OMAHA, Neb. – Omaha hockey announced the addition of 15 student-athletes to complete its 2025-26 roster on Thursday.
The makeup of the incoming Mavericks' class by academic year includes seven freshmen, five sophomores, two juniors and one senior. By position, Omaha adds 10 forwards, four defensemen and one goaltender for the upcoming campaign.
"We could not be more excited about the group of student-athletes joining our program this fall," head coach Mike Gabinet said. "These young men are not only elite hockey players, but they are outstanding competitors and high-character individuals who are hungry to help us chase a championship. They come from winning backgrounds, bring a relentless work ethic and understand what it means to wear an Omaha jersey with pride."
#11 Sam Huo, F, SR: Huo comes to Omaha following three seasons (2022-25) with the University of British Columbia (U Sports), where he totaled 106 points (46G-60A) in 92 games played. In his time as a Thunderbird, the Richmond, British Columbia native won a U Sports (West) championship and was named to the First All-Star Team. In January 2025, Huo won gold with Canada at the FISU World University Winter Games in Torino, Italy.
Before his U Sports career, Huo played in 280 games over five seasons (2017-22) in the Western Hockey League (WHL) split between Seattle and Tri-City, where he recorded 126 points (60G-66A).
#22 Aidan de la Gorgendiere, D, JR: de la Gorgendiere comes to Omaha following 50 games over the past two seasons with the University of Alberta (U Sports), where he tallied 55 points (12G-43A). The Langley, British Columbia native skated in 276 games with Saskatoon (WHL) over six seasons (2018-23) and had 173 points (25G-148A). He served as Saskatoon's captain in his final two seasons with the Blades.
de la Gorgendiere was named a U Sports (West) First Team All-Star and a U Sports All-Canadian Second Team member in the 2024-25 season and was a U Sports (West) All-Rookie Team member in the 2023-24 season.
#3 Landon Kosior, D, JR: Kosior joins the Mavericks after skating in 48 contests over two seasons (2023-25) with the University of Saskatchewan (U Sports), where he registered 42 points (11G-31A). The blueliner was named to the 2023-24 U Sports (West) All-Rookie Team, and in 2024-25, he was named to the Second All-Star Team, won a U Sports (West) Championship and earned a U Sports University Cup Bronze Medal.
Before his time with the Huskies, the Regina, Saskatchewan native appeared in 218 games with Prince Albert (WHL) over four seasons (2019-23), where he produced 136 points (45G-91A). Named an alternate captain in 2022-23, he was also named to the WHL (East) Second All-Star Team.
#71 Brett Hyland, F, SO: Hyland joins the new group of Maverick forwards after one season at the University of Alberta, where he totaled 37 points (16G-21A) in 27 games. The 2023 seventh round (200th overall) Washington Capitals (NHL) draft pick skated with Brandon (WHL), where in 205 games over five seasons, racked up 151 points (76G-75A) and served as a captain for two campaigns.
This past season, Hyland was named to the U Sports (West) All-Rookie Team and Second All-Star Team.
#24 Marc Lajoie, D, SO: The Mavericks have added Lajoie to its pack of blueliners following one season with the University of Alberta, where he notched 26 points (5G-21A) in 34 games. Before the 2024-25 campaign, the St. Albert, Alberta native appeared in 292 games in the WHL with Tri-City (2018-23), where he served as captain during his final season, and with Edmonton (2023-24). In the WHL, Lajoie totaled 152 points (53G-99A).
Lajoie was named to the WHL (Central) Second All-Star Team in 2023-24. In 2024-25, he was honored on the U Sports All-Rookie Team and the U Sports (West) All-Rookie Team.
#23 Max Pellerin, F, SO: Pellerin comes to play in the NCAA after one season with McGill University (U Sports), where he recorded 30 points (14G-16A) in 31 games. Before joining McGill, the Victoriaville, Quebec native played in 320 games over five seasons (2019-24) and tallied 266 points (127G-139A) with Victoriaville of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He also served as Victoriaville's captain for three seasons (2021-24) and won a QMJHL championship in 2020-21.
#19 Sean Tschigerl, F, SO: Omaha adds Tschigerl, who led the University of Alberta in goals (22) and points (46) and tacked on the second-most helpers (24) in 32 games last season. The Whitecourt, Alberta native earned numerous honors in his sole season with the Golden Bears, was named to the U Sports All-Canadian First Team, All-Rookie-Team and won the league's Clare Drake Award given to the Rookie of the Year.
Prior to the 2024-25 campaign, Tschigerl played in 285 games between Calgary (2018-24) and Lethbridge (2024) of the WHL and recorded 217 points (98G-119A). Tschigerl was taken in the 2021 NHL Draft by the Anaheim Ducks in the fifth round (130th overall).
