When Miami University hired Anthony Noreen as the next hockey head coach, the transfer portal opened 24 hours later on April 1. The circumstances required him to hit the ground running with already-established college hockey players to fill holes in the RedHawks’ roster.
However, the quick turnaround also forced Noreen to assemble a staff of people he could trust on the recruiting trail. His first major hire regarding recruitment was David Nies, appointed to the recruiting coordinator position and assistant coach.
“I think it was so important to get David on board right away,” Noreen said. “ He was on the road, in the rinks and he had an unbelievable beat on what was going on in the hockey world, which was huge.”
Troy Thibodeau, Miami’s associate head coach, and Zack Cisek, the assistant coach who stayed on from the previous staff, also needed to continue their recruitment processes during the chaotic period full of changes.
The 2025-26 class consists of 11 players from the United States Hockey League (USHL). Some have spent three or four years with their respective clubs, while others have found success within their first two full seasons.
David Deputy:
Age: 20
5-foot-9 forward for the USHL’s Omaha Lancers
Scored 14 points in 17 games
Originally committed to RIT
NAHL East Division Rookie of the Year in 2022-23
Cal Huston:
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Age: 19
6-foot defenseman for the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms
Scored two points in 16 games
Ryan Seelinger:
Age: 19
5-foot-11
Forward for the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers
Has scored eight points in 16 games
Chuck Blanchard:
Age: 19
6-foot forward for the USHL’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Has scored seven points in 15 games
Captain of his high school team
Artemi Nizameyev:
Age: 18
5-foot-10 forward for the USHL’s Tri-City Storm
Has scored 16 points in 18 games.
Scored 49 points in 50 games as a 17-year-old with the Storm last season, playing alongside Las Vegas Golden Knights 2024 first-round draft selection Trevor Connelly.
“[Nizameyev] is just a guy who loves the game and wants to get better,” Noreen said. “ He might not be the biggest guy, but you want that kid in your foxhole. We’re really excited to have him here.”
Michael Phelan:
Age: 18
6-foot defenseman for the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks
Has scored three points in 18 games
He is a defensive defenseman who is strong on connecting breakouts and using his skating to open lanes.
Bradley Walker:
Age: 19
6-foot-1 forward for the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks
Has scored five points in 14 games. He has 53 penalty minutes already this season and racked up 132 PIMs in 59 games with the NAHL’s El Paso Rhinos.
Shaun McEwen:
Age: 20
6-foot defenseman for the USHL’s Tri-City Storm
Has scored seven points in 15 games
He is in his fourth season with the Storm and has played under Noreen before
He has also been the captain at Tri-City for two seasons.
Charlie Michaud:
Age: 18
6-foot defenseman for the USHL’s Madison Capitols
Has scored eight points in 17 games
Serving as an alternate captain
On pace for a career-high in points.
Ian Scherzer:
Age: 19
6-foot center for the USHL’s Madison Capitols
Has scored 10 points in 17 games
From Austria and played on the Austrian World Junior Championship team in 2022 and 2023, scoring seven points in 10 total games over the two tournaments.
He was voted a top-three player for the team as an underager for Team Austria in 2023.
Justin Stupka:
Age: 19
6-foot-2 defenseman for the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers
Has scored four points in 17 games this season.
He is in his fourth full USHL season after spending two with the Omaha Lancers and now with the Musketeers.
The 2025-26 Miami hockey recruiting class is another step toward the ultimate goal of this new coaching staff: Restoring the RedHawks to the common college hockey lexicon.
“I can’t imagine anyone has committed more guys in a short amount of time than us, but again, we haven’t over-recruited,” Noreen said. “But the ultimate thing is guys believed in this program. They believed in the direction this program is going in. We believe in this place. We want guys who believe in this place, and they want to be part of the change.”
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