DUBUQUE, IA - The Dubuque Fighting Saints have announced their roster to open the USHL regular season in 2025-26.

The 2025-26 roster is headlined by six returning players, including all four third-year players: Teddy Merrill, Charlie Arend, Michael Barron and Colin Frank. Those four players will also serve as the leadership group for the team as Merrill will captain the team with Arend, Barron and Frank serving as assistant captains.

"We are excited about the make up of this team both from a player and a staff perspective," said General Manager Trevor Edwards. "From the hockey staff, to the leadership group and right down the roster, I see a lot of highly competitive, motivated individuals that value a we before me culture."

The Saints roster features one NHL draft pick, Norwegian defenseman Ludvig Lafton. Lafton was drafted in the sixth round of the 2024 NHL Draft by the Utah Mammoth and is attending the team's rookie camp this season. 

Dubuque also has 14 of its 26 active players already committed to play Division I hockey. Gavin Lock is committed to defending national champion Western Michigan, while Masun Fleece and Xavier Lieb are committed to Frozen Four qualifier Penn State. Arend (Ohio State), Lincoln Krizizke (Ohio State) and Eetu Orpana (Wisconsin) join Lieb and Fleece with Big Ten commitments. 

The Saints' final roster includes 14 forwards, 10 defensemen and two goaltenders. Of the 26 players, 13 have played at least a game at the USHL level and seven have played a full season in the league.

Overall, six countries (France, Finland, Norway, Sweden, USA) and 11 states (AZ, CA, IL, ME, MI, MN, ND, NY, PA, TN, WI) are represented on Dubuque's roster.

Of the 26 total players with the team, 19 were drafted by the Fighting Saints. Among that group, Arend, Frank, Barron, Lock and Melvin Ekman bring back 226 USHL games played into the Saints lineup. Hudson Lohse, a St. Cloud State commit, will make his USHL debut, alongside fellow draftees Hayden Russell, Dante Josefsson-Westling, Caden Dabrowski, Krizizke, Orpana, Kris Richards and Bradnt Dubey.

"This group will be tough to play against on a nightly basis," Edwards added.

The official roster is as follows:

Forwards (14): Charlie Arend; Michael Barron; Cooper Conway; Caden Dabrowski; Melvin Ekman; Colin Frank; Masun Fleece; Kane Johnson, Dante Josefsson-Westling; Xavier Lieb; Gavin Lock; Teddy Merrill; Eetu Orpana; Hayden Russell

Defensemen (10): Teo Besnier; Luke Brierley; Brandt Dubey;  Lincoln Krizizke; Ludvig Lafton; Hudson Lohse; Jack O'Brien; Jáchym Prušek; Kris Richards, James Russell

Goaltenders (2): Owen Crudale; Vojtech Hambálek

"We are really excited about this years' group," said Head Coach Evan Dixon. "It's one of the more competitive groups of people I have been around and I can't wait to get started."

Keep tabs on all Saints news by checking the website at dubuquefightingsaints.com or following the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.