When Grant and Hampton Slukynsky arrived at Western Michigan late last summer they were greeted by Alex Bump, a familiar and friendly face eager to serve as their campus tour guide.

And so began a months-long odyssey for the three Minnesotans, a magical journey that ended in mid-April with the trio stepping off an airplane and, on that same tarmac, into limousines as part of a national championship procession that ended with a party at their home arena.

A sizable portion of Kalamazoo, Mich. (population 73,126) turned out that day to cheer on their beloved Broncos, who beat Boston University 6-2 for the NCAA Division I men’s hockey title. It was Western Michigan’s first national championship in the sport and the school’s first national title since the men’s cross country team won a Division I championship in 1965.

“We heard there was going to be a welcome-home celebration, we just didn’t know what that entailed,” Grant Slukynsky said. “There were three limos waiting for us and a ton of the community outlining the streets and cheering us on.”

The Slukynsky brothers frequently find themselves at the center of attention. The Warroad natives helped revive the Warriors’ storied program, receiving an abundance of accolades in the process. As a senior in 2020, Grant scored a state-high 101 points and was a Mr. Hockey finalist. Hampton won the Frank Brimsek Award as the state’s top senior goaltender in 2023. The Slukynsky brothers made a combined three trips to the state tournament in St. Paul, but had never played on the same team before last season (Grant is three years older than Hampton).

Bump is no stranger to the spotlight, either. He led the Lakers to their first state tournament appearance as a senior in 2022, then scored five goals in a state quarterfinal win over Cretin-Derham Hall. John Mayasich, a legendary state tournament performer from Eveleth in the 1940s (he once scored seven goals in a Tourney game), was so captivated by the performance he congratulated Bump, a Mr. Hockey finalist, outside the locker room after the game.

All three players were invaluable for the Broncos last season. Bump, as a sophomore with rare offensive instincts, was the team’s top scorer and one of its assistant captains. Grant Slukynsky, also a sophomore, was a second-line center capable of playing shut-down defense and chipping in on offense. Hampton, a freshman who assumed the No. 1 goaltender role during the season, showed incredible calm and skill throughout the postseason.

No other place in the country do you play with the same age group your entire life. You grew up together, you cared about each other and you were each other’s best friends.

— Western Michigan coach Pat Ferschweiler
on growing up playing hockey in Minnesota

Western Michigan hasn’t traditionally served as a noteworthy landing spot for premiere Minnesota players. That began to change when Pat Ferschweiler became the Broncos’ head coach before the 2021-22 season. The Rochester native who played at John Marshall High School for longtime Rockets coach Bob Frerker is intimately familiar with the community-based Minnesota hockey culture. And he hasn’t been shy about targeting State of Hockey players as recruits.

“No other place in the country do you play with the same age group your entire life,” said Ferschweiler, who played in the 1988 state tournament for the Rocket. “You grew up together, you cared about each other and you were each other’s best friends.

“It’s about as cool as an experience as you can have.”

Bump played junior hockey in the fall of his senior year, but returned to Prior Lake to finish out his high school career with his childhood buddies, including high-scoring linemates Will Schumacher and Sam Rice. Bump scored 48 goals (third most in the state) among his 83 points (tied for fourth) as a senior and was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers.

Bump initially committed to Vermont as a high school senior but switched to Western Michigan after a coaching change. He was a consensus first-team All-American selection last season after leading the Broncos with 47 points (23 goals, 24 assists).

“If you’ve met him, you like him … one of the most popular players on the team,” Ferschweiler said. “What I really saw grow in his two years was his hockey sense and his deception. What I really saw grow was his competitiveness. Now you have a National Hockey League player, which I fully believe Alex is.”

Bump turned pro after the national championship game and has spent the spring starring for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the Flyers’ American Hockey League affiliate.

“The thing that sticks out to me is just his compete, whether it is in practice or in games,” Grant Slukynsky said about Bump. “Everything he does is to win. He was our best player all year.”

Grant Slukynsky played his freshman season at Northern Michigan, which underwent a coaching change last offseason. Grant transferred to Western Michigan and Hampton, who had initially committed to Northern Michigan, switched gears and joined his brother in Kalamazoo.

“Just to play together is really cool for us and our family,” Hampton said. “To win the national championship is something I don’t know we could have even dreamed of.”

The Slukynskys plan to make another run at a national championship next season, and they’ll be welcoming in another talented group of incoming Minnesotans. High-scoring defenseman Nolen Geerdes, a senior who led Rogers to its first state tournament appearance last season, and Junior Podein, a senior who led Benilde-St. Margaret’s with 30 goals and 55 points, have committed to play for the Broncos. 

Bobby Cowan, who scored the goal that won the 2024 state tournament for Edina and was a standout for the USHL’s Madison Capitols last season, also has committed to play at Western Michigan. 

“We are not going to stop recruiting Minnesota, that’s for sure,” Ferschweiler said. “To me, there are so many good players.”