Five upcoming Gophers men’s hockey players have already been selected during the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Entry Draft. 

During the NHL Entry Draft, players are drafted by an NHL team, but they do not always immediately join the team after being drafted. In some cases, the players go back to their junior team, college or European league. 

This allows players to have the opportunity to continue developing their skills and playing style before joining the pros. While these five players were already drafted, they will still be seen playing at Mariucci Arena for the 2025-2026 season. 

The first of the future Gophers selected was Jacob Rombach. He was drafted 35th overall by the Nashville Predators. 

Rombach played two full seasons in the United States Hockey League. He appeared in 116 games over two years and ranked third on his team in total points with 18 last season. 

Rombach also helped Team USA win gold at the 2024 World Junior A Challenge. In high school, Rombach played for Spring Lake Park/Coon Rapids, where he finished with 19 points in 26 games as a sophomore. 

During the third round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, two more future Gophers were called. Mace’o Phillips went 80th by the Calgary Flames, and Mason Moe went 90th to join the New Jersey Devils. 

Phillips played with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program for two years. He played in 60 games with the U18s last season, where he scored six points. 

Phillips’ physical playing style led to him leading his team in penalty minutes both years he played for USNTDP. Phillips also helped Team USA win bronze at the 2025 International Ice Hockey Federation U18 World Championships. 

Prior to the IIHF World Championships, Phillips helped Team USA win gold in the 2024 U17 Five Nations Tournament. Phillips played prep hockey at Benilde-St. Margaret’s where he had 21 points in 27 games, his sophomore year. 

Moe played parts of two seasons with the Sioux Falls Stampede USHL. 

Moe totaled 63 games, scoring 17 goals and recording 26 assists for a total of 43 points during the 2024-2025 season. His strengths are seen offensively during power plays, where Moe was able to score 12 power-play points. 

Moe joined Rombach in helping Team USA win gold in the 2024 World Junior A Challenge. In high school, he played at Eden Prairie High School and led the team in scoring his sophomore year with 40 points in 27 games. 

The final two Gophers drafted were LJ Mooney in the fourth round, going 113th to the Montreal Canadiens and Jacob Kvasnicka in the seventh round, going 202nd to the New York Islanders. 

Much like Phillips, Mooney spent two years at the USNTDP and appeared in 112 games. During the 2024-2025 season, he made a total of 51 points in 51 games for the U18 team. 

He ranked fifth in scoring and finishing with several multi-point performances. Mooney also helped Team USA win bronze in the 2025 IIHF World Championships and gold in the 2024 U17 Five Nations Tournament.

Before joining the USNTDP, Mooney developed his skills through the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite AAA program from 2020 to 2023. 

Kvasnicka was also a part of the USNTDP from 2023 to 2025. 

He had a total of 39 points in 66 games, made up of 18 goals and 21 assists. He ranked sixth in his team in scoring and even scored five points in one game against Czechia. 

Kvasnicka helped represent Team USA in the IIHF 2025 World Championship and scored five points in seven games. 

He played for Wayzata High School and, as a freshman, had a total of 45 points in 28 games. He helped his team reach the Section 6AA title game. 

These five Gophers will be seen on the ice at the start of the 2025-2026 season on October 3 and 4.