With just 10 regular-season games remaining, Omaha hockey has made a roster addition, as defenseman Ryan McCleary has entered the fold.
McCleary, 22, skated in 28 games for the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones this season and played one game for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies — who he signed an AHL contract with in June. McCleary played 69 games for Cincinnati last season and he put up 18 points (6-12-18) over his 97 ECHL games.
McCleary previously spent parts of four seasons in the WHL and was drafted by Pittsburgh (seventh round, 194th overall) in 2021, but ultimately went unsigned. He signed with the Maple Leafs organization ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound defenseman hails from Swift Current, Sask., and is a right shot. He was officially added to Omaha’s roster on Tuesday and will be eligible immediately.
“Pretty excited to get him here and get him with the team,” head coach Mike Gabinet said Wednesday afternoon. “Obviously with Joe Gramer departing, nice to get another body on the back end, so really grateful to our assistant coaches and the administration. It takes a lot of work to get a person into school that quickly, so everybody was all hands on board getting that going as he started classes this week, so we’re excited for his addition.”
McCleary is the latest mid-season addition in college hockey, and it’s a trend that shows no signs of slowing down.
Boston University added potential top pick Tynan Lawrence from the USHL earlier this month, while Boston College added Finnish forward Oscar Hemming in late December. Miami pulled goaltender Mathis Langevin from the QMJHL in December, and Northern Michigan added USHL goaltender Max Weilandt for the second semester too.
McCleary isn’t the only pro addition either. Colorado College added freshman defenseman Mats Lindgren to its blue line late last month, as Lindgren played 56 ECHL and seven AHL games in 2024-25. Providence also added goaltender Michael Simpson directly on Jan. 11. Simpson had played 10 games for the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates this winter and split the 2024-25 season between the AHL and ECHL.
The trend goes back to this summer too, as multiple schools recruited or added players with pro experience — including Omaha.
Junior Aidan de La Gorgendiere played 10 games for the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators during the 2023-24 season, and sophomore Marc Lajoie played one game for the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors in 2023-24. Omaha also initially received a commitment from defenseman Landon Kosior, who played 19 games for the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders in 2023-24, although Kosior opted to stay at the University of Saskatchewan this season.
Omaha Maverick Marc Lajoie waits for the action to begin against the UMass Minutemen during a hockey match at Baxter Arena on October 24th, 2025, in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo by Collin Stilen.
Now McCleary will bring ample experience to Omaha’s defensive corps.
“We actually thought we maybe had one other player lined up and then circumstances changed,” Gabinet said. “So it ended up working out through the advisor and (McCleary) had interest in coming to school and experiencing college hockey. Lots of moving parts to make it happen.”
McCleary will be a junior on Omaha’s roster. He last played for Cincinnati on Jan. 10 and was recalled by Toronto and subsequently suspended — a procedural move — on Friday, according to the AHL transaction log.
His addition gives Omaha much-needed depth on the blue line too, especially heading into the final stretch.
As Gabinet mentioned above, Omaha lost Joe Gramer earlier this month, as Gramer returned to juniors with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. The Mavericks were without senior Jacob Guevin last Saturday at Miami too, which left the club with six healthy defensemen.
“He’s got some pretty good experience,” Gabinet said of McCleary. “Played a lot of junior hockey and then a pretty substantial amount of professional hockey as well, so lots of good experience. He’s a right-shot d-man and a bigger body, which is nice. Obviously we’ve got Jacob Guevin out right now with an injury too from Friday night at Miami, so all of a sudden you’re down another guy. So I think he’ll be able to step in right away and help contribute to the team.”
Omaha (8-16-0, 4-10-0) hosts Colorado College (9-10-3, 3-6-3) this weekend at Baxter Arena. Both Friday and Saturday’s games are set for 7 p.m. CT.
