The college hockey transfer portal season is in full swing. For teams in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), whether it’s the 2025 national champion Western Michigan University Broncos or the Miami University RedHawks, the goal is always to improve.
Miami received a few commitments from the portal early in the season. However, there are still some names that can make a difference if head coach Anthony Noreen, recruiting coordinator David Nies and the rest of the Miami coaching staff bring them to Oxford.
Top Targets
1. Walter Zacher - Sophomore forward, Robert Morris University
Miami's mid-October home-and-home losses against the Robert Morris University Colonials were the first obstacle in a long season of transition into a new era. However, it gave everyone on both teams the chance to face a non-conference opponent with players they would not otherwise see.
One of those players, Walter Zacher, was one of, if not the most, impressive players on the ice.
Zacher is a product of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), scoring 55 points in 58 games with the Austin Bruins before heading to Robert Morris. After hitting the college scene, the 5-foot-11 sophomore hit the ground running with the Colonials.
In 33 games during his first college season, Zacher scored five goals and tallied 17 assists, good for third on the team in scoring. His production rate stayed the same through his sophomore season, but his five goals jumped to 15, including a four-goal weekend against Miami with a hat trick in the second game.
One of Miami’s biggest struggles last season was converting on scoring opportunities, and bringing in a player who finished with an almost 14% shooting percentage could help improve the team’s paltry 1.85 goals-for per game, the only total in the NCHC below 2.00.
2. Chase Clark - Junior goaltender, American International College
The first and only goaltender in my top five is Chase Clark from American International College (AIC), a program transitioning from Division I to Division II ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Clark is a Williamsville, New York, native and was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL Draft. He is a behemoth in net, standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing 218 pounds.
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The 23-year-old has an NCAA title to his name, which he won in his freshman year while playing for the Quinnipiac University Bobcats. He then transferred to the Sacred Heart University Pioneers in Atlantic Hockey America before transferring again to AIC, where he finished with a 2.80 goals-against average and .913 save percentage in 25 games last season.
Clark has a history with Noreen and Nies, albeit a brief one, as he played 10 games when the duo coached with Tri-City. The 10 games were spread from 2020-22.
In 2020-21, he played only three games, posting a 3.03 goals-against average and .899 save percentage. His production improved drastically in the seven games he played for the team in 2021-22, finishing his time with the Storm that season with a 2.51 goals-against average and .915 save percentage.
He then moved on from Tri-City in favor of the Muskegon Lumberjacks, where his production dipped again.
Clark’s career to this point has been marked by movement, which could be a red flag for the Miami coaching staff. However, having a previous record with him could also be a key to bringing him to Oxford and further unlocking his potential at the college level.
3. Alex Zetterberg - Freshman forward, Boston University
Finding young players to build a foundation for a program is key, especially for a coaching staff like Miami’s. There are still young players in the portal who could find many opportunities with the RedHawks that they couldn’t find for one reason or another with their previous program, including 19-year-old Alex Zetterberg.
Zetterberg is an undersized Swedish forward, standing at 5-foot-8 and weighing just over 160 pounds, but he can make teams pay with his elusiveness, and he did at times during his freshman season at Boston University. He posted five goals and three assists for eight points in 29 games. He also scored 11 points in three games at the U-19 international competitions for his native Sweden throughout the season.
While Zetterberg is still a young player, he has experience playing against some of the best teams in the country. The Hockey East conference is one of the strongest in college hockey, and that experience can help him if he decides to move to the NCHC.
Additionally, with the way Noreen and his staff want to play the game against powerhouse NCHC teams—a fast, puck possession-based game that relies on predictability for teammates and unpredictability for opponents—a player like Zetterberg could be a great fit as a dynamic forward with clear offensive potential.
Zetterberg’s profile has plenty of upsides that would make him a perfect fit for Miami. Despite being on the smaller side physically, his skill set could make him one of the most impactful players on the RedHawks roster.
4. Tristan Lemyre - Junior forward, Western Michigan University
The Broncos won their first national championship in school history this season following an impressive 34-7-1 (19-4-1 in conference) season. They defeated Boston University in the Frozen Four final game.
Lemyre played his first two college hockey seasons with the University of Denver, followed by time in the USHL with the Dubuque Fighting Saints, where he scored 13 points in 41 games. This past season, he set career highs in goals and assists with six and eight, respectively, totaling 14 points in 42 games.
When constructing a roster and forming a culture, winning is always the end goal. That’s what Lemyre has done with two different programs. He isn’t a player who has scored lots of points at the college level, but bringing in players who know how to win, especially from programs in the NCHC, could help advance the marquee of Miami hockey and the culture being formed within the program.
5. Tanner Komzak - Sophomore defenseman, University of North Dakota
The first and only defenseman to crack my top five is one that former University of North Dakota head coach Brad Berry used sparingly while at the helm. Still, he could be a valuable contributor to Miami’s younger squad on the backend if Noreen and company decide to pick him up.
Tanner Komzak has played only 21 college games, four as a freshman and 17 as a sophomore, and has not registered a point during his two seasons with the Fighting Hawks. However, going back to his days in the Alberta Junior Hockey League, there is proof in the pudding that he can start posting better offensive numbers. In 60 games played with the Whitecourt Wolverines, Komzak posted 52 points and seven in nine playoff games.
The 6-foot-4 defender was primarily a healthy scratch or a seventh defenseman last season, playing very few minutes in every contest he suited up for. His highest total was just under 10 minutes against Minnesota State at the beginning of the season in October.
Komzak would not receive much playing time in 2025-26 if he stuck with the Fighting Hawks, but the RedHawks could give him a chance to play considerable minutes next season. Not only is he a large presence, but if Noreen’s system can help unlock some of the offensive talent teams saw from him in junior hockey, it could be one of the biggest steals in the portal.
Honorable mentions: Brett Bamber (junior defenseman, AIC), Tyriq Outen (freshman goaltender, Long Island University)
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