#38 Trevor Wong, F, SO: Wong joins the Mavericks after one season at the University of Saskatchewan, where he totaled 24 points (4G-20A) in 34 games, won a U Sports (West) Championship and the league's University Cup Bronze Medal.
Prior to his time with the Huskies, the Vancouver, British Columbia, native played in 303 games between Kelowna (2018-21) and Saskatoon (2021-24) of the WHL over six seasons, where he accumulated 305 points (83G-222A). Wong served as Saskatoon's captain and led the WHL in assists (86) in 2023-24. Additionally, Wong was named to the WHL (East) Second All-Star Team in the 2022-23 season and the WHL (East) First All-Star Team in the 2023-24 season.
#9 Cam Briere, F, FR: Briere comes to Omaha after playing 145 games in the United States Hockey League (USHL) between Tri-City (2021-25) and Chicago (2025), totaling 74 points (41G-33A). Hailing from Stillwater, Minn., Briere played with Stillwater High School (USHS-MN) in 2021-22 and recorded 34 points (22G-12A) in 27 games.
#73 Dawson Cowan, G, FR: Cowan is the sole goaltender of the incoming student-athletes. The Warren, Manitoba native played in 70 games, posting a 47-20-2 record, a 3.10 goals against average, and a .890 save percentage and was tied for the second most shutouts (four) in the WHL with Spokane in the 2024-25 season. Cowan's 34 regular season wins led the WHL this past season.
In 149 WHL games between Winnipeg (2021-22) and Spokane (2022-25), Cowan posted a 77-60-5 record, a 3.52 goals against average, a .884 save percentage and six shutouts.
#86 Jérémy Loranger, F, FR: Loranger enters 2025-26 after racking up numerous accolades with Sherwood Park of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). After recording 119 points (48G-71A) in 62 games, the Trois-Rivières, Quebec native was honored as the BCHL's Most Valuable Player (Vern Dye Memorial Trophy), Rookie of the Year (Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy), a First Team All-Star and a member of the All-Rookie Team.
The Blue Jackets 2025 seventh round (198th overall) draft pick led the BCHL in points (105) during the regular season.
#72 Marcus Nguyen, F, FR: Nguyen comes to the Mavericks after he tallied 67 points (37G-30A) in 73 games with Brandon (WHL). The Calgary, Alberta native's 36 goals in the regular season led Brandon. Nguyen also recorded 234 points (121G-113A) through 327 WHL games between Portland (2020-24) and Brandon (2024-25).
#27 Joel Plante, F, FR: Omaha rounds out its forwards with the addition of Plante, who split the 2024-25 season between Nanaimo (BCHL) and Portland (WHL). With Nanaimo, the Langley, British Columbia native recorded 28 points (12G-16A) in 25 games, and he tallied 15 points (5G-10A) in 39 games with Portland.
Before 2024-25, Plante skated in 193 BCHL games between Surrey (2021-22) and Nanaimo (2022-24) and accumulated 88 points (45G-43A).
#44 Spencer Sova, D, FR: Capping off the Maverick blueliners is Sova, who recorded 32 points in (5G-27A) in 62 games with Brampton of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The Tecumseh, Ontario native totaled 130 points (44G-86A) through 258 OHL games over four seasons between Erie (2021-24) and Brampton (2024-25).
Sova served as Erie's captain in 2023-24 and also registered three assists in three games with Canada in the 2022 U18 World Championship in Germany, where he wore an "A" on his uniform.
#12 Luke Woodworth, F, FR: Omaha has added Woodworth to its core of forwards, as he joins the Mavericks after he tallied 97 points (21G-76A) in 68 games with Drummondville (QMJHL) and led the league in assists in 2024-25.
Through five seasons (2020-25) with the Voltigeurs, the Bridgewater, Nova Scotia native has skated in 335 games and recorded 325 points (91G-234A). Woodworth also served as captain during his final two seasons with Drummondville.
Woodworth won a QMJHL Championship, led the playoffs in assists (17) in 2023-24 and was named to the Second All-Star Team in 2024-25.
"This class includes several former captains and assistant captains, reflecting the type of leadership and character we want in our locker room," Gabinet added. "We also have a good mix of different class years coming in, which will add depth and balance to our lineup while bringing fresh energy and valuable experience into our group. Each one adds a layer of skill, speed, and grit that will help us play the brand of hockey necessary for success. We believe this group will make an immediate impact, raise the standard every day and add to the culture we have built here. Our future is bright, and we cannot wait for our fans to get to know them and watch them compete for our program."
The 2025-26 regular season begins with a two-game series on Friday, Oct. 10, and Saturday, Oct. 11, when Minnesota State visits Kemp Ice at Baxter Arena.
Season ticket memberships are available now. Please visit OMavs.com/tix for more information.
Connect with Omaha hockey on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, @OmahaHKY.
