South Range Elementary School fifth grader Logan Verran, of Baltic, gets an autograph from Michigan Tech coach Bill Muckalt during the “Skate with the Huskies” event held Saturday after the intrasquad scrimmage at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

With 13 freshmen and five transfers, the Michigan Tech Huskies hockey team looks more like a professional team having been ravaged by free agency that scrambled to find players to field a full roster than a college sports team. The reality is this will be a version of how college team athletics will look moving forward, thanks to the landmark decision to allow Name, Image, Likeness payments.

As of this athletic year, things are kind of the “Wild, Wild West” in that players are transferring for any number of reasons, from not liking their head coach, to not making enough money through their NIL deals. A lot of that will ease with time, but in the short term, things feel really crazy at the moment.

If that wasn’t enough, the NCAA also decided that with the NIL decision, then athletes who have participated in the Canadian Hockey League, which is comprised of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), the Western Hockey League (WHL) and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in the past are now able to compete for American universities.

The Huskies’ roster features eight players who competed in various CHL leagues last season, including freshman defenseman Kalem Parker (WHL), freshman forward Rylan Gould (WHL), freshman forward Ryan Abraham (OHL), and freshman forward Noah Reinhart (QMJHL).

Add to that mix for the Huskies three players who competed last season for Lindenwood University in senior defenseman Jack Anderson, senior defenseman Joe Prouty, and junior goaltender Owen Bartoszkiewicz, and two players who played for Canadian universities (called USports) in sophomore forward Carson Latimer and sophomore defenseman Luca Fasciano, and Michigan Tech has very different roster than the one that competed last season.

If all of that wasn’t enough, the Huskies also have three new coaches in head coach Bill Muckalt, who was the head coach of Lindenwood last season, and assistants Benton Maass and L.J. Scarpace.

So, the Huskies held an intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday followed by a “Skate with the Huskies,” which gave those in attendance a chance to get to know all of the new faces who will be donning the Black and Gold this season.

The scrimmage ended in a 4-4 tie, triggering a shootout which was won by Team Black. A number of new faces had an impact in the game itself.

“Early on, we’re through about two weeks, 10 sessions of being on the ice with the guys and getting to know the faces, the numbers, positions, habits, details and in the game,” said Muckalt. “We’re a bunch of new players, new staff. I liked some of the foundation. You could see some of the systems out there. I thought the passing was relatively good. I liked the pace of play. It was just a good opportunity for us to evaluate through some video, teach, and build on some things that we did well, and clean some stuff up and some areas where, obviously faceoffs, and what have you to, to get ready.”

Junior forward Isaac Gordon was one of a pair of Huskies who actually left the program after last season, but ended up returning to the friendly confines of the MacInnes Student Ice Arena. He is happy to be back.

“Yeah, (it) feels good,” he said. “The guys are ready to go, and the group is a good group of guys. So, it’s been a good few weeks so far.”

Gordon has been named captain for this season, and he is humbled to be tasked with being a vocal leader in the locker room and on the ice.

“I think it’s a big responsibility and definitely an honor, but I think I’m ready for it,” he said. “I think the guys around me are respectful enough to have me lead them, and (I) just hope I can do a good job, just keep doing the same things I do every day, and try to make a positive impact.”

Along with Gordon, senior forward Stiven Sardarian is back. Sardarian was among the CCHA’s leading scorers last season, and will be counted on to keep contributing offensively this season. Muckalt had them paired with Gould, and the trio had a number of quality scoring chances, resulting in a goal each from Gordon and Gould in the scrimmage.

“Obviously, Stiven is skilled. He can make plays. He’s creative,” said Muckalt. “Gordy skates, makes plays, can shoot it, and he’s got a high motor. Then, Rylan has got skills. He just really thinks the game. He has a high hockey IQ, and good players seem to like playing with good players. I liked their game.”

Beyond that trio, Muckalt liked what he saw out of Anderson and sophomore defenseman Rylan Brown. He also liked what Latimer and Fasciano brought in their first action with an NCAA team. Lastly, he liked what he saw out of all four goaltenders the Huskies have on roster. It will be interesting to see what rotation the coaching staff goes with come the start of the season.

For now, the story of the Huskies’ season will revolve around all the new faces, including the new coaches. Senior forward Trevor Kukkonen is excited about what he sees so far.

“It’s been awesome,” he said. “Billy, he’s been right from the get go. He’s been awesome to the guys. Everybody’s super excited to have him here, given that they’re all in practice, and he does a really good job getting everybody ready to go. Really, I think we’ve been making big strides this early in the season. That’s a really good thing to see.”

Kukkonen feels that every player already has a sense that they are contributing to any success the Huskies will have this season.

“With a big roster like this, we’re all pushing each other,” he said. “We’re all trying to win for the Huskies, and just being part of the group, no matter who you are, you matter. That’s going to be a big part that all of us can play. Everybody’s going to be able to fill those roles.”

While this is a very, very early look at the Huskies, it sure appears like they are heading in the right direction while trying to navigate the new landscape of college sports.