Last year, a major talking point going into the season was BGSU hockey’s 14 new players (11 freshmen and three transfers) and how they would adjust and impact Bowling Green’s success.
Additions like Jacob Steinman, Tyler Hotson, Brayden Crampton, Noah Morneau, Ty Higgins and Dominik Rymon, among others, became some of Bowling Green’s biggest contributors.
This offseason, Bowling Green announced that they will be adding nine new players as part of the incoming 2026 class. The class consists of two transfers and seven freshmen. The group is made up of three forwards, five defensemen and one goaltender.
This new group of players come from a variety of leagues and levels, including college hockey, Canadian USports, the Western Hockey League (WHL), the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL).
It marks the second year of head coach Dennis “Willy” Williams’ recruitment during his tenure at BG. The expectation is to continue to grow and improve from last year’s team with this group of new talent.
Forwards:
Thomas Verdon | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL)
Arguably Bowling Green’s most impactful addition, Verdon cemented himself as one of the best offensive talents in the QMJHL last season. The Cleveland, Ohio native scored 36 goals and 59 assists for 95 points in 64 games, also recording 189 shots on goal, 14 powerplay goals, 36 powerplay points, three shorthanded goals, 10 game-winners and a +22 +/- rating.
Verdon was among the top 10 in the QMJHL in multiple statistical categories, including goals (9th), assists (3rd), points (3rd), game-winning goals (1st), powerplay goals (tied for 6th), powerplay points (3rd), shorthanded goals (tied for 7th) and points per game (5th).
Across his five-season-long QMJHL career spent entirely with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, Verdon skated in 275 games and scored 250 career points, made up of 102 goals and 148 assists. Additionally, Verdon scored 51 career playoff points in 50 games. Eight goals and 14 assists came across 17 games in the Huskies’ 2026 playoff run.
On top of his offensive prowess, Verdon is also quite talented at the faceoff dots as the 5’11”, left-handed forward won a total 985 faceoffs last season, recording a .588 faceoff percentage.
Verdon, who served as an alternate captain for the Huskies, is an offensive weapon who is talented at both setting up and finishing plays in the offensive zone and can score in a variety ways.
Official Prediction: Verdon is an elite offensive talent who will serve as an offensive sparkplug for the Falcons during powerplay and even strength competition. Verdon will be a constant fixture in BG’s lineup and will likely be one of Williams’ top forwards immediately.
Matthew Soto | Peterborough Petes (OHL)
Matthew Soto skated in 299 career OHL games across his five-season junior career, with the St. Paul, Minnesota native spending time as a Kingston Frontenac and a Peterborough Pete. In those 299 games, Soto scored 208 career points in 83 goals and 125 assists.
In his final season of junior hockey with the Petes (68 games), Soto scored 19 goals and 32 assists for 51 points while also scoring four game-winning goals, four powerplay goals, 17 powerplay points, and a shorthanded goal while taking 160 shots on goal.
Soto’s best statistical season came in 2023-24 when he scored 25 goals and 31 assists, alongside 10 powerplay goals, four game-winning goals and 180 shots on goal as a Frontenac.
One of Soto’s biggest strengths is his skating. The 6-foot, right-handed forward creates separation with his blazing speed. Another advantage is his ability to stay out of the penalty box, serving a grand total of just 66 minutes in the penalty box across his five years in the OHL.
Official Prediction: Soto is an all-around solid player who will play in the grand majority of BG’s games, likely as a depth forward. His speed may even earn him some playing time on powerplay, four-on-four or three-on-three situations where the extra space will be to his advantage.
Teague Patton | Mount Royal University (Canada West/USports)
One of two transfers joining the Falcons next season, Teague Patton has spent the past two seasons playing for Mount Royal University of Canadian USports. During his time with the Cougars, Patton appeared in 49 games, scoring 53 career points made up of 18 goals and 35 assists.
Last season, Patton scored nine goals and 23 assists while taking 91 shots on goal and recording a +15 +/- rating. He helped the Cougars reach the Canada West conference championship, falling to the University of Saskatchewan Huskies for the second straight year.
