Longtime readers will know that we love Numbers Day here at the Blog. We love seeing what number the new players to the program will establish their Northeastern careers with, what past legacies will be carried on with the new generation, and what numbers come back into circulation after a long time away. We’ve done this each of the last three seasons.
Monday afternoon we got the numbers for the Men’s Hockey team for 2025-26, and it was a celebration at Blog HQ. Folks who know us personally know that I have been especially longing for Northeastern to allow players to select higher numbers than the usual 1-40 range we’ve seen the last decade or so. In fact, only 18 times in program history has a player worn a number greater than 40, and none since 2019 (Ryan Ruck, 41). We will see that number jump this year though, as it seems that NU has lifted that policy. We even have some first-time numbers in program history in the group. Let’s dive into the eighteen new numbers for players this season.
(Note- this article is purely for the number assignments. Scouting reports and projections will come out next month as part of our annual New to Northeastern series.)
Returning Players
#8 James Fisher– We start by looking at the handful of returning players who will change things up this season. After rocking #18 last season, Fisher switches to #8 vacated by Jackson Dorrington signing with the New York Rangers. He wore #8 in high school at Belmont Hill. Fisher is the first forward to wear #8 since Hobey Baker winner Adam Gaudette, and other program greats to wear the number include former NHLer Sandy Beadle and current Northeastern Athletic Director Jim Madigan.
#12 Nolan Hayes– Hayes returns for his junior season and swaps out his old #3 for Cam Lund’s old number 12. Lund is in San Jose now after signing his first NHL contract. Previous notable #12s include Zach Aston-Reese, Dennis McCauley, Leon Hayward, and Ken Manchurek.
#19 Marc Lund– Lund trades one year of wearing 21 for 19, most recently worn by Billy Norcross. Previous wearers of 19 include Lincoln Griffin, Wade MacLeod, Mike Morris, and Mike Ryan.
#93 Anthony Messuri– Mazoo traded out his old number 28 to become the first player to wear 93 in program history. He wore #93 when he played at Arlington High School. Only three other players (before this team) have worn a number over 90 for Northeastern.
Incoming Players
#4 Dylan Compton– The freshman defenseman from British Columbia assumes the mantle of #4 after Jake Boltmann’s graduation. Compton wore #4 with Waterloo in the USHL most recently. Other wearers of Bobby Orr’s number at Northeastern include fan favorite Pito Walton, NHLer Jeremy Davies, and Jim and Will Averill.
#6 Grayson Badger– Badger comes to Northeastern after multiple years in the BCHL, and will be wearing the #6 worn by Jake Higgins last season. Previous Huskies to wear 6 include NHLer Jamie Oleksiak, current Sacred Heart head coach CJ Marrotolo, and 1980 Beanpot MVP Dave Archambeault.
#9 Noah Jones– Jones comes to Northeastern after playing for Omaha of the USHL. He wore 33 in juniors, but now wears #9 at Northeastern most recently worn by Ryan McGuire. Previous number 9s at Northeastern include Tyler Madden, Dylan Sikura, Randy Bucyk, and Wayne “Beanpot” Turner.
#15 Giacomo Martino– Martino has long been #22 in junior hockey including most recently with Sioux City of the USHL, but that number is held by captain Vinny Borgesi for one more year. The USHL’s leading scorer instead claims #15, a personal favorite of this author. Most recently worn by former captain and current Columbus Blue Jacket Jack Williams, 15 was also worn at Northeastern by Kevin Roy, Grant Jozefek, and Brodie Reid.
#21 Jack Pechar– Pechar claims the digits vacated by Marc Lund’s number change, and in doing so retains the same 21 that he wore in juniors as a member and assistant captain of the Lincoln Stars. Before Lund, 21 was worn by Matt DeMelis and previously worn by Nolan Stevens, Zak Stone, and sixteen other players dating back to 1967.
#24 Austen May– May comes to Northeastern after three years in Hockey East at Providence. He claims the vacant #24 after Kyle Furey graduated early. May wore 24 as a Friar as well. Previous players who wore 24 for Northeastern including former NHLer Rob Cowie and fan favorite Mike Jamieson.
#26 Dylan Finlay– Finlay transferred to Northeastern for his senior season after three years at Alaska-Anchorage. He wore 26 as a Seawolf and will wear the same as a Husky. It was last worn by James Davenport in 2023, and most notably by former NHLer and NU captain Joe Vitale.
#33 Amine Hajibi– Hajibi picks up the double threes and becomes only the seventh player to wear 33 at Northeastern, and the first forward to do so. It was last worn by TJ Semptimphelter in 2022, and while not worn in game due to injury was also Devon Levi’s number his freshman season. Hajibi wore 3 last season with Cedar Rapids in the USHL.
#35 Matthew DellaRusso– The first of two new goalies on this list, DellaRusso is the latest goalie to wear 35 at Northeastern. Worn by Harrison Chesney the last three seasons, 13 previous Huskies wore 35. DellaRusso wore 30 in juniors while playing for the Maine Nordiques and West Kelowna Warriors.
#47 Lawton Zacher– The second new goalie at Northeastern this year and the expected starter in net, Zacher comes to Northeastern after two years at Brown in the ECAC where he wore #1. He is the second player to ever wear 47, after Dustin Darou (owner of one of the most memorable goals in my student tenure at NU) wore it in the mid 2010s.
#51 Matthew Perkins– Time for a handful of first timers. Perkins wore 34 for two seasons at Minnesota-Duluth in the NCHC, and will become the first Husky to wear 51 when he suits up this season. Only two other Huskies have even worn numbers in the 50s (Brian Deeth’s 55, Matti Uusivirta’s 56).
#81 Jacob Mathieu– The first Canadian Hockey League player to come down and play for Northeastern, Mathieu played five seasons with the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL. A two-time captain, Mathieu wore 81 for his career in juniors, and will be the first Husky to wear 81 and the first men’s player ever to wear a number in the 80s.
#91 Tyler Fukakusa– A transfer coming in from RIT in Atlantic Hockey, Fukakusa wore #9 as a Tiger for two seasons before transferring. He will be the second player in program history to wear 91, after former captain Robbie Vrolyk wore it most recently in 2013. Fukakusa also wore 9 in juniors.
#92 Matthew Maltais– The last man on our countdown is the former captain of the Lincoln Stars, where he wore 29. Prior to Lincoln he also wore 23 and 22 in junior hockey. Maltais is the second player to wear 92 in program history after Joseph Manno most recently in 2013. Only one other player besides Manno, Vrolyk, Messuri, Fukakusa, and Maltais has worn a number in the 90s for NU- former two-time captain and beloved forward Tyler McNeely.
That’s going to do it for our annual nerd-fest diving into the numbers assigned to players this year. A new roster and new number assignments means hockey is just around the corner- we are under two months away from opening night against Holy Cross. We will have our New to Northeastern series out in September as always to introduce these new players to readers and fans, and we look forward to cheering for all of them at Matthews Arena for one final ride.
As always, go Huskies!