Cyclone Hockey features a roster of players with different backgrounds, ranging from 12 states, three Canadian provinces and two Finnish teams on their D1 roster.

One of the men that’s instrumental in building the highly ranked team, is director of recruiting Eric Tofte.

Tofte, a 2002 graduate of Iowa State and former Cyclone Hockey player, has been a volunteer on the staff since he graduated.

“I wanted to spread the word about the opportunities I had at the school,” Tofte said. “I wanted to find other student athletes that could come and get a great education and play great hockey.”

ISU coach Al Murdoch said that Tofte has the right combination of education and hockey to be fit perfectly in his role as director of recruiting.

“He was one of the hardest-working players and hardest-working students I have ever had,” Murdoch said.“The combination together is just the perfect ideal for what I coach.”

When recruiting for the Cyclones, Tofte sets his sights high for players and goes straight for players that are getting NCAA Division I looks.

“We want to show the guys that are getting recruited by NCAA Division I schools that the education aspect is night and day,” Tofte said. “I just show them that you are able to play a very competitive level of hockey, but get and education from one of the best schools in the country.”

Tofte says that there are a quite a few players that are actually coming to them trying to play for the Cyclones, part of his job is to filter that number down.

Tofte focuses on several of the top junior leagues around the world when he finds players.

“When I talk to coaches, I ask them who the top two or three students on their team are,” Tofte said. “Then we find out how good of a hockey player they are.”

There are several big challenges for Tofte, especially the fact that hockey at Iowa State is not an NCAA sanctioned team.

“Many of the players have friends playing for NCAA hockey teams, but at the end of the day the academic requirements for a NCAA Division 1 or Division 3 player is less than at Iowa State,” Tofte said.

“When they are talking to players that are at these schools they see guys with lighter practice loads or lighter game loads. If they think that will happen at Iowa State, it’s not going to work.”

Tofte has lived in Fargo, N.D. since he graduated in 2002. He said he is always up front with players when he contacts them.

“I tell them right away. I just tell them that they won’t have another coaching staff in the country like the one in Ames,” Tofte said.

Senior defender Matt Bennett, from Alaska, is one player that Tofte has helped bring to Ames. He can remember being contacted by Iowa State.

“My juniors coach told me about some opportunities and told me about Iowa State,” Bennett said. “I called coach Tofte that night, and he told me all about Cyclone Hockey. Obviously being from Alaska, I knew nothing about Iowa State. Eventually I came on a visit and the rest is history.”

Tofte can also remember his time recruiting Bennett.

“With the time zones being different, I was calling him really early in the morning my time, but in the middle of the night Alaska time,” Tofte said. 

For Murdoch, there is only one way to describe Tofte in his role at Iowa State.

“He is just perfect for this program,” Murdoch said.