2026-27 NCDC Season Preview: Midwest Conference – Great Lakes Division
The 2026-27 NCDC Season Preview Series continues with the Midwest Conference’s Great Lakes Division.
The Great Lakes Division begins a new chapter this season as all six organizations make the move to the NCDC. Each program brings an established foundation at the USPHL Premier level while providing players with a new opportunity and continuing pursuing advancement to college hockey.
Here is a team-by-team look at the Great Lakes Division entering its inaugural NCDC season.
Chicago Union
Head Coach: Danny Randall
The Chicago Union enter their first NCDC season looking to establish an identity built around speed and grit.
“Our speed” will be one of the team’s biggest strengths, Randall said, as Chicago prepares a roster that will collectively be asked to make the transition to the Tier II level.
The organization also spent the offseason strengthening areas away from the roster, including additions to the coaching staff and updates to its facility.
On the ice, Chicago expects to play fast and with an edge.
“Fast and gritty,” Randall said of the team’s identity.
Establishing itself quickly will be important as the Union begin competition in the new Great Lakes Division.
“Establish dominance early,” Randall said.
The move to the NCDC also provides a new platform for hockey players in the Chicago area.
“I believe it’s an opportunity here in Chicago to showcase our local talent and give the community something that’s been missing at this level for the last 25 years,” Randall said.
Chicago enters its inaugural season with ambitious goals both as a team and in player advancement.
“Winning the division and moving five or more players on to NCAA,” Randall said.
Columbus Mavericks
Head Coach: Kyle Althen
The Columbus Mavericks enter their first NCDC season with a roster blending veteran junior experience with a young group preparing to make the jump to Tier II hockey.
“We have high-level veteran forwards that we will rely on early for scoring as our good, young defense core begins to get their feet wet at the Tier II level,” Althen said. “We will also lean heavily on veteran goaltending early as well.”
Jan Vancura, Ethan Alexander, Jameson Motyka, Ethan Dufour, Gio Valentine and Carter Holbrook are among the forwards moving up with the organization. Ethan Zuvela and TJ Boyd will provide returning experience on the blue line.
Vancura is one player Columbus expects to play a particularly significant role.
“He is moving up from our Premier team and is expected to be a big piece of our team with his size and ability to put the puck in the net,” Althen said.
The Mavericks also added several players with previous junior experience, led by NCDC veteran Emmett Martin. Nils Rudholm, Austin Letcher, Kenny Cadwallader and Max Bloomfield are among the newcomers expected to contribute up front.
Columbus also added size and offensive ability on defense with Cameron Hill, Jan Valenta, Jack Devlin, Devyn Bittner and Nick Borg, while veteran goaltender Gino Texter is expected to handle an important role in net.
Building a roster nearly from scratch required attention throughout the lineup, but character was particularly important during recruiting.
“One of the most important parts of our team building was making sure we added a good amount of veterans with junior experience to help lead our young players that are coming out of AAA and prep school,” Althen said.
Columbus expects to combine size and physicality with skill and versatility.
“We will be big and physical, but will always be a team that has a good amount of skill,” Althen said. “I think we will be a balanced, disciplined team that can play multiple styles when needed.”
Althen expects that physicality to be a common theme throughout the division.
“I expect the division to be big and physical every night, and we have worked to build a roster that can handle the heaviness all season long,” Althen said.
The move to the NCDC also creates a direct development pathway within the Mavericks organization.
“It has been a very exciting time within our program and the hockey community in Columbus as we gear up for our first year in the NCDC,” Althen said. “It is exciting that we will have the opportunity for our Premier guys to grow and strive towards moving up to our NCDC team while sharing the same building and being able to understand what that takes every day.”
For the Mavericks, competing for the division in Year 1 would represent a successful beginning.
“If we play to our expected level throughout the season and put ourselves in a position to win our division at the end of the season, that will be a huge success Year 1 in the NCDC,” Althen said.
Fort Wayne Spacemen
Head Coach: Kaleigh Schrock
The Fort Wayne Spacemen enter the NCDC believing depth throughout the lineup can help them immediately compete in the Great Lakes Division.
“Depth at all three positions,” Head Coach Kaleigh Schrock said of the team’s biggest strength.
Forwards Ivan Barnshov, Reid Hyde and Diezyl Hehr, along with defenseman Max Workman, are among the returning players expected to take on increased roles.
Newcomers Liam Axelsson, Petter Olsson and Jan Borsuk add to the forward group, while Tobias Zembrodt joins the defense. Camden Backen and Michael Lane are among the additions in goal.
Goaltending was a particular area of emphasis for Fort Wayne during the offseason.
The Spacemen expect the overall group to bring more speed and depth than a year ago.
“We’ll be a much faster team than last year, and we feel we have more depth at forward, defense and goalie,” Schrock said.
Consistency and resilience will be critical as Fort Wayne adjusts to a division filled with familiar organizations making the same move.
“Adding Chicago, Metro, Toledo, Red River and Columbus to our division makes it a dogfight,” Schrock said. “It’s important to understand there will be highs and lows when you’re competing against those organizations.”
For Schrock, individual development can eventually translate into team success.
“If our players have a better understanding of the game and improve their skill level individually, it will end up leading to more wins at the end of the year,” Schrock said.
The ultimate goal remains advancing players while giving them a positive experience in Fort Wayne.
