2025–26 Ohio State Buckeyes men's ice hockey season
| 2025–26 Ohio State Buckeyes men's ice hockey season | |
|---|---|
| Conference |
|
| Home ice | Value City Arena |
| Rankings | |
| USCHO | #19 |
| USA Hockey | #19 |
| Record | |
| Overall | 14–20–2 |
| Conference | 5–14–1 |
| Home | 6–10–1 |
| Road | 8–10–1 |
| Neutral | 0–0–0 |
| Coaches and captains | |
| Head coach | Steve Rohlik |
| Assistant coaches | J. B. Bittner Paul Kirtland Carter Krier |
| Captain | Davis Burnside |
| Alternate captain(s) | Adam Eisele Nathan McBrayer Riley Thompson |
| Ohio State Buckeyes men's ice hockey seasons « 2024–25 2026–27 » | |
The 2025–26 Ohio State Buckeyes men's ice hockey season is the 63rd season for the program and 13th season in the Big Ten Conference. The Buckeyes represent the Ohio State University in the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, play their home games at Value City Arena and are coached by Steve Rohlik in his 13th season.
Departures
| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caden Brown | Forward | United States | Graduate transfer to Ferris State |
| Damien Carfagna | Defenseman | United States | Signed professional contract (Edmonton Oilers) |
| Joe Dunlap | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Laval Rocket) |
| Gunnarwolfe Fontaine | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Iowa Wild) |
| Dylan Godbout | Forward | United States | Transferred to St. Thomas |
| Patrick Guzzo | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Manitoba Moose) |
| Aiden Hansen-Bukata | Defenseman | Canada | Graduation (signed with Syracuse Crunch) |
| Reilly Herbst | Goaltender | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Brent Johnson | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Wheeling Nailers) |
| John Larkin | Defenseman | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Logan Terness | Goaltender | Canada | Graduation (signed with Florida Everblades) |
| Theo Wallberg | Defenseman | Sweden | Transferred to Western Michigan |
Recruiting
| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Félix Caron | Forward | Canada | 20 | Terrebonne, QC; transfer from Rensselaer |
| Niall Crocker | Forward | Canada | 21 | Delta, BC |
| Adam Eisele | Forward | United States | 24 | Lake Elmo, MN; transfer from Minnesota State |
| Landen Gunderson | Forward | United States | 20 | Plymouth, MN |
| Sam Hillebrandt | Goaltender | United States | 20 | Port Huron, MI |
| Bryce Ingles | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Clyde, MI |
| Jake Karabela | Forward | Canada | 21 | Guelph, ON; selected 149th overall in 2022 |
| Dawson Labre | Goaltender | Canada | 21 | Les Cèdres, QC; selected 193rd overall in 2022 |
| Sam McGinley | Defenseman | Canada | 22 | Calgary, AB; transfer from New Brunswick |
| Broten Sabo | Defenseman | United States | 22 | Rosemount, MN; transfer from Alaska |
| Ethan Straky | Defenseman | United States | 22 | Walnut Creek, CA; transfer from Colorado College |
Roster
As of August 18, 2025.[1]
| No. | Nat. | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dawson Labre | Freshman | G | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2004-06-22 | Les Cèdres, Quebec | West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL) | — | |
| 2 | Chris Able | Sophomore | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 198 lb (90 kg) | 2004-11-04 | Libertyville, Illinois | Chicago Steel (USHL) | — | |
| 5 | Ethan Straky | Senior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 181 lb (82 kg) | 2003-04-18 | Walnut Creek, California | Colorado College (NCHC) | — | |
| 7 | Chris Romaine | Sophomore | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 196 lb (89 kg) | 2004-02-21 | Boston, Massachusetts | Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) | COL, 193rd overall 2022 | |
| 8 | Nathan McBrayer (A) | Junior | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 173 lb (78 kg) | 2004-05-11 | Dublin, Ohio | Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) | — | |
| 9 | Riley Thompson (A) | Junior | F | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2002-08-17 | Orleans, Ontario | Alaska Anchorage (NCAA) | — | |
| 10 | Thomas Weis | Junior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2002-02-08 | Madison, Wisconsin | Madison Capitols (USHL) | — | |
| 11 | Jake Rozzi | Sophomore | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | 2004-01-27 | Kirkland, Quebec | Tri-City Storm (USHL) | — | |
| 13 | Félix Caron | Sophomore | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 168 lb (76 kg) | 2004-12-01 | Terrebonne, Quebec | Rensselaer (ECAC) | — | |
| 15 | Adam Eisele (A) | Graduate | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2001-07-11 | Lake Elmo, Minnesota | Minnesota State (CCHA) | — | |
| 16 | Max Montes | Junior | F | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 2003-09-01 | Hartland, Wisconsin | Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) | — | |
| 17 | Landen Gunderson | Freshman | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2004-11-28 | Plymouth, Minnesota | Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) | — | |
