The incredibly youthful ‘26-’27 forward group leaves the range of outcomes much wider than we’ve seen in prior years. Filip Sitar and Rainers Rullers return as the main headline and figure to grab the top two spots at center. Beyond them though, an assortment of youthful returners, transfers, and freshmen will vie for the core spots in the lineup. RPI graduated veterans Dovar Tinling and Luc Wilson, lost Tyler Wallace to the portal, and last-minute de-commits from Shane Smith and Josh Evaschesen leave some spots up for grabs. So I’m going to do my best to break it down and take you through how this puzzle might fit together.
Top 6 Locks:
I know that more than 2 guys go in the top 6, I promise. But Sitar and Rullers are really the only two you can put there as locks right now.
Filip Sitar (8-9-17 in 35GP last year) was the Engineers best forward in the first half last year. His scoring stagnated later in the year, but the total impact of his game doesn’t show up in the box score. Fil was one of RPI’s best PKers and led the forwards in minutes in his first year over from UCONN. I see a lot of Ture Linden in his game and hope he keeps developing that way. I’m not sure he has a point-per-game ceiling, but expect a meaningful step forward for Fil in year 2 in Troy.
Sitar’s One-Liner: Sitar does all the little things right. Can he maintain this style while being leaned on for more production this year?
It’s year 3 for Rainers Rullers after a big step forward as a sophomore. Rainers jumps off the page more than other guys, likely because of his sheer size and skill. For many teams, he gets circled as RPI’s best player and one that commands attention. You saw the goal scoring ability flash (9 last year), and there should be more in the tank. He more than other guys has the tools to be elite, but he needs more physicality to put it all together. By the way, his Freakout goal was electric.
Rullers One-Liner: RPI needs a go-to guy. Rullers is skilled enough to be it, but is he willing to do the little things and be physical enough to shoulder the load?
And Now the Depth…
These Engineers should have so much depth, which makes you feel a bit better about the lack of high-end scoring. Yurchuk and Ross will be interesting to watch as big unknowns, dropping down from top Hockey East schools. Buckley and Scherzer were both promising as freshman and RPI will really need them to take big jumps forward.
I like Caleb Hadland’s game a lot. Caleb plays extremely hard but he has the skill to be a really impactful college player. Caleb reportedly had a huge camp and earned his way onto the top line with Rainers Rullers and Jagger Tapper. While this surprises me a bit, it makes sense as Hadland plays an extremely mature, college ready game. Caleb scored on Friday night at Army and that line with Rullers had a huge opening night.
Hadland One-Liner: Just how much offensive talent does he have and can he create offense on his own?
I am really high on Ian Scherzer, who I think is the clear cut 3C unless the staff wants him to stay on the wing. Ian got hurt in the exhibition last year which sort of washed out his 1st half. I thought he really got his legs under him in February though, headlined by big goals in the Freakout and at Clarkson in the playoffs. Ian has IQ, speed, and playmaking ability, with holes in the top-6 providing him a big sophomore year opportunity.
Scherzer One-Liner: How good was his offseason? The opportunity and skills are there, and the staff needs him to take it and run.
Jagger Tapper figures to be a big voice in the locker room as one of the lone players here for year 3 in Troy. Lang worked hard to round out Tapper’s game last year and get him playing “the right way”, which started to bear fruit in the 2nd half. Jagger’s really solid and brings a veteran presence that a coach can really trust. I think his role looked smaller when Smith and Evaschesen were supposed to come, but Jagger probably finds himself back in the top 9 with the current roster assembly.
Tapper One-Liner: Can he find a year-3 breakout as one of the veteran guys in the room?
Early rumblings are that Luke Goukler looks excellent. The Chicago Steel product was a late get, but his tape absolutely jumped to me. He might be a little green, he really needs to add weight and develop the shot, but he is so fast and really smart. His speed might only be rivaled by Jack Brackett of late, and he has way more skill. Look for Luke to earn a big role right from the jump.
Goukler One-Liner: Not much here on my end… I just think he is going to be really good.
Brendan Ross is a big wildcard as he comes over from Providence, where he only played 3 games last year. Ross was very good at Alaska the year prior and had almost 100 points in his last AJHL season. He’s 6’3 and scored 47 times that year in the Alberta, so you can’t say the tools aren’t there. But Ross comes into his junior year with more questions than answers, with a big opportunity right in front of him.
Ross One-Liner: Does his size and skill translate better in the ECAC than it did in his prior two stops, and where does he stack up at RW vs. Buckley and Tapper?
Matthew Buckley found himself on the top line early last year, where he, Tyler Wallace, and Filip Sitar got off to a really hot start. He cooled off as the year went on despite strong underlying numbers, which paints an interesting picture into year 2. Buckley will get another big chance to establish himself as RPI is pretty thin at right wing.
