Tyler Rogers (Photo via LRSC)
The Lake Region State College men’s hockey team has a robust class of 18 new players heading into the 2025-26 school year.
That brings the roster total to 23. In the first year of the program, two years ago, the squad had 17 players. Last year, it had 19. Now head coach Brady Stein has his biggest group yet.
The team announced its finalized roster on Aug. 13.
“This season, our roster has the right mix of speed, skill, and offensive creativity to make a real impact,” Stein said in the announcement. “Our sophomores are not only talented players, but also an outstanding group of leaders who set the tone on and off the ice. Combined with a freshman class full of dynamic athletes, we’re looking forward to a fast-paced, competitive, and exciting year for Royals hockey.”
The recruiting class includes two local players. Devils Lake product Austin Thompson returns to his hometown after spending last year with the Badlands Sabres, a North American Tier III Hockey League team based in Rapid City, S.D. The forward graduated from Devils Lake High School in 2024.
Brody Parker also joins the squad. The Cando native played hockey for the Firebirds. He scored 13 goals in each of the past two seasons — which led the team in 2023-24, and was second on the team in 2024-25. The release noted that he “adds speed, relentless work ethic, and a willingness to attack the net.”
The lone other in-state addition is Dylan Schneider from Bismarck, N.D. The team announcement said he brings a strong defensive presence upfront, with a “high motor and attention to detail.”
The Royals also add two defenders from Minnesota.
Josh Pexa, from New Prague, Minn., played two seasons for the Steele County Blades in the United States Premier Hockey League. The release described him as a mature and intelligent defenseman.
Matthew Wherley comes from International Falls, Minn. The announcement described his playing style as physical, with the ability to also contribute offensively when needed.
LRSC brings a pair of goalies from other Midwest states to its roster: Nathan Bowlby, from Des Moines, Iowa, and Xander Martinez, from Kenosha, Wis. Bowlby also played in the USPHL for two years. The duo should fill the gap left by the two LRSC goalies who graduated last year.
The remaining 11 players in the recruiting class all come from Canada.
Among those, seven are from the bordering province of Manitoba. Logan Dearborn, who played baseball for the Royals last spring, will be a dual-sport athlete at the college level this year. He joins sophomores Rigley Astle and Carson Beaudin as a member of both the baseball and hockey teams.
Dearborn is a defenseman with “strong positional awareness and efficient puck movement,” per the release.
Fellow defenseman Alex Sabourin, from Rosenort, Manitoba, comes to the Royals after a season of Manitoba junior hockey.
Manitoban forwards Tyler Rogers, Theron McGregor, Chael Rozdeba, Peyton Moneyas and Nathaniel Flett-Neapean add more depth to the roster. Rogers posted the fourth-most points in his league last year. Moneyas, meanwhile, won three Capital Region Junior Hockey League titles and a Northern Junior Hockey League title.
Two forwards from Regina, Saskatchewan, Jack Albert and Ty Cavers, also join the Royals. Albert was described as physical, while Cavers was called “gritty” by the release with “strong hockey IQ” and the ability to perform under pressure.
The class is rounded out by a pair of defensemen. Xzavier Kubluitok, from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, and Donnovin Fiorentino, from Cranbrook, British Columbia, should help shore up the defensive corps.
The Royals are coming off a winning season where they went 20-16 overall and 17-15 in region play. Their first game this year is at the University of Mary on Sept. 18.
