Great Lakes Wire

Head coach Dave Shyiak and the Northern Michigan University (NMU) hockey team have announced their leadership group for the 2024-25 season.

"I'm really excited to announce our leadership group," said head coach Shyiak. "We have a unique blend of personalities and believe they can help lead this young team with many fresh faces through the ups and downs of the season ahead. They've all been great in slowly building our culture within and how we want to represent our university and community."

Tanner Latsch has been named the captain for the Green and Gold, becoming the 56th player to hold this position in NMU history. Latsch is returning after a season-ending injury last year, during which he earned back-to-back CCHA weekly honors, was named CCHA Rookie of the Month, and was runner-up for Hockey Commissioners' Association (HCA) Rookie of the Month honors after scoring seven goals and one assist in eight games.

Jakob Peterson from Marquette, Michigan, along with Jesse Tucker will serve as alternate captains for both home and away games this season.

Peterson is entering his fourth season with NMU and aims to build on his strong finish from last year when he played in all situations for the Wildcats.

Tucker joins NMU after playing at Michigan State and Clarkson. He previously served as team captain for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL before his collegiate career.

Tynan Ewart and Matthew Romer complete the list of alternate captains. Ewart will wear an 'A' at home while Romer will don it on the road.

Ewart is a sophomore defenseman transfer from St. Cloud State who played 19 games as a freshman under Shyiak at St. Cloud. Before college, he was an alternate captain for Battlefords North Stars of SJHL.

Romer is a sophomore forward transfer from Arizona State. He also has leadership experience, having been team captain for Omaha Lancers of USHL prior to his collegiate career.

The Wildcats start their season with an exhibition game at Michigan Tech on Saturday, October 5, 2024, before beginning their regular season with an away series against no. 11 Colorado College.