Prior to his time with MRU, the Kelowna, British Columbia native spent parts of five seasons in the WHL where the 5’10”, right-handed forward skated in 204 career games and scored 50 goals and 86 assists. He played stints with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Victoria Royals and Everett Silvertips.
In his final WHL season in Everett, Patton scored 22 goals and 40 assists and took 186 shots. He also scored nine powerplay goals and finished with a +25 +/- while playing for Williams on the Silvertips.
Patton is an all-around talented player who possesses a powerful wrist shot and the ability to produce scoring opportunities. Patton will join the Orange and Brown with two seasons of eligibility remaining, one being used in 2026-27.
Official Prediction: Patton will play much of BG’s games and will likely line up as a middle six forward. While I don’t see him immediately starting on the powerplay, he will likely get opportunities on the unit throughout the season due to his shot and offensive playmaking abilities.
Defensemen:
Peteris Bulans | Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)
While the Riga, Latvia native is listed as a defenseman, his playstyle more closely reflects the rover of hockey yesteryear. Bulans does not limit himself to the traditional positioning of a defenseman on the ice, as the 6’01”, left-handed shot can be seen all over the ice and isn’t afraid to crash the net from the blue line to capitalize on a scoring opportunity.
Bulans spent all but two of his 206 career QMJHL games with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens and scored a total 124 career points made up of 26 goals, 98 assists and a +54 +/- rating. In his final season of juniors, Bulans scored 12 goals and 28 assists in 62 games
He scored an additional seven goals and eight assists across 20 playoff games, helping Chicoutimi claim a QMJHL championship. Serving as an alternate captain, Bulans had the second most points by a defenseman in the QMJHL during the playoffs.
Along with the QMJHL, Bulans also has experience on the international stage by representing Latvia at the 2024 and 2025 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championships. Bulans scored a goal and an assist in both tournaments and captained the 2025 Latvian team that famously upset Canada during the preliminary games.
Official Prediction: Bulans will play most of BG’s games and will likely be utilized on the powerplay right away. Bulans’ ability to roam around the ice and find openings to create opportunities will be noticeable during five-on-five and especially during man-advantage play.
Carson Campbell | Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
Campbell will join the Falcons fresh off helping the Kitchener Rangers win an OHL Championship and the prestigious Memorial Cup as the Canadian Hockey League’s overall champion. They defeated Everett of the WHL 6-2.
The Campbellford, Ontario native spent four seasons in the OHL, playing for the Sarnia Sting and Kitchener, skating in 197 games across his career.
Campbell is an example of the defensive defenseman archetype, standing at 6-foot-1, shooting right-handed, and finishing his career with just five goals, 49 assists and an impressive +31 +/- rating. This most recent season, Campbell scored two goals and 16 assists in 51 games as an alternate captain for the Rangers.
While not one to regularly appear on the scoresheet, Campbell has displayed the ability for clutch play. The defenseman scored 12 points on four goals and eight assists in 18 playoff games last season, picking up an additional three assists during the Memorial Cup tournament.
Fans should expect Campbell to block shots, break up plays, and provide a physical presence, similar in play to current Falcon Ivan Korodiuk.
Official Prediction: Campbell will skate in about half of BG’s games and will probably be in a rotation with some of the Falcons’ other defensemen. When in the lineup, Campbell will probably receive additional playing time as part of a penalty kill unit.
Mazden Leslie | Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
Originally slated to join the Falcons last season, an opportunity to play in the prestigious Memorial Cup with host city Kelowna led the Lloydminster, Alberta native to return to the WHL for an additional season.
Leslie’s WHL career spanned six seasons, spending the majority of his career with the Vancouver Giants before joining the Kelowna Rockets for his final season of junior hockey. Across his junior career, Leslie skated in 347 games and scored 75 goals and 183 assists for 258 career points. He took 939 shots on goal and scored 26 powerplay goals.
Last season, the 6-foot-1, right-handed defenseman scored 18 goals and 50 assists and recorded 239 shots on goal, two shorthanded goals, four powerplay goals, 29 powerplay points, seven game-winning goals and a +24 +/- rating while serving as an alternate captain for the Rockets.
Leslie’s best statistical season came in 2024-25 when he was serving as captain for the Giants. He scored 21 goals and 51 assists, including 14 powerplay goals.
