Mavericks ink 3, up incoming class to 8

As expected, Minnesota State added three players to next season's incoming class on Wednesday when the national signing period began.

The Mavericks will have eight new players next season, as the latest three join the five who signed NLIs in November.

The latest group includes one player from each position:

Chandler Madry

• Chandler Madry, F, Fairbanks Ice Dogs (NAHL). The 6-foot-0, 181-pounder ranked second in scoring in the NAHL this season with 77 points, including a league-high 55 assists, in 60 games. It was his third season with the Ice Dogs. He helped them to a Robertson Cup championship last year and has totaled 114 points in 146 career games. He's a Bakersfield, Calif., native. Madry missed the NAHL scoring championship by three points. 

Daniel Brickley

• Daniel Brickley, D, Topeka Roadrunners (NAHL). The 6-3, 205-pound left shot had 12 goals and 25 assists in 58 games, ranking tied for for sixth in the NAHL in scoring by defensemen. He also led his team with 102 penalty minutes. He's a native of Sandy, Utah.

Jason Pawloski

• Jason Pawloski, G, Green Bay Gamblers (USHL). The 6-0, 198-pounder goaltender went 10-21-5 with a .901 SV% and 3.33 GAA this season. A year ago, he was the Clark Cup MVP while playing for the Indiana Ice of the USHL. He went 27-8-6 with a .904 SV% and a 2.46 GAA last season. A year earlier, the Omaha, Neb., native played for Austin of the NAHL.

They join a class that includes forwards Max Coatta (Waterloo, USHL), Steen Cooper (Penticton, BCHL) and Ryan Schwalbe (Sioux Falls, USHL) and defensemen Clint Lewis (Sioux Falls, USHL) and Alec Vanko (Madison, USHL).

Lewis, who played one year at Cornell before leaving school and returning to junior hockey, will come in as a sophomore.

The Mavericks graduated six players from this past season — forwards Matt Leitner, Jean-Paul Lafontaine, Chase Grant and Max Gaede and defensemen Zach Palmquist and Brett Stern — and also lost goalie Stephon Williams a year early to the NHL.

By my count, Minnesota State has verbal commitments from eight other players for 2016-17 and beyond. There will be six seniors on next year's team.