Six Bulldog Hockey Players Sign Professional Contracts in the ECHL

Big Rapids, Mich. – Six players from Ferris State University's men's ice hockey team, who all capped off their collegiate careers this past season, have signed professional hockey contracts in the ECHL since the close of the Bulldog Hockey season - Max Dukovac and Xavier Jean-Louis (Worcester Railers), Gavin Best (Wichita Thunder), Tyler Schleppe (Kansas City Mavericks), Josh Zary (Greenville Swamp Rabbits) and Valtteri Piironen (Norfolk Admirals).

Dukovac played in all 37 games for the Bulldogs during his senior season, recording 10 points on six goals and four assists. He set career-highs in goals and games played during his season with Ferris State.

Prior to playing with FSU, Dukovac skated for the RedHawks of Miami (Ohio), compiling 35 points (nine goals, 26 assists) in 92 games across three seasons.

Jean-Louis (Montreal, Québec) will join the Railers after playing his junior and senior years with the Bulldogs. The 6-5, 214-pound defenseman had a career-best season as a senior, totaling 15 points on five goals and 10 assists in 37 games played, all career-highs.

Jean-Louis played for Alaska-Fairbanks as a freshman and sophomore, dressing in 40 games and recording two goals, five assists and eight points as a Nanook.

Dukovac debuted for the Railers March 11 and has skated in three games. Jean-Louis has played in two games for Worcester with the first coming March 14.

Best, who served as the Bulldogs' Captain during his senior season, led the team with 26 points while finishing second in goals (12) and assists (14), good for career-highs in each category. He also had career-bests in shots (78), games played (37), power play goals (two) and time-on-ice per game (19:18). 

Best finished his Bulldog career with 73 games played, 22 goals, 23 assists and 45 points in two seasons. Prior to skating for Ferris State, Best played his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Michigan State Spartans, appearing in 12 games.

Best's first game with the Thunder was March 12. He has played in three games and scored a goal March 13. He joins former Bulldog Nick Nardecchia (2021-25) in Wichita.

A four-year player with Ferris State and alternate captain as a senior, Schleppe finished his collegiate career with 126 games played, 27 goals, 32 assists and 59 points. He had double-digit points in all four years, including his final season where he tallied 16 points on six goals and 10 assists. During his senior year, he finished with one power play goal and his first career short-handed tally.

Schleppe was red-hot through Feb. this year, recording a 5-4-9 line in six games to lead the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) in points. He had three consecutive multi-point games from Feb. 13-26, including a three-point showing Feb. 14.

Schleppe made his professional debut March 13 and recorded an assist for the Mavericks. He also played March 14 and tallied another helper.

Zary finished his collegiate career in Big Rapids after playing his first three years with Long Island. As a Bulldog, he dressed in 36 games while recording 20 points on 13 goals and seven assists. He scored 33 power play goals in his career, most among any skater active during the 2025-26 season.

In 2023-24, Zary became the first Long Island player to ever have 20 goals in a season. He transferred to Ferris State for his senior season and was an alternate captain for the Bulldogs.

Zary has played three games for the Swamp Rabbits and debuted March 13. 

Piironen played his first three collegiate seasons with Long Island before coming to Ferris State for his senior year in 2025-26. He led the Bulldogs in blocked shots with 61 after pacing the Sharks in 2024-25 with 61 blocks. Overall, he blocked 247 shots across 126 collegiate games. 

As a senior, Piironen had seven points on one goal and six assists that included a four-assist game against Lake State Feb. 26. He was the first Bulldog skater with four assists in a game since Matt Robertson Nov. 22, 2014. 

Piironen officially signed with the Admirals Thursday (March 19).