Second-year head coach of the Miami RedHawks, Anthony Noreen, and essentially his new team are closing in on their home opener later this week. Practices have been intense, and this group already looks far more like an NCHC program should, with improvements in compete level, physicality, conditioning, and skill.
Expectations around the fan base remain low, and understandably so. Miami did not win a single NCHC conference game last season and last earned a victory nearly a year ago, on Oct. 26, 2024, against Lindenwood. After finishing 3-28-3, there is only one direction left to go, and that is up.
Related: Miami’s Anthony Noreen & Blake Mesenburg Speak at NCHC Media Days
Still, there are reasons for optimism. This may not be a season that ends with an NCHC championship or an NCAA Tournament bid, but there are signs that Miami can surprise people. A .500 record is a realistic target, and even in a league as strong as the NCHC, with powers like Denver, Arizona State, North Dakota, and Western Michigan around the top, the RedHawks could very well make some strides in the standings.
I recently spoke with Noreen, discussing his team, the season ahead, their schedule, and much more.
Building a New Roster
First, we have to break down the current roster now that it has been released for a good bit. It includes 28 players: 16 forwards, nine defensemen, and three goaltenders. The group features 12 freshmen and seven transfers. Only seven players returned from last season: graduate Nick Donato, seniors Blake Mesenburg and Brayden Morrison, and sophomores Michael Quinn, Casper Nassen, John Emmons, and David Grosek.
When asked about finally having his full group together in Oxford, Noreen said,
“I mean, I think just from a culture standpoint and a competitive standpoint and what we were aiming to do with the people that we were going to put in that room, I think it’s been great. It’s been highly competitive every single day. There hasn’t been a drop-off.
Culturally, number one, they’re a high-character group of guys. Everything they’ve done so far, whether it’s out in the community, outside the rink, in the classroom, and just the way they interact with each other and people around town, they’ve been an absolute joy in giving us a high level of excitement to walk in and work with them every single day. We got a lot to do, we got a long way to go. We got a lot to work on. We still have a ton to get better at. But as far as what they’ve put into it, it’s been excellent.”
Noreen also praised his team’s conditioning.
“Here’s where I would start. I would say the general conditioning level of the guys, and obviously, now that we’ve got Gord in place as our new strength coach, the overall conditioning level was extremely impressive, was elite for this level of hockey. And based on his knowledge of obviously working with guys at the highest level.
Everybody’s going to be dialed in and have a ton of energy and be intentional on day one, day two, and day three. And they’re going to pay attention to the details and the small things that you talked about in the opening meeting in the first week and the first, in the second week. What really matters is when it gets to three, and it starts to get a little bit harder, and maybe you’re sore or you’re tired or you got a hard test that day. But this group has been very consistent. They’ve been very consistent in their work. They’ve been very consistent in their attitude and how competitive they’ve been every day in practice. I don’t know what days you’ve been there, but I could bet on me just because I know what every day has been like. They go hard.”
I have viewed three practices, and the competitive level has been very high. Passing is cleaner, pace is quicker, and it seems that players are buying into the details Noreen preaches. Below are some players who have impressed me so far that I spoke with Noreen about.
Standout Freshmen
Among the newcomers, a few names stood out early.
Ilia Morozov
Freshman forward Ilia Morozov, just 17 years old, looks every bit like a future NHL Draft pick projected between the first and third round in 2026. He is already a strong passer and a true 200-foot player who plays a sound defensive game. He can dangle, forecheck hard, and carry the puck with confidence while also showing off a dangerous shot.
The physical side of college hockey will be an adjustment, but he has taken steps, adding four pounds this offseason to reach 200. He will also be the youngest player in college hockey this season.
When asked about Morozov’s progress and the age gap of having both a 25-year-old and a 17-year-old on the roster, Noreen said,
“When you’re bringing in 21 new players, you’ve got to be a little bit creative and be willing to get outside the box a little bit. We couldn’t bring in 21 freshmen. As we’re building this, we’ve got to have some balance to our classes. As you can see, we tried to bring in some older guys. We brought in some seniors and some juniors. We wanted to try to balance our classes out as much as we could. Obviously, the majority are freshmen. But Ilia is a guy who’ll be the youngest player in college hockey. But I don’t think if you sat there and you watched a practice, or if you watched a workout, or if you interacted with him, maybe until you looked at him and saw his face, would you think that he was the youngest player in college hockey?
Because if those two boxes don’t check, you know, as a person who accelerated his schooling to come into school early, it’s not going to work. His maturity is well beyond his age. And obviously his game. And, you know, going back to the testing of the type of shape the guys are in. Again, you never want to guess he was the youngest kid in college hockey based on how he performed in that department. And at the same point, he’s not a guy that’s, you know, sometimes you get the young prospect who’s just overdeveloped or fully developed at a young age. You know, he’s certainly not that. Because if you look at him, you know, he still looks extremely young. He’s just put in the work to, you know, have the athleticism and the physical capability that he does.”
Noreen continued speaking about Morozov.
“Our trust and our belief are based on his work ethic, based on his mental makeup, and how much time and effort he puts into his craft; he will continue to take strides getting better and moving forward in the gym, strength-wise, power-wise, on the ice. As a coach, that’s the type of guy you love to get a chance to work with. And our true belief is that whatever really his ceiling is, because of his mental makeup and his work and his intentionality, he’s going to reach that. And as a coach, that’s what you want. It is a coach that’s your job is to help a guy reach the ceiling. So, he’s been, you know, he’s been awesome to work with. We’ve got to keep pushing him, and we have no doubt that he’s going to keep doing the work from his side.”