He is a talented playmaker who has a very good shot and one-timer. His abilities become especially apparent when he has extra space to make plays during powerplay opportunities.
Official Prediction: Leslie will make an impact right away and will play many of the Falcons’ games. He will almost certainly play key minutes on both the penalty kill and powerplay units, likely setting up on the wings during the powerplay to best utilize his one-timer shot.
Cooper Wilson | Coquitlam Express (BCHL)
Wilson joins Bowling Green after spending parts of five seasons in the BCHL with the Nanaimo Clippers and the Coquitlam Express. In his junior career, Wilson appeared in 142 games and scored 46 career points made up of 39 assists and seven goals.
Last season, Wilson served as captain for the Express and scored five goals and 16 assists across 47 games.
Similar to Campbell and Korodiuk, Wilson seems to be a defensive defenseman with his game oriented around physicality, breaking up plays and blocking shots. A major advantage of Wilson is his 6-foot-4 frame, tying the North Vancouver, British Columbia native with Korodiuk and Jake Sloan for the tallest player on the Falcon roster next season.
Williams could develop Wilson as a player to help the Falcons in the future, especially after names like Breck McKinley and Ivan Korodiuk leave the team due to graduation or other adventures over the next two seasons.
Official Prediction: Wilson’s first season will likely be focused on development with the defenseman making occasional appearances. When in the lineup, Wilson will likely be included in one of the penalty kill units.
Evan Bushy | Lake Superior State Lakers (CCHA)
The second of Bowling Green’s two additions from the transfer portal, Bushy joins the Falcons for his senior season after spending three seasons as a CCHA foe with Lake Superior State.
During his three seasons in Sault Ste. Marie, Bushy skated in 106 career games and scored four goals and 38 assists for 42 career points. He took 125 career shots and blocked 148 career shots.
Last season, the Thief River Falls, Minnesota native scored three goals and 10 assists across 36 games while serving as an alternate captain for the Lakers. His most notable stat was his 70 blocked shots, which was the third most in the CCHA last season.
Prior to his time in the CCHA, Bushy spent stints in the United States Hockey League (USHL), North American Hockey League (NAHL) and the BCHL with his junior career ultimately ending with the Trail Smoke Eaters of the BCHL in 2022-23. Bushy scored seven goals and 28 assists in 54 games while captaining that team.
Bushy is the epitome of a two-way defenseman as the 6-foot-1, left-handed blue liner is able to add both offensive production and defensive stability. He will likely lead the Falcons in blocked shots next season.
Official Prediction: Bushy will play almost all, if not all of BG’s games and will likely receive key minutes on the penalty kill and during the dying minutes of close games when defensive play is of the utmost importance.
Goaltending:
Cooper Michaluk | Trail Smoke Eaters (BCHL)
Michaluk joins Steinman and Tyler Palmer to maintain Bowling Green’s trio of goalies following the departure of Cole Moore to UMass Lowell through the transfer portal.
Michaluk spent the 2025-26 season with the Trail Smoke Eaters of the BCHL where the Sherwood Park, Alberta native appeared in 25 games. He retained a .899 save percentage and a 3.07 goals-against average after saving 687 of the 764 shots he faced last season.
Michaluk also made appearances in all four games of Trail’s brief playoff run while the Smoke Eaters were swept by the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. Michaluk put together a strong stat line for the postseason, making 117 saves across the four playoff games and recording a 2.39 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage.
Prior to his season with the Smoke Eaters, Michaluk spent parts of four seasons in the WHL playing for the Spokane Chiefs and the Prince George Cougars. Michaluk appeared in 91 games across his WHL career and racked up a career 2530 saves to go along with a 4.16 goals-against average and a .878 save percentage, recording a lone shutout.
Michaluk, who stands at 6-foot-2, certainly shows promise for the future and will have time to develop behind BG’s proven duo of Steinman and Palmer during his first couple of seasons in the NCAA.
Official Prediction: Michaluk’s first season will be mostly centered around development. He will make occasional starts while playing behind Palmer and Steinman who will take on the grand majority of the goaltending workload next season.
