In the last article for our New to Northeastern series, we covered the defensemen. Now we look at the men up front who will be counted on to bring the heat every night for the Huskies’ offense. With six freshmen and two transfer juniors, there are a lot of new faces in the forward group this season.
#6 Grayson Badger– Badger committed to Northeastern all the way back in 2021, in a recruiting battle that Northeastern beat another Hockey East rival for the Hyde Park native. Badger finally makes his arrival to Huntington Avenue after two years in the BCHL and one year in the USHL. Most recently, he played for Alberni Valley where he was an assistant captain last season, and in his second BCHL season he saw his point total increase from 37 points (11 goals) in 52 games in 2023-24 to 57 points (22 goals) in 47 games. He really broke out in the 2023-24 playoffs for the Bulldogs, scoring 20 points (8 goals) in 18 playoff games. Prior to junior hockey he played at Dexter Southfield Prep.
Badger is a high-motor, elite compete type of player. He has good size at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, and he can be a spark plug type of player up and down the lineup. In Alberni Valley he made his living in the dirty areas of the ice, scoring many of his goals between the faceoff dots and being around the goal mouth. He is someone that we project as starting in contention for the fourth line as a freshman, potentially getting some penalty kill time, but can develop into a very important bottom six winger as his Northeastern career progresses.
#15 Giacomo Martino– Martino committed to Northeastern a few months after Badger, coming out of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. The Toronto native has always been an offensive dynamo, putting up 122 points in two years with St. Michael’s before moving onto the USHL with Sioux City. In his second USHL season, Martino exploded onto the scene, going from 25 points (8 goals) as a USHL rookie to a league-best 74 points (32 goals), becoming the first Northeastern recruit since Zach Solow to lead the USHL in scoring, and having the best USHL season by a Northeastern recruit since Mike Szmatula’s 76 point campaign in 2012-13. Martino was named a USHL First Team All Star, finished third in the USHL in goals and assists, and earned an invite as an undrafted free agent to 2025 Development Camp with the Florida Panthers.
Martino was always someone who could play at fast pace, someone who is a good agile skater that can both fly in transition but also set up shop in the offensive zone to score. His second year in the USHL he blossomed, showcasing an elite release on his snap shot and one-timer. He is a puck hound, showcasing an ability to score pretty but he can score in the high-traffic areas of the ice. He is someone that should see top-six minutes early and often this season, and will be a fixture on the powerplay. In a class loaded with high-end USHL talent, Martino might just be the gem of the group.
#21 Jack Pechar– Another USHL All Star last season, Pechar committed to Northeastern in 2023. The New York native played two full seasons in the USHL with the Lincoln Stars before enrolling, playing his second season as assistant captain and leading the team in scoring with 61 points (27 goals) in 56 games. Prior to Northeastern he played for the prestigious South Kent School and Selects Academy. Pechar attended 2025 Development Camp with the Los Angeles Kings as a UDFA and was part of the USA team that won a gold medal at the 2024-25 World Jr A Championships.
At 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, Pechar is a big-bodied natural center, though he can also play a little wing. Excellent in the faceoff circle, he’s a power forward with a quick, accurate release who can be heavy on pucks, giving him an edge in the cycle game. A good passer with a knack for scoring, he finished 6th in the USHL in scoring overall, eighth in goals, and notably averaged about 3 shots on goal a game. Much like the rest of this class, Pechar is an older freshman which should aid in his acclimation to the rigors and physicality of college hockey. He projects to start likely as a second line center for the Huskies and be a fixture in the top six for his career.
#33 Amine Hajibi– “Jeebs” hails from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and comes to Northeastern after two years with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL, a program that has produced some excellent talent for Northeastern the last decade, including the Hryckowian brothers, Matt Filipe, Adam Gaudette, among others. Last year for Cedar Rapids he put up 54 points (20 goals) in 58 games, up from his previous total of 45 points (11 goals) in 59 games. Similar to Pechar he also showed a “shooters shoot” propensity in juniors, also averaging about 3 shots on goal per game. He attended 2025 Development Camp with the Vancouver Canucks as a UDFA.
A left shot who played wing and center in the USHL, we expect Hajibi to largely play wing at Northeastern. An athletic skater who plays with pace, he has the blend of size (6-foot-1, 180 pounds), speed, and assertiveness to make a quick adjustment to college hockey. We project that he will likely start around the third line, but within a year could quickly ascend to the Huskies’ top six.
