Kings prospect Hampton Slukynsky embracing the number-one role at Western Michigan in another strong season

Fresh off winning an NCAA National Championship, Hampton Slukynsky has embraced being Western Michigan’s number-one goalie.

Winning has followed Slukynsky at every level and did so again in his freshman season at Western Michigan University. The national championship for Slukynsky marked his and the university’s first in program, adding to an individual trophy cabinet that is already filling up for the 20-year-old.

For Western Michigan, they were certainly rewarded for prioritizing Slukynsky as a freshman.

“He was most people’s number-one priority and certainly was ours,” said Western Michigan Head Coach Pat Ferschweiler, on adding Slukynsky to his program during the recruitment process. “We knew we had a chance at an elite goalie who could win games almost by himself at the college level……He has certainly been a game changer for Western Michigan.”

As he did in the USHL with the Fargo Force, Slukynsky rotated starts last season with veteran Cameron Rowe, before he manned the net down the stretch for Western Michigan’s title run.

Seeing that stretch of play firsthand, the coaching staff knew Slukynsky was ready for the number-one goalie role this season, just as they envisioned during their recruitment process.

“Last year he got his feet wet at the college level,” said Ferschweiler. “When we go into a new building, it allows you to be comfortable, so I think it actually helped him. His quality of play was so strong. We knew he was ready to be in for every game this year, and he will continue to be in the net for the Broncos every game this year. It’s been a nice two-step process for his development.”

Starting all 24 games for Western Michigan this season, Slukynsky has posted an 19-7-0 record, a 2.43 goals-against average, a .909 save percentage and three shutouts. After both he and the team got off to a slow start with a 5-5-0 record, Slukynsky and Western Michigan have been on a roll. Since December 6th, they had won ten straight games before a loss on Saturday and are in third place in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC).

Slukynsky credited his recent turnaround to the break that came around the holidays in December and the team getting some of the bounces to go their way.

“It was a slow start for the team and me, with a lot of new guys getting acclimated to each other. Now, we’ve won 13 out of our last 14,” the netminder said. “Individually, for me, since Christmas break, I was able to go home and get a good recharge and reset. At the start of the year, we weren’t getting some of the bounces, but now we are [getting those bounces]. We’re playing and feeling good right now.”

HAMPTON. SLUKYNSKY. pic.twitter.com/LXlFXx8I3u

— WMU Hockey (@WMUHockey) January 11, 2026

Looking at the numbers, they back up his statement.

Slukynsky has won nine consecutive starts, allowing two goals or fewer in six of those games, a pair of shutouts against Notre Dame, for a .943 save percentage. He also won NCHC Goalie of the Week honors back-to-back weeks during this stretch. Outstanding play would be an understatement to describe the former fourth-round pick’s (2023) play.

Despite the success, what separates Slukynsky from his peers, according to Ferschweiler, is that he never lets the moment get too big for him.

“The thing that stands out with Hampton is that he is calm and his ability to never let a moment get too big for him. In the moments where others feel the pressure, he goes the other way and becomes more focused. It’s really impressive for a young man.”

Never letting the moment seem too big for him isn’t the only thing that is impressive. He’s a heck of a goaltender, with the mentality that is needed alongside that.

Slukynsky has been credited with having an elite mindset that drives him to reach the success he has achieved at every level.

“I love his preparation,” his coach added. “He is so serious about the process and improving every day to make sure he can be the best goalie he can be. He’s hyper-focused on his preparation before, during, and after practice.

That hyper-focused dedication to his craft is what earned him the number-one goalie role toward the end of last season, into the Frozen Four and eventually the championship game. It was almost unheard of what he did, supplanting an existing starter who was a very good goaltender in his own right and then winning as early in his career as he did.

This season, there wasn’t really the competition. Slukynsky was the unquestioned number one goaltender, just as Western Michigan envisioned him to be when they recruited him and his brother Grant before last season.

“I always want to prepare to be the number-one goalie because I always want to be the number one [goalie] no matter where I go,” Slukynsky said. “Mentally, it’s a little tougher playing both [games] back-to-back. It’s a lot more and you can’t prepare for only one game. You have to be consistent and perform on Friday and whatever happens, good or bad, you have to put it in the past and get ready for Saturday.”

Comes with the territory at the collegiate level, because goaltenders can play on consecutive nights, with very few midweek games throughout the course of the school year.

When you look at the traits Slukynsky possesses, he has all the makings for him to be an NHL goaltender in his future. The Kings sawhim as a bit of a steal in the fourth round of the NHL Draft, though they knew he had a bit of a longer curve, having selected him directly out of Minnesota high-school hockey.

If Slukynsky continues to put in the work, his head coach sees only the brightest of futures ahead.

“I 100 percent do,” said Ferschweiler, if he can see Slukynsky being a number-one goalie. “He’s on the path. Be consistent that he is and continue to work hard. [With] all of those things, I have 100% confidence that he’ll continue to do so. I see him being a future number-one goalie in the National Hockey League.”

Slukynsky, with the mindset he has, shared the same sentiment.

“Continuing to develop and always taking the time to get better every day,” he added. “It takes a while to get to that level and be consistent, but I have to keep learning and getting better every day. It’ll come with time and experience, but that’s the goal. Hopefully, I can do that one day.”

With eight games remaining in the regular season, Slukynsky and Western Michigan sit fifth in the Pairwise Rankings, which make them a near lock to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. From there, he’ll try to do what Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson did most recently among Kings prospects and that’s go back-to-back. Easier said than done, but all Slukynsky has done until this point is win. With a bright future ahead, it’s what he’ll continue to try and do, on his path towards the Kings and the NHL.

Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images