ORONO, Maine — Six players with eligibility remaining have left the University of Maine’s hockey program, but the team has added a 6-foot-7 Hungarian defenseman to help replace point-producing workhorse blue-liner Dan Renouf, who passed up his senior year to sign with the Detroit Red Wings right after last season.
In addition to Renouf and winger Brian Morgan, who graduated but had a year of eligibility remaining and decided to play for the University of Connecticut next season, goalie Sean Romeo transferred to Ohio State University and forwards Brady Campbell, Justin Rai and Jack Musil won’t return.
Like Morgan, Campbell graduated but still had a year of eligibility.
Rai, who would have been a sophomore, and Musil, who would have been a junior, have left school to pursue other opportunities. Both were seldomly used last season.
Oliver Herner, who played for Hungary in the World Under-20 Division II Tournament, has verbally committed to play at Maine this season, according to an eliteprospects.com post.
The 209-pound Herner, a right-hand shot, will be the first Hungarian to ever play for the Black Bears.
Hungary went 5-0 to win the World Under 20 Division II Tournament, outscoring host Lithuania, Estonia, Croatia, The Netherlands and South Korea by a combined 36-9 to earn a promotion to the World Under-20 1B tourney next season.
Herner, who will be a scholarship player, had three assists in the five games. In regular-season play, he had 15 goals and 18 assists for 33 points in 50 games in his native Hungary.
He has been described as extremely mobile and fluid, with very good hockey sense and a big shot from the point.
Herner will be one of two defensemen in the nine-member freshman class along with 6-4 Patrick Holway.
Six-foot-eight Stephen Mundinger will be the only incoming goalie, while the forwards include Ryan Smith, Tim Doherty, Jake Pappalardo, Mitch Fossier, Patrick Shea and Chase Pearson.
“I love the players coming back and I love the players coming in,” said Maine fourth-year coach Red Gendron, who will look to improve on last season’s 8-24-6 record and 11th-place finish (5-15-2) in 12-team Hockey East. “Everything is wide open. It is an opportunity for the players to to distinguish themselves.”
Maine will return eight forwards, five defensemen and two goalies.
Morgan had six goals, including two on the power play, and an assist for seven points in 36 games last season and had 17 goals and 15 assists in his 103-game Maine career.
Campbell had a goal and an assist in 23 games and had two goals and five assists in 66 career games.
Rai, who was coming off a concussion suffered in junior hockey, had an assist in 12 games, while Musil was pointless in eight and had an assist in 15 career games.
Maine will return just two of its top six scorers off a team that was 59th among 60 teams in shooting percentage (6.2 percent) a year ago. Only first-year Division I school Arizona State (4.5) was worse.
Maine was 55th in goal scoring (2 goals per game), 46th on the power play (14.1 percent), 50th in team defense (3.39 gpg allowed) and 52nd on the penalty kill (78.5).
Blaine Byron (8 goals, 16 assists) and Cam Brown (8 & 12) were first and third in scoring last season. They will be seniors.
Gendron expects his veterans to elevate their games this season and noted that hard-hitting winger Malcolm Hayes will be back after missing all but three games last season due to shoulder surgery.
“It will be nice to have Malcolm back,” said Gendron.
Maine will open the season against ECAC team Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (New York) on Oct. 6-7 after hosting St. Francis Xavier (Nova Scotia) in an Oct. 2 exhibition game.