the spot once the ECAC season starts.
Joining the two is freshman goaltender Sam Scopa who is yet to see any collegiate ice time.
The Lexington, Massachusetts native played 44 total games in the USHL across two teams, ending his last season with the Madison Capitals with a .897 save percentage. Pecknold has given the freshmen chances to prove themselves in the previous seasons, because of Altman filling in the spot of the third goaltender, but now it would be surprising if Scopa saw any real ice time, let alone start a game with the juniors already fighting for the spot.
2-1
Four games in, and the Bobcats are 2-1 so far.
To open up its season, No. 13 Quinnipiac took a triumphant win over No. 6 Boston College on Oct. 3, the first time that these teams have squared up since the Bobcats’ overtime loss in the 2024 NCAA Regionals finals.
“It’s a great win for us, I thought both teams battled hard,” Pecknold said following the win. “It’s a very unique situation when you play the first game of the season, so obviously it’s even for both of us.”
The next day, however, the Bobcats fell to the Providence Friars 1-2 in an exhibition match-up.
Last weekend, Quinnipiac took part in the Ice Breaker Tournament in Tempe, Arizona, playing Alaska Fairbanks in the first round — losing to the independent Nanooks 1-2.
That loss however, clearly lit a fire under the Bobcats, as they took the second game against Notre Dame with a 7-2 win.
Nothing rather significant on the first glance, but anyone who has watched these games can tell that the team has a fire behind it that it seemed to sort of lack for the past few years.
“A lot of pace, fast skills, lot of grit, lot of intensity,” was Czerneckianair’s answer about what to expect from the Bobcats. “Teams are gonna struggle. Very fast team this year. So it’s gonna be fun.”
In all three games, Quinnipiac won more than 50% of face-offs. Eight different players already notched a goal on the season, and the team has 102 shots recorded so far.
However, the team also amassed 24 penalty minutes. Last season, the team had a total of 278 minutes in the sin bin, or almost 14 periods. And despite having a solid penalty-kill team, even these first three games already proved how dangerous it can be for the Bobcats, when Boston College capitalized on its power-play twice.
The Nanook’s first goal also came on their power-play giving them an advantage that the Bobcats couldn’t close after. Even Notre Dame’s second goal came from Quinnipiac’s penalty.
RANKINGS
In the USCHO Pre-season poll, Quinnipiac landed at No. 13. After its season-opening weekend, it jumped into the No. 8 spot.
However, after its third place in the Ice Breaker Tournament, Quinnipiac fell to the No. 10 spot in the third week of the season.
And to no one’s surprise, in the ECAC Pre-season poll the Bobcats were picked to repeat as Cleary Cup champions, with Marcellus earning a spot on the ECAC Pre-season All-Conference team.
REMAINING SCHEDULE
The Bobcats still have six more games before ECAC play. Opening up their home play during the university’s alumni weekend, the Bobcats will face the UMaine Black Bears in a double-header, a tradition these two teams have held for a decade now.
Following that the Bobcats will face Holy Cross, Merrimack, New Hampshire and a rematch with Alaska-Fairbanks to wrap up the pre-season.
The Bobcats will open up ECAC play against Yale on Nov. 7, which on paper should serve as a morale boost for Quinnipiac, as Yale has not won for the last 17 consecutive games.
An interesting match-up to look forward to outside of ECAC play is definitely the Nov. 15 game against No. 2 Boston University. Out of the five games these teams have played, Quinnipiac only managed to win one back in 2019 and the Bobcats haven’t faced the Terriers since November 2024.
Quinnipiac will also once again participate in CT Ice, this time facing Sacred Heart, a team the Bobcats haven’t played in the Tournament since January 2023.
Other than that, it is a regular year for the Bobcats. How well they do is up to them.
“We play with passion, we always come to the rink every single day fired up,” Leddy said. “The previous year, some days in the gym, our energy would be up and down, this year it’s been consistent. Consistency with the fire and passion, the intensity that we play at will be a huge part of this group’s success.”
FINAL THOUGHTS
Last year, Quinnipiac went 16-5-1 in the conference, but ultimately fell to Cornell in the ECAC Semifinals. With the team’s track record, it is difficult to pinpoint who they should watch out for going forward. One game they can win against Cornell, then the next day they can lose to Colgate.
On paper, this team has more than enough potential, maybe the most since its 2023 NCAA win.
However, in the wise words of Pecknold, the team has to keep maturing and keep buying in if it wants to escape the cycle it has found itself in for the past few years.
But the main goal for this season? Czerneckianair knows exactly what that is.
“Win a national championship.”