After seeing Jon Bell from St. Cloud MN head to west point, we wondered what other MN kids made the same decision and here is a look at the local connection for the 2023-2024 roster:

Joey Dosan– He played his high school hockey for Bloomington Kennedy from 2015-2018 with 57 points in 67 games played, he spent his senior year at the North Star Christian Academy in Alexandria MN where he put up 74 points in 54 games for the North Star Knights.  From there he went to the MJHL for 2 seasons before spending a season with the Springfield Jr. Blues of the NAHL where he put up 28 points in 45 games as captain of that squad.  Last season for Army he played in 12 games with no points put up.

Nik Hong played for Shattuck St. Marys from 2016-2020, playing for through all their programs he put up 103 points in 218 games played.  He then played for the St. Cloud Norseman of the NAHL from 2020-2023 where he put up 88 points in 142 games.

Rickey Lyle came out of Duluth East High School in MN where he skated varsity from 9th-12th grade.  Here is his bio from the Army hockey team website:
2022-23: Appeared in all 37 games for Army…Posted 24 points behind 13 goals and 11 assists…Blocked 27 shots as key member of penalty-kill while skating to a +1 rating through the season…Scored five empty net goals…Scored and assisted in victory over Dartmouth (Oct. 30)…Posted goals in back-to-back games against Lindenwood and Bentley (Nov. 5 & 18)…Career-high three points with two goals and assist in win versus Niagara (Dec. 2)…Scored goal at Yale (Jan. 2)…Logged a goal while winning eight of twelve faceoffs against No. 11 Providence (Jan. 8)…Potted a pair of goals in 2-0 home victory versus Canisius (Jan. 13)…Extended goal streak to three games with score and assist versus Canisius (Jan. 14)…Tabbed a goal and assist in home victory against Air Force (Jan. 27)…Scored goals against Niagara (Feb. 4) and Holy Cross (Feb. 10) as part of three-game point streak…Posted a pair of assists at Bentley to conclude regular season (Feb. 25).

2021-22: Skated in all 35 games for the Black Knights…Posted 16 points through eight goals and eight assists…Blocked 40 shots…Scored first goal of season against AIC (Oct. 21)…Posted goals in consecutive games versus Niagara (Nov. 20) and Bentley (Nov. 26)…Logged assist versus Canisius (Jan. 7)…Recorded two assists at Sacred Heart (Jan. 18)…Scored in win versus Holy Cross (Jan. 22)…Logged a goal and assist at Air Force (Jan. 28)…Picked up an assist in back-to-back games at Holy Cross (Feb. 17-18)…Tabbed first multi-goal effort with two goals at Sacred Heart (Feb. 26).

2020-21: Played in 18 games for Army in his first season…Recorded two goals on the year…Scored his first career goal in a win over AIC (Jan. 10)…Dished out an assist in a win over Bentley (Feb. 13)…Netted a goal in a 4-0 win vs. Sacred Heart (Mar. 12).

Prior to West Point: Played for the Madison Capitols (USHL) for the 2019-20 season … appeared in 41 games and scored seven goals … added nine assists for 16 points … also played for the Minnesota Magicians (NAHL) the year prior … Awarded team MVP in 2018-19 … All-Section second team (2019)… also participated in international rowing (2013-2019) and soccer (2015) … National Honor Society member … recipient of the Birchin Award … Honor Roll student … lives on the biggest lake in the world.

Jon Bell is a product of St. Cloud Cathedral where he was a part of the 2018-2019 State Championship team.  While at Cathedral he put up 50 points in 66 games as a defenseman, he then spent a season in the NAHL with the Bismark Bobcats where is played in 47 games, from there he went to the USHL for a short time before heading back to the NAHL and playing for the MN Magicians/Wisconsin Windigo.  This upcoming season will be his first for Army.
If we missed any MN kids on the Army hockey team please email us at: ftphockey@gmail.com

The team is coached by Brian Riley:

(Bio from the Army hockey website)
Brian Riley enters his 20th season at the helm in 2023-24, after being named Army hockey’s 16th head coach of the program in 2004.

Following 14 years as an assistant to his brother Rob and a lifetime of hockey education from his father Jack, Brian knew all about the U.S. Military Academy.

The knowledge, preparation and hard work have all paid off for Brian as he adds to the Riley legacy and Army hockey. Just the third Army hockey coach in the past 70 years, Brian Riley has made his mark on a program coached by his father and brother in his past 17 seasons at the helm.

