Their season may have wrapped up over two weeks ago, but that is not stopping WSU hockey from getting back to work on the ice. Last weekend they hosted their prospect camp at the Palouse Ice Rink and got to see a plethora of potential new players for the upcoming season. 

The two-day event featured numerous running clock scrimmages, where the Cougs saw the fresh faces in action. 

“I was really impressed by the level of play,” team captain Cole Carlson said. “I’d say it’s probably the best skate we’ve ever put together.” 

Even returning rookies could not deny the quickness of the group. 

“It’s always good to see that level of speed, that level of compete,” freshman forward David Bushkin said. “Because eventually that’s going to be the culture that your team has… that’s going to lead to more wins.”

Pacing back and forth between the benches, joking with players and hyping up the potential commits was head coach John Lupinacci. After the initial skates, he was thoroughly impressed with the performance on the ice. 

“It’s a lot of great hockey,” he said. “A lot of guys getting together and playing together for the first time… the first skate had a lot of guys who were looking to just walk right onto the team.” 

Among that group of walk-ons were players who have already committed to the program. One of them is a familiar face to the Cougs’ top talent.

“Louis Poliquin was there who just recently committed,” Carlson said. “I actually used to play junior hockey with him so I know him well. He made the trip out from Weber down in Utah.” 

Poliquin joins the Cougs after three years with Weber State in Utah. While there, the Quebec native had 27 career points off 76 games. Now with the Cougs, he is excited to get back to work with his former teammate. 

“I’ve known [Carlson], the captain, from juniors for a long time and he talked to me a little about [WSU],” Poliquin said. “I was looking at school and stuff and just everything here is top notch. The campus, the team, everything. So, it was an easy choice.” 

Poliquin was not the only one getting a taste of Pullman. Day two of the prospect camp had the Cougs taking the recruits on a full campus tour. The reason being, WSU needs to stand out to these potential commits. 

“It’s arguably a bigger tryout for us,” Carlson said. “I mean there’s tons of players and the ACHA’s crazy competitive. There’s something like almost 100 ACHA [Division 2] programs in the country. So, it’s extremely hard to get a player to choose your program.”

The campus tour, scrimmages and player meetings all work to make them choose the Cougs. When deciding on where to play hockey, the community is paramount. 

“I think that’s kind of the whole thing,” Bushkin said. “It’s about them coming in. They see the hockey, they see the school, they see the campus, they see the events that get put on. At the end of the day, they’re probably here for the next like two to five years. So, they have to see if this is a place they fit in? Is this a place that they’re going to like? And, is this a place that they feel that they’re going to make a positive impact?” 

As much as the camp is for prospective players, it also gives a good glimpse into what the returners are bringing to the table. 

“Because we skated with these guys last year you just see how much they’ve improved throughout the season,” Bushkin said. “You see what the grind and what the hard work turned out.” 

Some returners stood out, specifically to the Cougs’ bench boss. 

“Brandon Smith. I mean he was buzzing,” Lupinacci said. “Nick Flynn. It’s always good. Flynn always pulls magic out of his hat. The magic man was here today and it was good to see him buzzing.” 

 On top of Poliquin, the Cougs also snatched up Walker White, an incoming sophomore from Eastern Washington University.   

“We just got a recent commit from Eastern,” Carlson said. “[White] just transferred over to us. So, he was out there. He looked great.” 

With the Eagles, White only got six games of action. He tallied six points in that time, averaging a point per game. But, his commitment to the team shows the clout that Coug hockey is building.

The ability to recruit and build a program is increasingly important in the ACHA. Even new Cougs understand that the league is getting more and more competitive.  

“I think it’s got good talent,” Poliquin said. “I think it’s gonna take a step up next year… Everybody’s getting better so I’m excited to see how it’s going to be.”  

Poliquin got his first impression of the Cougs this weekend, and safe to say, he was happy with his decision. 

“It got faster and better as the camp went on,” he said. “The guys kind of got in a groove and stuff. So, it was really fun.” 

Besides just the play on the ice, Poliquin was vibing with the squad between whistles. At one point, he dropped the gloves against freshman Matthew Taylor for a playful tussle. 

“[Taylor], we dropped the gloves there. I was respecting him for doing that,” Poliquin said. “[I’ve liked] a lot of guys who live at the hockey house too, because that’s where I’ve been staying. I’ve been vibing with those guys a lot.”  

With an exciting group of recruits and commits already on the squad, the Cougs’ have a very specific goal in mind for next year.  

“Same goal every year. Win as much as you can,” Bushkin said. “Win that first playoff game. Win the Pac. And I mean, if we can, win [nationals].”

That belief is echoed even by those freshly in the Crimson and Gray. 

“Win the playoffs. Of course,” Poliquin said bluntly.