is he confirmed for the fall? i was hearing rumblings he was a 26 add?
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Maine Recruits: When Ashes Fall, Legends Rise
- Thread starter Sparkee
- Start date
Ineverquit
Born a Mainer
What do you think about changing the forward lines so they looked like this?
Mistelbacher/Lipinski/Poirier
Nadeau/Scott/Marques
Fowler/Russell/Freel
Gerrior/Komarov/Peluso
tylerzx2002
Well-known member
Mistelbacher's profile from the EP 2025 Draft Guide:
"After last season’s second-half breakout, it was a bit of a surprise to see Luke Mistelbacher go undrafted. Nevertheless, he took his scoring to new heights, doubling his goal totals while becoming one of the WHL’s top even-strength scorers.A skilled shooter, Mistelbacher curls pucks around sticks and fires, turns tricky passes into powerful snappers, and has a knack for always being open. His offensive game is built around his shot, relying on pop-out actions in the slot and working give-and-gos in transition. Mistelbacher is also a skilled passer. He moves to the middle on receptions, holds pucks in hip pocket, and deceptively passes across the slot. He spots teammates at the far post and has the skill to adjust to lanes, often connecting with perfect timing. In Mistelbacher’s best shifts, he gets pucks off the wall, engages physically, and shows some checking skills. But it’s more common to see Mistelbacher give up inside positioning to rely on stick work and offload possession when pressure arrives. Although he supports plays well, he doesn’t have many puck-winning skills at this stage. Though skilled offensively, Mistelbacher doesn’t have the dynamic skating or higher-end handling to project to the NHL with his current style of play. Therefore, it’s imperative that he finds ways to add more physical skills and pace to his game. He has NHL skill, so he could be worth a swing in the mid-to-late rounds."
"After last season’s second-half breakout, it was a bit of a surprise to see Luke Mistelbacher go undrafted. Nevertheless, he took his scoring to new heights, doubling his goal totals while becoming one of the WHL’s top even-strength scorers.A skilled shooter, Mistelbacher curls pucks around sticks and fires, turns tricky passes into powerful snappers, and has a knack for always being open. His offensive game is built around his shot, relying on pop-out actions in the slot and working give-and-gos in transition. Mistelbacher is also a skilled passer. He moves to the middle on receptions, holds pucks in hip pocket, and deceptively passes across the slot. He spots teammates at the far post and has the skill to adjust to lanes, often connecting with perfect timing. In Mistelbacher’s best shifts, he gets pucks off the wall, engages physically, and shows some checking skills. But it’s more common to see Mistelbacher give up inside positioning to rely on stick work and offload possession when pressure arrives. Although he supports plays well, he doesn’t have many puck-winning skills at this stage. Though skilled offensively, Mistelbacher doesn’t have the dynamic skating or higher-end handling to project to the NHL with his current style of play. Therefore, it’s imperative that he finds ways to add more physical skills and pace to his game. He has NHL skill, so he could be worth a swing in the mid-to-late rounds."
Ineverquit
Born a Mainer
I think it would be a little odd if Mistelbacher delayed until 26' since he finished 8th in the WHL in points and 17th overall in the CHL.
blackbears9
Active member
The tweet announcing his commitment says a 2026 arrival is the current plan. I imagine that could change if he’s drafted by a team that wants him in college though.
Sparkee
Blackbear
We will have to wait and see. But usually timing this month means they want to commit and get onboard with the team for off ice training this summer. My guess is he wants to get drafted, attend the drafting team’s development camp, then attend Maine’s off ice training, and start college this fall. Keep in mind he did an ATO for few games with an AHL team. So he evidently is ready to move on. Only way I can see delaying is if he was academically ineligible due to maybe not taking the right amount of core classes in highschool. I doubt that is the case. So my guess is he will join Maine this fall. It seems an NHL team would want him to add muscle, get more physical, and work on puck possession and winning battle using his body. He’s got all the stick skills for high end finishing and playmaking. So I don’t think playing against the younger players of WHL is as much of an appealing dev path as playing against older and bigger players of NCAA.
Sparkee
Blackbear
Whatever works best. With so many new players there will be lots of different combinations tried throughout the first half of the season. Mistelbacher seems to enjoy being at that right face off dot and working in and across the slot. So I’m guessing RW is where he is best suited. Conversely, Poirier appears well suited for one timers from the left face off dot on the power play at least. I could see him as a candidate for playing off wing like Brad Nadeau did. Poirier and Josh Nadeau are likely friends since they were at Hurricanes development camp together last season. But at the end of the day Barr and staff will try stuff to see what works best. Your guess is as good as mine.
regardless of the final pairings, our third line is going to win us a lot of games
Sparkee
Blackbear
This official one from WHL says 2026/27 season arrival also.
2025 NHL Draft-eligible forward Mistelbacher commits to University of Maine - Western Hockey League
Mistelbacher finished fourth in the WHL goals race with a whopping 42 tallies (including three hat tricks and a four-goal game) in 2024-25.
chl.ca
BlackBearFan19
Active member
Another great add for the staff, they are on a roll. Will be a shame if he doesn’t arrive this fall, and I fear it puts him at risk to never arrive in Orono.
Sparkee
Blackbear
It turns out I got it wrong, he is 165 lbs. So need to update that. Also, the WHL release says start in fall of 2026.
Sparkee
Blackbear
Maine is gaining ground as this is the first time in a long time anyone has said Maine is in the top 10 for recruiting for a given birth year. Solid progress.
www.instagram.com
Puck Preps on Instagram: "With the addition of 4.5⭐️ Miguel Marques, Maine jumps into the top 10 in our 2006 born team recruiting rankings!"
290 likes, 0 comments - puckprepscollege on June 21, 2025: "With the addition of 4.5⭐️ Miguel Marques, Maine jumps into the top 10 in our 2006 born team recruiting rankings!".
www.instagram.com