Western Michigan defenseman Joona Väisänen has been added to the U.S. Collegiate Selects roster for the 2026 Spengler Cup, the invitational tournament played in Davos, Switzerland, in late December. Väisänen is one of four new additions, along with forwards from New Hampshire, Quinnipiac, and Minnesota Duluth, that bring the roster to 20 players. Five more spots are still to be filled.

Väisänen, a junior from Espoo, Finland, is the first Bronco named to this year’s team. The Selects are built from players across Division I, not only American-born players, and the right-shot defenseman gives the group another puck-moving option on the back end.

A national champion as a freshman

The Pittsburgh Penguins chose Väisänen in the sixth round (No. 175 overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft. He made an immediate impact in Kalamazoo, posting four goals and 26 points in 42 games as a freshman in 2024-25, earning a spot on the NCHC All-Rookie Team, and helping Western Michigan win its first Penrose Cup and its first national championship.

The roster so far

Väisänen joins a group that already includes Michigan forwards Michael Hage and Jayden Perron and Minnesota Duluth’s Max Plante, a Red Wings prospect. The current roster has 13 juniors, six seniors, and one sophomore. New Hampshire’s Mike Souza is the head coach, with Minnesota Duluth’s Scott Sandelin and Cornell’s Casey Jones as assistants. The Selects finished second at last year’s tournament, and they open the 2026 event on Dec. 26 against Frölunda HC of Sweden.

Before then, Väisänen and the Broncos have NCHC work to do. Western Michigan hosts Colorado College tonight at Lawson Arena to open its first conference home series of the season; Mitten Hockey’s game preview has more.

Sources

• College Hockey’s Spengler Cup Roster Is Nearly Set (College Hockey News), Nov. 13
• Slukynsky and Väisänen Named to NCHC All-Rookie Team (WMUBroncos.com)
• Joona Väisänen career statistics (College Hockey Inc.)
• Penguins defensive prospect wins national championship (The Hockey News)
• Michigan’s Michael Hage and Jayden Perron named to U.S. Collegiate Selects for Spengler Cup (Mitten Hockey)