| 19 | James Hong | Sophomore | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 168 lb (76 kg) | 2004-07-02 | Seoul, South Korea | Madison Capitols (USHL) | — | |
| 21 | Bryce Ingles | Freshman | D | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 181 lb (82 kg) | 2005-06-08 | Clyde, Michigan | Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) | — | |
| 23 | Davis Burnside (C) | Senior | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 176 lb (80 kg) | 2003-09-22 | Scottsdale, Arizona | Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) | — | |
| 24 | Niall Crocker | Freshman | F | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 196 lb (89 kg) | 2004-07-31 | Delta, British Columbia | Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) | — | |
| 25 | Sam Deckhut | Junior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 186 lb (84 kg) | 2002-04-02 | San Diego, California | Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) | — | |
| 27 | Sam McGinley | Junior | D | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 2002-12-03 | Calgary, Alberta | New Brunswick (AUS) | — | |
| 28 | William Smith | Junior | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 193 lb (88 kg) | 2003-03-29 | Toronto, Ontario | Omaha Lancers (USHL) | — | |
| 29 | Ryan Gordon | Junior | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2002-05-05 | Duluth, Georgia | Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) | — | |
| 30 | Sam Hillebrandt | Freshman | G | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2005-02-21 | Port Huron, Michigan | Barrie Colts (OHL) | — | |
| 49 | Jake Karabela | Freshman | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 2004-03-07 | Guelph, Ontario | Guelph Storm (OHL) | WSH, 149th overall 2022 | |
| 60 | Kristoffer Eberly | Junior | G | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 208 lb (94 kg) | 2002-12-10 | Pinckney, Michigan | Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) | — | |
| 63 | Nathan Lewis | Sophomore | F | 6' 6" (1.98 m) | 209 lb (95 kg) | 2004-07-27 | Chicago, Illinois | Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) | — | |
| 73 | Broten Sabo | Junior | D | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 194 lb (88 kg) | 2002-08-09 | Rosemount, Minnesota | Alaska (NCAA) | — | |
| 91 | Jake Dunlap | Senior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 2001-12-05 | Windham, New Hampshire | New Hampshire (HEA) | — |
Standings
| Conference record | Overall record | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | 3/SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | |||
| #3 Michigan State † | 24 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 51 | 88 | 54 | 35 | 25 | 8 | 2 | 131 | 74 | ||
| #1 Michigan | 24 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 49 | 96 | 66 | 36 | 28 | 7 | 1 | 162 | 85 | ||
| #10т Penn State | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 41 | 86 | 82 | 36 | 21 | 13 | 2 | 135 | 114 | ||
| #12 Wisconsin | 24 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 95 | 84 | 35 | 21 | 12 | 2 | 130 | 108 | ||
| #19 Ohio State | 24 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 29 | 78 | 100 | 36 | 14 | 20 | 2 | 116 | 127 | ||
| Minnesota | 24 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 27 | 61 | 79 | 36 | 11 | 22 | 3 | 97 | 125 | ||
| Notre Dame | 24 | 5 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 65 | 104 | 37 | 9 | 23 | 5 | 103 | 151 | ||
| Championship: March 21, 2026 † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated March 14, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||
Schedule and results
| Date | Time | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | |||||||||||
| October 10 | 6:30 pm | Northern Michigan* | #16 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | Eberly | W 5–2 | 3,520 | 1–0–0 | |||
| October 11 | 5:00 pm | Northern Michigan* | #16 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | Eberly | W 3–1 | 2,976 | 2–0–0 | |||
| October 17 | 7:00 pm | at #12 Connecticut* | #16 | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Eberly | L 2–3 | 2,513 | 2–1–0 | ||
| October 18 | 4:00 pm | at #12 Connecticut* | #16 | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Eberly | W 4–2 | 5,133 | 3–1–0 | ||
| October 24 | 6:30 pm | Sacred Heart* | #14 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | Eberly | L 1–2 OT | 3,635 | 3–2–0 | |||
| October 25 | 5:00 pm | Sacred Heart* | #14 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | Eberly | W 3–0 | 3,071 | 4–2–0 | |||
| October 30 | 6:30 pm | #4 Penn State | #17 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN | Eberly | L 2–3 | 3,709 | 4–3–0 (0–1–0) | ||
| October 31 | 6:30 pm | #4 Penn State | #17 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | Hillebrandt | L 3–4 | 4,986 | 4–4–0 (0–2–0) | |||
| November 14 | 8:00 pm | at #7 Wisconsin | Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin | Eberly | W 5–1 | 9,255 | 5–4–0 (1–2–0) | ||||
