KALAMAZOO, Mich. — There are still more than 185 shopping days until Christmas, but the Western Michigan hockey team received a noteworthy gift this week.
Talented brothers Grant and Hampton Slukinski will suit up in Broncos uniforms in October and announce via social media that Western University is their college hockey destination for the 2024-25 season.
Grant is a moderately-regarded forward who put up big numbers for Sioux City of the USHL and had a respectable freshman season at Northern Michigan University. His younger brother, Hampton, is widely regarded as one of the top freshman goalies entering the college hockey world this season. Both brothers were standout players in high school at Warroad High School, with Hampton winning the Frank Brimzek Award as the top senior goalie in Minnesota high school hockey in 2023. The goalie was selected in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
Contributed by / NMU Athletics
Grant, 22, appeared in 34 games for the Wildcats last season, recording six goals and nine points, but elected to enter the transfer portal last week after head coach Grant Potulny left the team for a professional hockey job. Grant appeared in 31 games as a senior at Warroad in 2020, recording an incredible 101 points and being a finalist for Minnesota Mr. Hockey. Grant has three years of collegiate eligibility remaining.
“I was excited to play at Northern and enjoyed my time there, but this is a great opportunity for both of us to play together,” Grant said. “It's been a pretty busy last few days, talking as a family and talking with Hammer. We felt it was the best decision for us to stay together and we're very excited.”
Hampton, who turns 19 in early July, helped the Fargo Force win USHL regular season and playoff titles last season and was recognized as the league's top goaltender. In early June, he was named Goaltender of the Year by USA Hockey after winning 37 of 45 games he started for the Force and posting a .931 save percentage and 1.69 goals against average in the Clark Cup playoffs.
Hampton had originally committed to NMU in October 2022 and credited the chance to play alongside his brother as a driving force in that decision. He withdrew his commitment to the Wildcats shortly after Potulny's departure.
Fargo Force goaltender and Clark Cup champion Hampton Slakinski has been named USA Hockey's 2024 Dave Peterson Goaltender of the Year. @USHL Number of wins, shutouts, average goals allowed, and save percentage for the 2023-24 season!
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) June 1, 2024
They join a Broncos team that went 21-16-1 last season, finishing sixth in the NCHC regular season and 14th in the final Pairwise rankings. Western made its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance under coach Pat Ferschweiler, losing to Michigan State in overtime in the Maryland Heights Regional opener.
The Broncos' goaltending corps next season will include graduate student Cameron Rowe (who started all but two games for Western last season), as well as Slakinski and two juniors. Owen Bartoszkiewicz played in the USHL and NAHL last season and then transferred to Western after two seasons with Minnesota. Kirk Laursen appeared in four games for the Broncos last season. Rowe was originally scheduled to attend North Dakota but transferred to Western after two seasons with Wisconsin, where he posted a 2.50 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.
Hampton acknowledged it was odd timing to search for a team in June, when most college rosters are set for the upcoming season.
“It's kind of a weird time to want to play when it hasn't been decided yet. Every team I've talked to has three goalies so I knew that's what it would be wherever I went,” he said. “I'm just going to go out there and compete for goals in practice, cheer on the team and see what happens.”
Plans are underway to build a new hockey facility in downtown Kalamazoo to replace the 3,600-seat Lawson Arena.
“I had a Zoom call with the coaches and they showed me some of the rinks and it was unbelievably beautiful. If I had the opportunity to play there, it would be awesome,” Hampton said, acknowledging that the appeal of going to Western was the fact that NCHC trips are closer to home. “And there was also the bonus of going there and playing North Dakota, Duluth and St. Cloud most years.”
The Broncos will open the NCHC season Nov. 8-9 in Omaha.
Clint Austin/Duluth News Tribune
Jess Myers covers college hockey, as well as outdoors, general sports and travel for The Rink Live and Forum Communications family of publications. She joined FCC in 2018 after 30 years covering sports as a freelancer for various publications while working full time in politics and media relations. A native of Warroad, Minnesota (America's true hockey town), Myers earned a degree in journalism/communications from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She currently lives in the Twin Cities. Contact Jess at jrmyers@forumcomm.com or find her on Twitter at @JessRMyers. She speaks English.