Buckley One-Liner: RPI needs goals, and Buckley had 30 of them in the OHL two years ago. Can he establish himself as a 10+ goal scorer in year two?
If Ross is the wildcard, then Ben Yurchuk is the x-factor to me. TJ Walsh feels like a very natural comp to Ben when you look at the pedigree both came into RPI with. And frankly, I’d sign up for that right now. Yurchuk didn’t crack the lineup much for the Hockey East champion Merrimack Warriors, but he was really good with the Chicago Steel. He’s undersized, but very skilled and very fast. And in some sense, his game is very similar to Gavin’s which makes me wonder if there’s room for both in the top 9. He’s tough to project, but has as much natural skill as anyone on this team.
Yurchuk One-Liner: Can Ben beat out the glut of left wings to earn a scoring role?
Alfred Lindberg was a little disappointing in his first year here, but he showed a well-rounded game that could contribute in the bottom 6. If Scherzer stays on the wing, I think he could earn 3C again and hopefully put together a productive senior year. He might not find that 22-pt freshman year form again, but clearly that is in there somewhere.
Lindberg One-Liner: RPI is really young, which leads me to think Eric will give the vets a lot of run. Can Alfie take that opportunity and run with it?
We’ve covered extensively how Jordan Gavin has as much pedigree as you’ll find coming into a program like RPI. His WHL production did flatline as he got older which raises some questions, but he can absolutely be an all-ECAC level player. Gavin is the complete offensive package, and that’s exactly why he’s here. He needs to play with enough defensive intensity to earn Lang’s trust though.
Gavin One-Liner: Few players can slow the game down on offense like Gavin can. But how long will it take him to do that at the college level, playing against 23- and 24-year-olds?
The Bottom 6:
Ethan Bono returns for his senior year and figures to be one of the leading voices in the room. In his first year at RPI, Ethan mirrored his production from Merrimack almost exactly. In 3 seasons of college hockey, he’s been nothing if not consistent, with 9,9, and 10 points respectively. I think he may get squeezed out of a scoring role by some of the younger guys though, which is why I have him down here in the bottom 6.
Bono One-Liner: Can he bring a big veteran presence to the 4th line and help RPI’s PK and defensive efforts this year?
Coach Lang raves about Harrison Lodewyk when we speak to him. Lodewyk is 210 lbs but he can fly, not to mention he has a ton of jam to his game and is great on the PK. Harrison was one of the best centermen in the WHL last year, winning draws around a 65% clip and over 70% in the playoffs. He is an automatic plug and play at 4C and may push his way up into a bigger role over time. For now though, he is one of those hand-picked, “Lang style players” that is going to set the tone for how he wants the team to play.
Lodewyk One-Liner: I feel really comfortable projecting him as an elite 4th-liner, but can Harrison develop enough offense to be a middle-6 center over time?
Mathieu Bourgault is one of the longest tenured guys now, but last year was his first healthy one. Mathieu played his role well last year, was willing to hit and play with physicality and did work on the PK. Look for more of the same this year despite some more competition up front.
Bourgault One-Liner: Can Bourgault win a role on the 4th line thanks to his size and defensive ability?
Captain Brad McNeil will be the leader of this tribe once again. Brad is as good of a guy as there is and its no surprise that the coaching staff loves having him lead the room. His role has shrunk a bit over the years and it may happen again, but his full impact on the program doesn’t always show up in the box score.
McNeil One-Liner: Can he fight his way back into a prominent bottom-6 role like the one he played as an underclassmen?
Leo Serlin is last but certainly not least. Leo is the most recent addition, who the staff snatched up after Smith and Evaschesen decommitted late in the game. Eric noted on last week’s podcast that they were recruiting Leo for 2027, but he expressed interest in coming early and thus is here now. This is telling about his intentions given that Guelph, his junior team in the OHL, was set to host the Memorial Cup this year. Clearly getting an education is important to Leo and he wants to be here at RPI. We will see what his role looks like in year 1, but he’s going to have every chance to earn one in the bottom 6.
Serlin One-Liner: It may take time to get up to speed, but can Leo play his best hockey in the 2nd half and earn himself a role in the bottom 6?
Lots of new faces present an exciting new puzzle to solve for Lang and Cory Schneider to solve in year 2. I think two questions dictate what will make or break this group. Number one, can a couple of the freshman, specifically Hadland, Gavin and Goukler, really stick and produce offense right away? And number two, how much can the Engineers put on the shoulders of those two centers (Rullers and Sitar) to drive this group? We will have our answers soon, and if the 5 goals last Friday at Army are any indication, things are looking up. Let’s go red.