D3hockey.com has released the commitment list for Div. III hockey today. The Oswego State Lakers men’s ice hockey team has brought in eight players for the upcoming season, seven forwards and one goalie.

Here is the rundown on each recruit who will be joining the Lakers as they try to correct the 14-11-2 season from a year ago.

Jody Sullivan

5’11”, 174 lbs

Sullivan played for both the Nepean Raiders and the Ottawa Jr. Senators of the Central Canada Hockey League in the 2015-16 season. He used the option to be moved to a contending playoff team, which is relatively common in this league, to become a Jr. Senator. The Cardinal, Ontario native accumulated 45 goals and 49 assists in 179 CCHL games. Sullivan was an assistant captain for the Jr. Senators, as well. During his time with the Senators, Sullivan finally averaged over a point per game. The 20-year-old scored 17 goals and had 22 helpers for 39 points in 31 games. He continued this success in the CCHL playoffs where he put up a stat line of 7 goals, 18 assists for 25 points in 18 games. The Jr. Senators lost to the Carleton Place Canadians in game 7 to become CCHL champions.

Sullivan and his 5’11” frame does not seem to be afraid to play a physical game. He registered 213 penalty minutes during his CCHL career. This is something the Lakers may need to add to their game this upcoming season. They were a chippy team last year but not a team full of guys looking for a big hit to change the game.

Sullivan is the only member of this class that was a member of the CCHL All-Graduate Team that took down Oswego State in the 6-3 victory this past year.

Cedric Hansen

5’10”, 180 lbs

The lone goalie recruit of this class is coming off an unimpressive 2015-16 campaign with the Gloucester Rangers. According to hockeyDB.com, the Rangers finished 5-52-0-5 last season under head coach Paul Jennings. Hansen appeared in 32 games, the second most on the team, and went 0-23-0 with 5.12 GAA. His save percentage was also not where he would have liked it to be. He finished the year posting a .871 save percentage.

These numbers are most likely not representative of his skill set. Doug Johnston, the goalie that Hansen split time with, finished with a 5-26-4 record with a 4.45 GAA and a .888 save percentage. The coaching staff has to see something in this kid who will continue to grow under Matt Zawadzki and Adrian Ignagni. This is a perfect time for the Lakers to bring a young goalie to develop to become a starter down the road.

Josh Zizek

5’9″, 164 lbs

Zizek was also a member of the Nepean Raiders during his CCHL career. He played three seasons with the Raiders, where he captained the team and totaled 49 points in 62 games(12 G, 37 A). The 21-year-old completed his final season with the Raiders instead of using the option to become a member of a playoff contending team, unlike Sullivan.

Zizek is known as a good skater and a smart forward. He is hard working and will go to the net, but he needs to get stronger to be able to contribute points at the next level, according to centraljuniorhockeyleague.ca. Zizek has received great praise from his former coach and believes Oswego is the right place for him to land.

“There is no better fit for Josh as Oswego State has a rich history of winning championships,” Nepean Raiders head coach Darcy Findlay said in a story for centraljuniorhockeyleague.ca. “And you can’t accomplish this unless you have people like Josh.”

Mitch Emerson

6,1″, 185 lbs

The Pickering, Ontario native is coming off a season where he amassed 55 points in 51 games for the Trenton Golden Hawks of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. This total was good for second on the club. Emerson played for three different teams in the 2014-15 season. His season ended with the Toronto Patriots, where they won their second-consecutive OJHL Championship. Emerson scored eight goals and tallied 10 assists in 18 regular season games for the Patriots. His postseason time with the club was even better. The 6’1″ forward scored 15 goals in 22 games with 7 assists added on. His point per game pace was a huge factor in the Patriots winning the OJHL again.

Emerson is not afraid to use his size to dominate the front of the net. He has quick hands and down the road could prove to be a big addition to the Laker powerplay. This area is where he scores a good majority of his goals. His ability to use his frame to shield defenders and fight through screens will be beneficial as he tranisitions to a bigger and faster college game.

Joe Scorpio

5’9″ 154 lbs

The former Syracuse Stars forward is another guy the Lakers landed who had over a point per game point total last year. Scorpio led the Stars in goals(21) and points(45). The Elmwood Park, Illinois native also played with the Rochester Junior Americans in 2014-15 but only tallied nine points in 38 games. He quickly turned around those numbers in his second USPHL Premier league season. He found the right fit with the Stars and his numbers skyrocketed.

Scorpio is a fast-paced player who also isn’t afraid to throw the body around and play physical. He is scrappy, something that seems to be the theme of this recruitment class, but can also lead an offense and be relied upon to find a way to get on the scoresheet game after game.

Tyson Bruce

6’1″, 209 lbs

Bruce has shown his leadership abilities and his knack for the net during his hockey career. Bruce broke into the OJHL after captaining and winning the OHA Cup with the Aurora Tigers midget AA team. He then made the Stouffville Spirit in 2013-14 and played two years with the club until being traded to the Markham Royals. Bruce played in 54 games for the Royals in 2015-16 and scored a team-leading 31 goals. He also tallied 31 helpers to extend his point total to 62. This total was good enough for land him in the No. 10 spot on the OJHL regular season scoring list.

The Aurora, Ontario native is a big body that the Lakers need. He has no trouble finding the back of the net, and with his size and strength he will have one less step to accomplish in transitioning to the Div. III level. Oswego State had five forwards listed over six feet tall last season. His addition could leave the Lakers with a very imposing group of forwards.

Dylan Mascarin

6’1″, 181 lbs

Mascarin bounced around early in his junior hockey career. He couldn’t produce, he wasn’t healthy and seemed destined to fade out of hockey. He never was able to match his 89-point season with the Thunder Bay Kings bantam AAA team. The Thunder Bay native then joined the Wellington Dukes of the OJHL. He was able to rejuvenate his hockey career in surprising fashion. The 20-year-old played in 47 games, scoring 21 goals and putting up 38 assists for 59 total points in the regular season. This was the first time he was able to record over a point per game since his bantam and midget hockey days five years ago.

Mascarin’s career-saving year shows a little bit about the type of player he is. He needed to have a turn-around year to continue his hockey career and he did. He got NCAA school to take a look at him, and the Oswego State Lakers were the right fit.

Aaron Huffnagle 

6’3″, 194 lbs

The second USPHL Premier player from this year’s recruit class played only one year in the league with the Philadelphia Flyers Elite. Huffnagle is the biggest member of this class and seems to be more a playmaker with his 37 assists last year. He also scored 15 goals in last year’s campaign. Huffnagle was named to the EJEPL All-Star team in 2013 when he played for the Igloo Jaguars 18U team.

His 1.18 point per game mark was good enough for Oswego State to give him a chance to be a Laker. His size will give him the ability to become a real impact player if he can continue his offensive production.

The Lakers only graduated two seniors last year, so this recruiting class puts their roster total at 31 players. It wouldn’t be entirely shocking to see a couple returners cut if the Laker coaching staff decided to bring in this many players. No announcement has been made yet as to who it may be. It is rumored a group of players from the 2015-16 team may not return for the upcoming season, among them forwards Connor Boyd and Taylor Joseph.

Eric Lipa is also another forward the Lakers may have joining them next season, but it was not offiially confirmed with D3hockey.com. Stay tuned for more updates.