Jackson’s Irish welcome four incoming freshmen

Notre Dame hockey head coach Jeff Jackson has announced the addition of four incoming freshmen for the 2020-21 season.

Defenseman Zach Plucinski and forwards Ryder Rolston, Grant Silianoff and Landon Slaggert will join the returnees from last season’s team which finished 15-15-7 including 9-9-6 in a very competitive Big Ten Conference race.

“This year’s freshman class may be small in number, but it is talented and diverse in ability,” stated Jackson who is 334-206-64 heading into the 16th season of his Notre Dame career that includes four Frozen Four appearances and two NCAA runner-up finishes. “I fully expect each player will contribute to our team this year. They each bring different strengths that will combine to make us a better team.”

Rolston, a 6-foot-1, 174-pound forward with a right-handed shot, played for the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League last season, scoring 16 goals and adding 17 assists in 42 games. The Birmingham, Michigan, player is the son of former NHL standout and Stanley Cup champion Brian Rolston, who helped Jackson win the 1992 NCAA championship at Lake Superior State.

Silianoff, a 5-foot-11, 165-pound forward who shoots left-handed, hails from Edina, Minnesota, and played for the USHL’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders where he totaled 33 goals and 32 assists in 100 career games. He was a gold medalist for Team USA in the 2018 World Junior A Challenge tournament.

Slaggert, a 6-foot, 183-pound forward with a left-handed shot, played for the United States National Team Development Program the past two campaigns and totaled 13 goals and 11 assists in 47 games last season. A South Bend native, Landon is the brother of current junior forward Graham Slaggert and son of Irish associate head coach Andy Slaggert.

Plucinski, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound defenseman who has a right-handed shot, is from Eagle River, Alaska. He played with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL last season and scored eight goals and 18 assists in 48 games.