The Gophers men’s hockey team on Monday lost its sixth player who’s leaving early for professional hockey when junior defenseman Ryan Chesley agreed an amateur tryout contract with the Hershey Bears, the AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals.
Chesley is expected to sign a three-year entry-level deal with the Capitals at a later date, the NHL team said.
Chesley, a 2022 second-round draft pick, joins first-round picks Jimmy Snuggerud (St. Louis), Sam Rinzel (Chicago), Oliver Moore (Chicago) and Matthew Wood (Nashville), plus sixth-round pick Connor Kurth (Tampa Bay) in signing with collegiate eligibility remaining. Those six players produced 89 goals and 125 assists, which accounted for 57.8% of the team’s goals in 2024-25 and 47.9% of its assists.
Chesley, 20, had eight goals and 12 assists this season and led the Gophers with 73 blocked shots. The 6-1, 205-pound Mahtomedi native had 12 goals, 26 assists and 201 blocked shots in his three-year Gophers career.
With those six early departures and five seniors or graduate students leaving, the Gophers will have holes to fill on next season’s roster. Forwards Aaron Huglen, Mason Nevers and Nick Michel; defenseman Mike Koster; and goalie Liam Souliere have exhausted their eligibility.
The Gophers have seven recruits who have signed with the program, but that doesn’t necessarily mean all will join the team for the 2025-26 season.
• Forward Jacob Kvasnicka, a Burnsville native who has 13 goals and 18 assists in 54 games with the U.S. National Team Development Program’s under-18 team.
• Forward LJ Mooney, a West Mifflin, Pa., native who has eight goals and 26 assists with the USNTDPs under-18 team.