Metro Jets
Head Coach: Jamie Lovell
President/General Manager: Justin Quenneville
Head Coach Jamie Lovell and President/General Manager Justin Quenneville lead the Metro Jets into their first NCDC season, bringing the organization’s established development model with them to the NCDC level.
For Lovell and Quenneville, the focus begins with the process that has helped define the Metro Jets program.
“Our strength lies in our process,” Quenneville said. “Our focus is on player development and stages that are required of players to get to the next level in their abilities and their goals.”
Rather than simply defining the Jets through speed or physicality, the organization emphasizes habits, decision-making and understanding how to play the game consistently.
“We teach them the fundamentals and habits that help our players make better decisions more consistently,” Quenneville said. “Play smart, play with control and play with percentages.”
Lovell and Quenneville expect the returning group to take another step as the organization moves into the NCDC, with increased attention on the details and accountability required at the NCDC level.
“All our returning players are expected to take their game to the next level,” Quenneville said.
On the ice, the Jets plan to remain a possession-based program that looks to dictate both pace and play.
“Our identity lies in our teamwork and depth,” Quenneville said. “We want to be offensive-minded and percentage-based in our decision-making.”
Discipline will be especially important in the new Great Lakes Division.
“Our division is very competitive and teams like to play their style,” Quenneville said. “Our discipline is our strength.”
Metro enters the NCDC after another successful year at the Premier level, but Lovell and Quenneville continue to measure the program primarily through development and the opportunities created for its players.
“We won our division again last year and that was great for our group,” Quenneville said. “But we measure our success on our progress and opportunities provided for our players.”
The Jets have consistently built challenging schedules and pursued showcase opportunities for their players, and the move to the NCDC adds another level to that development environment.
“Our division looks like it will be a challenge every game, and we are excited for it,” Quenneville said.
Red River Spartans
Head Coach: Lubos Bartecko
2025-26 NCDC Record: First NCDC Season
The Red River Spartans enter their first NCDC season with a roster featuring strong goaltending, significant international influence and an emphasis on skill and discipline.
“Our biggest strength will be our goaltending, which should give us a chance to win every night,” Bartecko said. “With more than half of our roster coming from Europe, we will also bring strong skill, hockey IQ and a different style of play that should make us difficult to play against.”
Goaltender Ray Thompson and defenseman Julian Niedermann return and are expected to take on significant leadership roles.
“We will rely on their experience, consistency and leadership throughout the season,” Bartecko said.
The Spartans added a large international group during the offseason. Tomas Vekselis, Anton Melotindos and Hugo Olsson are among the newcomers Bartecko expects to make immediate impacts.
Red River also focused on strengthening its depth while making sure incoming players fit the organization’s culture and expectations.
“We focused on strengthening our goaltending, adding more skill and hockey IQ and building greater depth throughout the roster,” Bartecko said. “Just as importantly, we recruited players whose character and work ethic fit our culture.”
The Spartans expect their European influence to help shape their identity.
“We expect to be a fast, skilled and disciplined team that plays with structure and values puck possession,” Bartecko said. “With strong goaltending and a strong European influence, we want to be creative offensively and difficult to play against.”
The organization also enters the NCDC with an experienced staff led by Bartecko, whose professional playing career included time with the St. Louis Blues and Atlanta Thrashers along with three Olympic appearances for Slovakia. Red River has continued to invest in its training environment and organizational culture while expanding opportunities for its players.
The Spartans pointed to advancement from last year’s program as another foundation to build upon, with all of the organization’s age-out players moving on to either college or professional hockey.
Consistency will be the biggest challenge as Red River makes the NCDC transition.
“The biggest key will be consistency, competing hard every night, managing the puck and staying disciplined,” Bartecko said. “With so many European players, adjusting quickly to the North American style of play will also be important.”
For Red River, the move represents another step in the program’s development.
“Moving to the NCDC is an important step forward and reflects the growth of our organization,” Bartecko said. “We have prepared by raising our standards in recruiting, training and daily accountability while building a deeper, more skilled roster with strong goaltending.”
The Spartans ultimately want to combine player development with championship-level team success.
“A successful season means building a strong culture, developing every player and competing for a championship,” Bartecko said.
Toledo Cherokee
Head Coach: Kenny Miller
The Toledo Cherokee enter their first NCDC campaign looking to use depth throughout the lineup to compete immediately in the Great Lakes Division.
“I expect us to be a deep group that will be able to send four lines and six defensemen out at any time and compete with the other teams in our division,” Miller said.
Charlie Nolette and Josh Granowicz are among the returning players expected to take on increased roles.
Newcomers Clark Weir, Jake Dukesherer and Travis Rekar are among those Toledo believes can make immediate impacts.
With the organization adding a second team, recruiting local players was an offseason priority.
“We really focused on recruiting local players to help continue our tradition here in Toledo,” Miller said.
On the ice, the Cherokee intend to play with speed and an offensive mindset while maintaining responsibility defensively.
“We’re going to play fast and we are going to be offensive,” Miller said. “This group we have brought in will play with pace and get to the net in the offensive end, as well as be responsible in the D-zone.”
Preparation will be critical throughout the Great Lakes schedule.
“As a group, we are going to have to be ready to play every night,” Miller said. “This division is tough, and we will have to make sure our guys are prepared every night we play.”
Toledo begins its NCDC era with goals centered around both team success and advancement.
“Making it to the Dineen Cup and making sure every player on our roster that has intentions of playing hockey at the college level gets that opportunity,” Miller said.