A three-time Atlantic Hockey Association Coach of the Year, he led the team to its first regular season championship in program history. Riley reached 100 wins at Tate Rink on November 30, 2018 with a 5-4 win over Canisius. He’s had five players chosen to participate in the NCAA Frozen Four Skills Competition and 12 named to the AHA Academic All-Star Team.

Aside from his standard coaching responsibilities, Riley served as the President of the American Hockey Coaches Association from 2014-17. He has also served on the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee from 2013-18, which is responsible for the management of the NCAA Championship.

Riley has coached an AHA Player of the Year, an AHA Goalie of the Year, an AHA Rookie of the Year and two AHA Best Defenseman. Seven of his players have been First Team Atlantic Hockey All-Conference, while 12 were named to the second team and two to the third. Riley has also mentored 10 to the All-Rookie Team and five who received the Atlantic Hockey Sportsmanship Award.

In addition to the on-ice success of his players, Riley had the pleasure of coaching 2008 and 2013 Men’s Hockey Senior CLASS Award winners Bryce Hollweg and Cheyne Rocha. Rocha earned first team Academic All-America honors two years in a row. Several other highlights include coaching eight Atlantic Hockey Scholar-Athlete of the Year honorees and 104 on the AHA All-Academic squad.

Riley was named the league coach of the year for the first time in 2005-06 when the team finished fifth in conference play after overcoming an 0-7-1 start.

In his first campaign behind the Black Knights’ bench, Riley earned his first-career win when Army stunned Colgate, 3-2, in Hamilton, N.Y.

Riley led his team to 11 wins during that initial season, setting the Academy record for most victories by a rookie head coach. He broke the record established by his brother, Rob, in 1986-87. In addition, the younger Riley also piloted the Black Knights to their first postseason win in more than a quarter century when Army defeated American International College, 5-3, in the first round of the Atlantic Hockey tournament.

Riley’s father, Jack, started it all in 1951 when legendary football coach and athletic director at West Point, Earl “Red” Blaik hired him to head the hockey program. What began as a one-year contract turned into a 36-year Hall of Fame career that culminated in 542 victories.

Riley’s brother, Rob, took the reins from his father in the fall of 1986 and racked up 306 victories of his own over 18 winters.

When Rob officially stepped down in the summer of 2004, he passed the torch (and family tradition) on to his younger brother.

Brian played an integral role in recruiting many of the athletes that helped Army put together back-to-back 20-win seasons and tutored Corey and Ian Winer, former Colorado Avalanche forward Dan Hinote.

Riley recruited Zach McKelvie, a defenseman who was signed by the Boston Bruins organization after his senior season in 2009. He then served two years of active duty as an Infantry Officer before officially starting his professional career in the Calgary Flames organization in 2011. McKelvie now resides as the Associate Head Hockey Coach for the Black Knights and is still one of the most talented defensemen to play Army hockey. More recently, Riley mentored Dominic Franco who received an offer a one-year contract within the Buffalo Sabres organization through American Hockey League affiliate, the Rochester Americans in 2020.

A 1983 graduate of Brown, Riley began his coaching career in 1984 with a three-year stint as an assistant coach at SUNY Plattsburgh. During that period, the Cardinals advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament three times, reaching the championship game twice.

In 1988, Riley moved to the Division I ranks at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. There, he teamed with his cousin, Bill Riley, for one season, directing the River Hawks to the NCAA Tournament, giving him his fourth straight postseason appearance.

The following winter, Riley joined his brother’s staff at West Point for the first time where he spent the next seven seasons. In 1996, the West Point native left the comfort and familiarity of the Academy, where he grew up, for the great Midwest and a head coaching position at Shattuck St. Mary’s Prep School in Faribault, Minn.

There, Riley carved out a stellar two-year coaching career in which his teams compiled an impressive 94-19-10 record. In his first season, Riley directed the squad to a 40-9-7 record before improving to 54-10-3 in 1997-98.

In 1999, Riley returned to West Point, where he served at his brother’s side until assuming the head coaching position in 2004.

During his collegiate playing days, Riley co-captained Brown’s hockey squad his senior season, earning honorable mention All-Ivy League. He was presented the Class of ’36 Trophy for his outstanding contributions over his four-year career and the Patrick Jones Trophy for most team spirit.

Prior to starring at Brown, Riley attended New Hampton Prep and led the hockey team to a No. 1 national ranking among prep schools. He was chosen as the school’s most outstanding athlete while captaining both the soccer and hockey teams.

Riley completed course work on his master’s, earning a graduate degree in Education from Boston University, in May 2003.

Riley is married to the former Marybeth Feldman of Highland Falls, N.Y. The couple has three children: Jack, Danielle and Brendan.