| November 15 | 7:00 pm | at #7 Wisconsin | Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin | Eberly | L 5–6 OT | 10,963 | 5–5–0 (1–3–0) | ||||
| November 21 | 7:00 pm | at #2 Michigan | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan | Eberly | L 2–5 | 5,800 | 5–6–0 (1–4–0) | ||||
| November 22 | 7:00 pm | at #2 Michigan | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan | Eberly | L 1–8 | 5,800 | 5–7–0 (1–5–0) | ||||
| November 28 | 5:00 pm | at Arizona State* | Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona | Eberly | L 2–3 OT | 4,507 | 5–8–0 | ||||
| November 29 | 7:00 pm | at Arizona State* | Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona | Fox 10 | Hillebrandt | L 3–4 OT | 4,867 | 5–9–0 | |||
| December 4 | 7:30 pm | Minnesota | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN | Eberly | L 3–6 | 4,297 | 5–10–0 (1–6–0) | |||
| December 5 | 6:00 pm | Minnesota | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN | Eberly | W 6–5 OT | 4,484 | 6–10–0 (2–6–0) | |||
| January 2 | 6:30 pm | Bowling Green* | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN+ | Eberly | T 2–2 OT | 5,779 | 6–10–1 | |||
| January 3 | 6:07 pm | at Bowling Green* | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | Midco Sports+ | Hillebrandt | L 3–5 | 5,000 | 6–11–1 | |||
| January 9 | 6:30 pm | #2 Michigan State | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | Eberly | L 2–6 | 4,627 | 6–12–1 (2–7–0) | ||||
| January 10 | 5:00 pm | #2 Michigan State | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | Hillebrandt | W 2–1 | 5,553 | 7–12–1 (3–7–0) | ||||
| January 23 | 7:05 pm | at Notre Dame | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana | Peacock | Hillebrandt | W 4–2 | 5,186 | 8–12–1 (4–7–0) | |||
| January 24 | 5:00 pm | at Notre Dame | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana | Peacock | Eberly | L 1–6 | 5,087 | 8–13–1 (4–8–0) | |||
| January 30 | 6:30 pm | #1 Michigan | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | Hillebrandt | L 4–6 | 7,659 | 8–14–1 (4–9–0) | ||||
| January 31 | 5:00 pm | #1 Michigan | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | Hillebrandt | L 2–3 OT | 8,188 | 8–15–1 (4–10–0) | ||||
| February 6 | 8:00 pm | at Minnesota | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | BTN+, Fox9 | Hillebrandt | W 6–2 | 9,381 | 9–15–1 (5–10–0) | |||
| February 7 | 9:00 pm | at Minnesota | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | BTN | Hillebrandt | W 2–1 | 8,707 | 10–15–1 (6–10–0) | |||
| February 13 | 6:30 pm | #13 Wisconsin | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | Hillebrandt | L 2–4 | 4,874 | 10–16–1 (6–11–0) | ||||
| February 14 | 7:30 pm | #13 Wisconsin | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | BTN | Eberly | W 3–2 | 5,332 | 11–16–1 (7–11–0) | |||
| February 20 | 8:30 pm | at #6 Penn State | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | BTN | Hillebrandt | L 4–11 | 6,486 | 11–17–1 (7–12–0) | |||
| February 21 | 8:00 pm | at #6 Penn State | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | BTN | Eberly | L 4–5 OT | 6,515 | 11–18–1 (7–13–0) | |||
| February 27 | 8:30 pm | at #1 Michigan State | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, Michigan | BTN | Eberly | W 5–1 | 6,555 | 12–18–1 (8–13–0) | |||
| February 28 | 8:00 pm | at #1 Michigan State | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, Michigan | BTN | Eberly | T 3–3 SOL | 6,555 | 12–18–2 (8–13–1) | |||
| March 5 | 6:30 pm | Notre Dame | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | Eberly | L 4–5 OT | 6,852 | 12–19–2 (8–14–1) | ||||
| March 6 | 6:30 pm | Notre Dame | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | Hillebrandt | L 3–4 OT | 5,989 | 12–20–2 (8–15–1) | ||||
| Big Ten Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 11 | 8:00 pm | at #10т Wisconsin* | Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin (Quarterfinal) | B1G+ | Eberly | W 7–1 | 11,297 | 13–20–2 | |||
| March 14 | 7:30 pm | at #3 Michigan State* | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, Michigan (Semifinal) | BTN | Eberly | W 3–2 OT | 6,555 | 14–20–2 | |||
| March 21 | 8:00 pm | at #1 Michigan | #19 | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan (Championship) | BTN | ||||||
| *Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source:[2] | |||||||||||
Scoring statistics
Rankings
| Poll | Week | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 (Final) | |
| USCHO.com | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 19 | RV | RV | RV | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | RV | NR | 19 | |||
| USA Hockey | 17 | 16т | 15 | 15 | 17 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 19 | |||
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 12.[4]
Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.
References
- ^ "2025–26 Roster". Ohio State Buckeyes. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
- ^ "Men's Ice Hockey Schedule". Ohio State Buckeyes. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
- ^ "Ohio State Univ. 2025-2026 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.