#51 Matthew Perkins– The first transfer forward in the article, Perkins comes to Northeastern after two seasons at Minnesota-Duluth of the NCDC. He was selected by Vancouver in the 4th round of the 2023 NHL Draft. He had a solid first year in college with 15 points (6 goals) in 35 games, but then struggled as a sophomore, scoring 5 points (1 goal) in 29 games. Prior to college, he played for the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL, where he played with current Huskies sophomore James Fisher and the team won the Clark Cup championship. He attended Vancouver Development Camp this summer.
A 5-foot-11 left shot who can play both center and wing, Perkins gives increased flexibility to the coaching staff in how they want to construct their lineups. From his draft profile, he has a very high hockey IQ and his ability to read the ice and think the game through was one of the reasons that Vancouver drafted him. Perkins is someone that we could see take on a role in the middle six and penalty kill given his experience in college. If he is able to regain his form shown as a freshman and in Youngstown, he will prove to be an extremely savvy pickup in the transfer portal by the coaching staff.
#81 Jacob Mathieu– The first player from the Canadian Hockey League to play for Northeastern, Mathieu comes to Boston after five seasons in the QMJHL with Rimouski Océanic. A Quebec native, Mathieu was the captain of Rimouski the last two seasons, leading his team to a run to the QMJHL Finals and a run in the prestigious Memorial Cup in 2024-25. Last year, Mathieu put up 68 points (41 goals) in 59 games, the fifth-most goals in the league despite missing some time due to injury. He led the QMJHL in scoring during the playoffs with 31 points and 17 goals in 23 games. In his career, he totaled 203 points. Off the ice, Mathieu was runner-up for the 2024 QMJHL Humanitarian of the Year Award. He attended 2025 Development Camp with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Clocking in a 5-foot-11, 195 pounds, the left-shot Mathieu plays bigger than his size, like a power forward in a smaller body. He has a great release on his shot and can get it off in traffic. A hard-nosed player who thrives in all three zones of the ice, he does well to create space for himself and for teammates. Largely playing center in Rimouski, he also played a lot of wing at the end of the regular season and in the playoffs. This gives the Huskies’ staff options on how to deploy Mathieu, but whichever position he plays expect him to be a fixture in the top six, the powerplay, and potentially even the penalty kill. We expect his vast experience in junior hockey to speed up his transition to college and for him to be a major piece of the Huskies’ attack and identity from the first game.
#91 Tyler Fukakusa– The second transfer in this forward class, Fukakusa comes to Boston after two successful years with the RIT Tigers of Atlantic Hockey. Another Ontario native, Fukakusa is a left-shot center who put up 64 points in two seasons at RIT, improving from a 9-19-28 line in 39 games as a freshman to a 9-27-38 line in 35 games as a sophomore, leading the team in scoring. The was named to the All-Conference Third Team last season, and helped guide RIT to an Atlantic Hockey championship as a freshman. Prior to RIT he played for the Toronto Jr Canadiens of the OJHL, putting up 193 points in two seasons, being named a First Team OJHL All Star both years. In his second year he scored 105 points en route to being crowned OJHL MVP.
Looking at Fukakusa’s advanced analytics, it shows an excellent addition for the Huskies. He ranked in the 94th percentile in offense, with elite marks in the playdriving category, while also being in the 67th percentile of transition play and 69th in defense, both acceptable marks especially considering RIT’s struggles last season. Advanced stats tell us that he rarely turns the puck over, that he does well when carrying the puck into the offensive zone, and he does well in terms of shot quality. We project that he will be a top six centerman for the Huskies immediately, possibly as high as the first line, in addition to powerplay time.
#92 Matthew Maltais– Our final new face at forward is another player from Quebec, Maltais comes in after two years in Lincoln of the USHL where he played with Jack Pechar. Maltais was the Stars’ captain last season, putting up 39 points (16 goals) in 59 games after a 20 point rookie campaign. Before the USHL he played two years for Alberni Valley of the BCHL. He largely played on the wing in Lincoln.
Maltais is a 6-foot-2, 185 pound left shot who does well to find quiet areas of the ice amidst the chaos. He does well in the slot and with his size, has a physical element to his game that can translate to the college game. Neutral Zone scouting also compliments Maltais on his ability to get shots off and on net while in traffic and under tight pressure. He is someone that figures to get run in the bottom six early in his career and progress up the lineup as he ages.
Two goalies, four defensemen, and eight forwards later, we have now met the newest faces to the Men’s Hockey program. Obviously, projections are just that- projections. What happens on the ice will be the ultimate measure of each player and we trust the coaching staff to take these performances and create the lineups that will lead the Huskies to victory.
As we approach the season opener on October 4th, be on the lookout for our forthcoming interviews with a handful of players as well as head coach Jerry Keefe and associate head coach Mike Levine. Less than a month until we are all back at Matthews Arena.
As always, go Huskies!