Last season was one for the history books for the Maryland Black Bears, setting numerous franchise records en route to their first Robertson Cup after a 3-2 overtime win over the Minnesota Wilderness. But now it’s time to start the next chapter in Maryland’s history with a brand-new NAHL season, with new faces joining the team and a shrunken East Division. This season will see eight teams in the East Division, with the Maine Nordiques and Rochester Jr. Americans not participating in the upcoming NAHL campaign. To start their Robertson Cup defense, the Black Bears will play a home-and-home series with the Philadelphia Rebels, who finished last in the East Division last season with a record of 21-29-9 and 51 points.
From the first whistle of the regular season to the championship-winning goal, the Maryland Black Bears’ 2025-2026 season was nothing short of magical. Maryland set franchise records for most wins (49), points (102), goals for (248), and longest win streak in team history (16). The Black Bears led the NAHL in home wins (26) and goal differential (+112) last season as well. But the team will look different this year, with Maryland’s two main goaltenders, Ryan Denes and Dom Gatto, not returning to the team. The Black Bears’ top nine point scorers will not be returning as well, including reigning league MVP Harrison Smith, who will be suiting up in the USHL with the Chicago Steel for this upcoming season.
Maryland will have six players returning from the championship team who played at least 25 games. Forward Brayden Wade will be the highest-scoring returning player from last season, playing in 44 games and finishing ninth on the team in goals with 13 and 10th in points with 26. Robertson Cup playoff hero Brady Anes will also be returning to Piney Orchard for the 2026-2027 season. The forward recorded nine goals and 21 points in 49 regular season games, but he upped his game in a big way in the postseason. In 10 playoff games, Anes scored five goals and eight points, with no goal being bigger than his overtime goal in the Robertson Cup Championship game against Minnesota. Forward Logan Deuling, who set a Maryland franchise record for most penalty minutes last season with 171, will also return for another season in the black and yellow. Forwards Lachlan Bommer and Sokratis Markarian, along with defensemen Dominik Boltnar and Vincent Glos, will all take the ice for the Black Bears this season. Forward Noi Jonasson and defenseman Hayden Klose, who were with the team last year and played eight and 10 games, respectively, will also rejoin Maryland, eyeing a bigger role with the team.
With regular-season success last season, the Black Bears locked up the top spot in the division early on. Because of this, Maryland called up a handful of players to get some playing time, knowing that they will be competing for a roster spot next season. Forwards Keele Deuling (brother of Logan), Graiden Insana, Filip Kacmarsky, Kade Kanaly, Noah Lawson, Lucas Salvator, and Qixiong Sun all suited up for Maryland last season. Insana is likely the most recognizable name to fans who followed the Black Bears’ road to the Robertson Cup. While he only dressed for two regular-season games, scoring one goal, he played in all 10 postseason games for Maryland. Insana provided important depth scoring in the playoffs, recording three goals and four points.
The Black Bears also brought in veteran help from outside the organization. In mid-July, Maryland made a blockbuster trade with the Danbury Hat Tricks, acquiring forwards Matt Shpungin and Tanner Terranova from Danbury in exchange for forward Robby Glentz, forward Drew Watz, the NAHL rights to forward Trey Hinton, a fourth-round pick, a fifth-round pick, and one 2026 tender. Shpungin finished second on the Hat Tricks in points with 39 in 57 games, all while leading the team in goals with 22. Terranova finished third in point scoring with 35 in 54 games, second in assists with 24, and fourth in goal scoring with 11. The Black Bears also picked up defenseman John-Paul Saddy from the Rochester Jr. Americans, a responsible defenseman who recorded 13 points in 52 games last season.
Plenty of new faces will join Maryland as well this season, including numerous players from the Black Bears’ 2026 draft class. Forward Ajay Rai, who was Maryland’s highest draft pick at 57th overall, impressed with a goal in the Black Bears’ second preseason game, a 3-0 win over Philadelphia. Last season, he was an alternate captain on the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Lindsay Muskies, where his 31 goals led the team in that category. He was also second on the team in points with 53. Juuso Rantala is another draft pick of the Black Bears who will see the ice this season. Drafted 101st overall, Rantala comes to Odenton, MD, from Tampere, Finland. He played for the Tappara U20 team last season and put up an impressive seven goals and 20 points in 40 games. In between the pipes, the three newcomers, Cody Hew, Michael Iliff, and Cole Werthman, all had strong showings in the preseason as they battle for playing time.
Philadelphia is looking to bounce back after a disappointing season that saw the Rebels finish last in the division. Despite only giving up 186 goals, which was the fifth-most in the division, the offense produced an East Division low of 155 goals. They struggled in extra-session contests as well, going 3-9 in games that went to overtime or the shootout. Philadelphia will have 11 players returning from last year’s team who played at least a few games, including defenseman Mikey Conlon, whose 22 points in 51 games make him the highest-scoring among returning players. A key player returning for the Rebels will be goaltender Ben Varsa. Varsa assumed the backup goaltender role last year but made his starts count, going 7-9-5 on the season with a 3.18 goals-against average, a .901 save percentage, and one shutout.
Players to Watch:
Dominik Boltnar (D, MYD): Boltnar has played in parts of two seasons for Maryland, recording four goals and 11 points in 38 games. He also recorded two assists in three playoff games this past season. Boltnar is a smooth-skating defenseman who is smart with the puck and will be looking for a bigger role this season as a veteran presence on the Black Bears’ blueline.
Dylan Moran (F, PHI): Moran is entering his first full season with the Rebels after being acquired from the Anchorage Wolverines last season. In 35 games with Philadelphia, Moran scored nine goals and 20 points with two game-winning goals. He will be relied upon to be a key piece in an offense looking to rebound after a tough campaign last season.
Maryland will begin the 2026-2027 NAHL season on the road on Friday, September 11, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Hollydell Ice Arena in Sewell, NJ. The first game at Piney Orchard Ice Arena will take place the following night on Saturday, September 12th, at 7:00 p.m. ET. All games can be streamed on NATV.