Gophers men's hockey team lands two recruits, including Logan Cooley's cousin

Forwards John "LJ" Mooney of West Mifflin, Pa., and Hayden Reid of Ontario verbally committed to Minnesota.

October 16, 2023 at 1:44AM
Teammates celebrate with Minnesota forward Jimmy Snuggerud (81) (center) who had just scored his third goal of the game in the third period. The Minnesota Gophers men's hockey hosted the Minnesota State Mavericks on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022 at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. ] RENEE JONES SCHNEIDER • renee.jones@startribune.com
Gophers players celebrated a goal during the 2022-23 season. (Renée Jones Schneider, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Gophers men's hockey team on Sunday received verbal commitments from two forwards: John "LJ" Mooney, who is a cousin of former Gophers star Logan Cooley, and Hayden Reid, a Canadian who decommitted from Colgate.

Mooney, a center from West Mifflin, Pa., is in his first year with the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Mich., playing for the Under-17 National Team. The 5-6, 146-pound 16-year-old spent the past three seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Program, the same program for which Cooley played before becoming the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft by the Arizona Coyotes. Mooney had 33 goals and 47 assists in 54 games for the Under-16 AAA team in 2022-23. He is expected to join the Gophers for the 2026-27 season.

Reid, 17, is a center/left winger from Orono, Ontario, who plays for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the U.S. Hockey League. The 5-11, 181-pounder played for the Leamington Flyers of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League in 2022-23, collecting 16 goals and 24 assists in 47 games. Reid gave Colgate a verbal commitment in February but flipped to Minnesota. He is projected to join the Gophers for the 2025-26 season.

Etc.

* The Gophers soccer team (6-5-4, 2-4-2 Big Ten) outshot Nebraska 16-10, but lost 2-0 at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. The Cornhuskers (11-2-3, 5-1-2) scored once in each half, getting goals from Sarah Weber and Florence Belzile.

* Two Gophers, Ben Warian and Bennett Swavely, had career bests in the morning round of the Quail Valley Invitational in Vero Beach, Fla. Warian shot a 64 and is tied for third after two rounds; Swavely had a 67 and is tied for 10th. The Gophers are tied for eighth in the team competition.

* The Gophers' women's tennis doubles team of Sofia Pinto and Mia Liepert lost 8-5 to top seeds Dana Guzman and Alina Shcherbinina of Oklahoma in the quarterfinals of the ITA Central Region Championships in Lawrence, Kan.

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about the writer

Randy Johnson

College football reporter

Randy Johnson covers University of Minnesota football and college football for the Star Tribune, along with Gophers hockey and the Wild.

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