Ever since the college hockey transfer portal opened on March 30, Bulldog hockey has made waves in the transfer portal.
Ferris has lost three players, but they have gained 11 new players for next year’s team. Ferris posted a 13-20-3 record in the 2024-25 campaign before being eliminated by the St. Thomas Tommies in the first round of the CCHA tournament.
Out
Redshirt-sophomore forward Cole Burtch
Burtch led the Bulldogs in scoring last season with 29 points while leading the team in assists with 19. Burtch played one season with the Bulldogs and will stay in the CCHA with the Augustana Vikings.
Junior forward Caiden Gault
Gault is coming off a Hobey Baker nomination and was the Bulldogs’ leading goal scorer this past season with 15 goals. After spending three years with the Bulldogs, Gault will stay in the CCHA but will play for the Northern Michigan Wildcats.
Junior defenseman Travis Shoudy
The former Bulldog captain spent the last three years with the team. The CCHA Defenseman of the Year finalist posted 18 points (6-12-18) in his junior season. Shoudy will take his talents to Colorado College for his senior season.
In
Sophomore forward Carter Rapalje (Long Island)
With the hiring of head coach Brett Riley from Long Island University, he brought five players with him via the transfer portal. Rapalje was Long Island’s leading goal scorer with 17 while being the overall scoring leader. (17-13–30)
Junior defenseman Valtteri Piironen (Long Island)
Piironen tallied 12 points (1-11–12) and led the team in blocks with 61 in his junior season. Piironen will spend his senior year with the Bulldogs.
Junior forward Riley Wallack (Long Island)
Wallack appeared in only 14 games for the Sharks last season and scored 11 points on the year (6-5–11) while recording 5 blocked shots. Wallack won 143 faceoffs in 2024-25 for a .540 faceoff percentage. Wallack will spend his senior year with Ferris State.
Junior forward Josh Zary (Long Island)
The British Columbian will spend his senior year at Ferris after scoring 19 points in 29 games last season for the Sharks (12-7–19), which was good for third on the team.
Sophomore goalie Noah Rupprecht (Long Island)
Rupprecht started 17 of the 20 games he played for the Sharks and logged almost 980 minutes in the net. He was 12-5-0 in his 17 starts, and he posted a .901 save percentage with a 2.33 goals against average.
Senior defenseman Nic Belpedio (Colgate)
Belpedio posted 9 points in 30 games played (3-6–9) while blocking 18 shots for the Raiders. Belpedio will spend his fifth year with the Bulldogs.
Freshman defenseman Brian Morse (Maine)
Morse didn’t touch the ice for the Black Bears. Before going to Maine, Morse spent two seasons with the Chilliwack Chiefs in the BCHL. In the 2022-23 season with the Chiefs, Morse played in 68 games and recorded 31 points (8-23–31) as well as 10 points in 15 playoff games. In the 2023-24 season, the defenseman played in 61 games and recorded 30 points (8-22–30).
Junior forward Maxwell Dukovac (Miami of Ohio)
Dukovac scored 10 points in 25 games for the RedHawks (5-5–10) while also blocking 12 shots. The junior was named to the NCHC Academic All-Conference Team in 2024-25.
Senior forward Caden Brown (Ohio State)
Brown scored two points in two games for the 12th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (1-1–2). Brown earned Academic All-Big Ten and Ohio State Scholar-Athlete honors in 2024-25.
Sophomore defenseman Jack Mesic (Western Michigan)
Mesic played in 5 games for the National Championship-winning Broncos, but didn’t score any points while blocking one shot. Mesic is returning to Ferris State, where he played before transferring to Western Michigan following the 2023-24 season. During his time with the Bulldogs, Mesic played in 36 games and scored 10 points (2-8–10).
Sophomore goalie Hobie Hendquist (North Dakota)
Hendquist logged over 500 minutes and started 8 of the 10 games he played. The sophomore goalie ended the season with a 2.80 goals against average and a .894 save percentage. Hendquist is the second of two goalies to transfer to Ferris State.
Junior forward John Lundy (American International)
Lundy tagged 20 points in 37 games for the Yellow Jackets in his junior season (10-10–20), which was third on the team. Lundy will spend his senior season with the Bulldogs.