Northern Michigan Hockey sees mass exodus as 13 players leave program

Many NCAA free agents have begun signing deals with NHL teams in recent times, and while this leaves some teams without big stars or key pieces of their roster, for Northern Michigan, the problem is much, much bigger. On a roster of 30 players, it has now been reported that the Northern Michigan Wolverines have lost 21 of those players since their 2023-24 season concluded in a wild mass exodus never seen before in NCAA hockey.

13 of those players have reportedly left via the transfer portal, with the post on X indicating that even more players are on the way out, and for a team that went 12-16-6 in 34 games played, this is a wild scene that absolutely nobody saw coming. It's unclear what the exact reason is for the players leaving, but for a team that's expected to be fairly competitive, this is very surprising.

This is arguably the first year on record that the transfer portal has been a huge talking point in NCAA hockey, but with the likes of Matthew Wood and Charlie Stramel entering the portal, it's bound to be a fun off-season for NCAA hockey.

With potential freshmen incoming and many potential additions in the transfer portal, perhaps Northern Michigan can turn things around, but for now, it's not looking good.

Source: House of Hockey