With one exception, every player on the Cyclone Hockey team was recruited to play for Iowa State.

Recruiting for the Cyclone Hockey team is not the same as other teams, though. Without the ability to give out scholarships to prospective players, coach Al Murdoch seemingly has little to offer outside of the prestige of the program and the opportunity to play for him and his staff.

“We get them to apply and see if there is any money available for academics,” Murdoch said of recruits. “We look for the best academic student we can find.”

Senior goalie Paul Karus was one of the players recruited to be a Cyclone. Karus said the team contacted him and shared its interest in him, inviting him to come to Iowa State for a visit.

Karus said he enjoyed his visit and was happy to find Iowa State offered his major of choice, one of the deciding factors in choosing to attend. 

“They really helped me get into my major,” Karus said.

Murdoch and his coaching staff contact coaches worldwide about possible recruits to bring to Iowa State. He has acquired players from the United States, Canada, Austria and Finland.

Playing against junior league teams during the season gives Murdoch and his coaching staff a unique opportunity to look at some of the talent in the area.

Last weekend, the Cyclones played the North Iowa Bulls, a junior league team. With six seniors on the Cyclone Hockey team, Murdoch said it’s never too early to start looking for players to fill open slots for next season.

Murdoch said that in the past, some of the talent of the junior league teams was seriously lacking.

“The majority of junior league teams are not so good,” Murdoch said. “North Iowa, however, was very good.”

The talent level of North Iowa gave Murdoch the chance to seriously evaluate the players and consider the possibility of having them play for him in coming years.

Senior forward David Elliston is the only current Cyclone Hockey player who was not recruited.

“I played junior varsity for the Cyclones and was asked to move up to varsity my sophomore year,” Elliston said of the road to his current position.

Even without being able to offer scholarships, Murdoch still finds a way to bring players to the Cyclone Hockey program.