Ryder Thompson
On the back end, freshman defenseman Ryder Thompson has been the most impressive over the early practices. He has been quick to pucks, moved them out of the zone cleanly, and made crisp passes in all three zones. He has also stayed vocal, protected pucks with his body, and shown a heavy, accurate slap shot from the blue line. Thompson’s mobility suggests he could step into a top-four role right away and log important penalty-kill minutes, and maybe some time on the power play.
Related: Miami RedHawks Commit Ryder Thompson Ready to Bring Fresh Defensive Approach to Oxford
Noreen spoke highly of Thompson’s compete level and leadership.
“Yeah, I mean, again, character compete as high as you’re going to find. Ryder’s played a lot of hockey at a high level, and that’s one of the unique things. Ryder hasn’t played in the Western League like a lot of United States Hockey League (USHL) guys do and age out there. Look at the number of games that you play at a high level. Typically, the cycle we’re used to at the college level for a junior hockey player is you hope you’re getting guys out of the USHL, they get in, they go through their struggles in the first year usually as a 17- or 18-year-old, and hopefully they take a big step in their second year. Ryder played there, maybe 16 and 17 and 18, all the way up until he aged out last year. Just the amount of games he played at a high level, meaningful games, hard minutes, the guys he practiced against, the coaching he got; a really good organization.
You watch him and the detail with which he does things, the effort and the intentionality in which he does every single rep every day. He wore a letter last year on an elite team in the Western Hockey League (WHL).”
Returners Taking Steps
Though the roster is mostly new, Noreen emphasized the importance of the returning seven players.
“Well, I know this about our returns. And Michael & Casper being part of that group. The spring that they had with Coach Carsey before, now, Gord Fardell came in as our new strength coach and is tremendous. They all got stronger. They all got bigger, they all got faster, and they were totally committed to the gym, and just a quick story.
Casper is bigger; he’s stronger. He played a lot of minutes, meaningful minutes last year. Same thing with Quinn. He’s bigger, he’s stronger. I mean, you talk about guys that totally committed their offseason to strength and conditioning, I thought they did a really good job. And I think so far, we’re only going against each other, and it’s only practice, but they’ve shown really well so far.”
From my viewings, John Emmons has impressed with his defensive game, showing potential as a penalty killer while adding some flashes offensively. Seniors Brayden Morrison and Blake Mesenburg look stronger after tough offseasons in the weight room and conditioning.
Goaltending
The RedHawks’ biggest question mark remains in net. With three young goalies, freshmen Shika Gadzhiev and Benji Motew, and sophomore Matteo Drobac, the competition is wide open. Gadzhiev remains the frontrunner for the job amongst most.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s a position that we know we need to be better at. Obviously, it’s no different than if I were just taking over a Division 1 college football team. It is your quarterback and the most important position. So we did not take any of those three spots lightly when deciding who to bring in. Having said that, it was not just about ability. We were looking for guys with a really high ceiling and a ton of potential.”
Other Newcomers to Watch
- Kocha Delic – Freshman forward with a shifty game and a dangerous wrist shot. Improved defensively and looks like a top-six player who can play on the top power play.
- Shaun McEwen – Freshman defenseman and former Tri-City Storm captain. Fast, physical, and mobile after trimming weight. Trusted by Noreen and ready to step right in.
- Matteo Giampa – Junior transfer forward who stood out with speed and slick hands, scoring highlight-reel goals in drills. A top-six lock with power play upside.
- Max Helgeson – Graduate transfer who brings speed, physicality, and a willingness to screen goalies and battle in front. Versatile enough to play anywhere in the lineup.
- Owen Lalonde – Graduate defenseman and veteran leader. Crisp passer who will log heavy minutes. He will be 26 by season’s end and is the oldest player on the roster.
Home Opener vs Ferris State
I will get way deeper into a Ferris State preview this week, but here is what Noreen had to say about a new-look team led by first-year head coach Brett Riley, who took over the job after a 33-year run by Bob Daniels.
“We’ve got a ton of respect for the new coaching staff there. I think they did a tremendous job in short order of upgrading their team drastically through the transfer portal. I think that it will be one of, if not, one of the best teams in that conference for sure. And again, I think they’re going to be an excellent team.”
An Overseas Experience in Ireland
Noreen said, “It’s a first-class event. Everyone that you talk to who’s done the event before, they speak so highly about how first-class the event was. We are extremely appreciative to President Crawford, David Sayler, and Brad Okel.
If you know anything about Miami University, there’s a real pride in the amount of students at Miami University that study abroad. That life experience is valuable. Unfortunately, with hockey spanning both semesters, our guys don’t ordinarily get that. So, to go over to a different country, a different culture, it’s a life experience they’ll never forget.
The main thing is the hockey. It’s going to give a group of guys, the overwhelming majority of whom have never gotten a chance to play a playoff college hockey game, the opportunity to get the closest possible thing to that. You’re walking in there and you’re playing a semifinal game in front of a packed house against a very good opponent with a lot on the line and a chance to move into a championship game. That’s something we need to feel. That’s something we need to prepare for. That’s something we need to go through. With a young team and so many new guys, the hope is that it can help us grow.”
Finishing things off, this is what Noreen had to say when looking ahead to Friday’s opener and this critical season for this program.
“There’s no magic wand, there’s no shortcuts. It’s about doing the work every day. If we do that, the results will take care of themselves.”
