The Wildcats are excited to add yet another forward to their 2022/23 recruiting class with the addition of NCAA transfer, Ryan Malko!

Ryan Malko, standing 6’0”, 180-pounds comes from Cranford, NJ as a transfer player from Albertus Magnus College (NCAA DIII). Before college Malko played two years of junior A hockey in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) for the New Hampshire Avalanche and Connecticut Chiefs, where he established himself as a proven scorer; tallying double-digit goals (23 and 14 goals) in back-to-back season.

“I chose the University of Arizona because of its prestigious University located in a beautiful city,” said Ryan Malko. “I am looking forward to next season and helping the team win.”

Malko, a left-handed forward who can play center and wing brings a shooter’s mentality, something coach Berman was looking for.

“It’s been an exiting couple of weeks here for us, “said coach Berman. “The addition of Malko only adds to our recent momentum. We have been very fortunate in our recruiting so far; not only adding high character, talented hockey players, but also players that fit our exact needs. Last season we established a championship level of defensive play, at one point going 9 games in a row giving up 2 goals or less. We could contain the top teams in the ACHA but couldn’t find that one goal to make the difference and it cost us some tight games. It was basically a race to 3 goals every night. So, Malko is the kind of weapon we desperately needed. He has a heavy shot with a quick release. Especially around the net, where he gets a lot of “quick twitch” types of goals and knows how to finish in tight. He should be a nice weapon to add to our powerplay and really compliments the pieces we already have.”

Stay tuned as the Wildcats continue to reload for the 2022/23 season!