SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Head coach Garrett Raboin has announced the addition of nine Vikings ahead of the 2024-25 season for his second-ever recruiting class. Augustana will roster 27 Vikings for the second season in program history. 

The incoming class consists of three defensemen, five forwards and one goalie. Eight of the incoming Vikings hail from Minnesota and will see one come across the pond from Slovenia. 

Owen Baumgartner | Owatonna, Minn. | 5-10 | Defensemen 
The rising sophomore defenseman played the 2023-24 season with Air Force in the Atlantic Hockey Association. Baumgartner recorded four goals and six assists for 10 points in 24 games for the Falcons. 

Before college, Baumgartner played 162 games in the North American Hockey League that spanned over four seasons with the Minot Minotauros and Wichita Falls Warriors (rebranded to Oklahoma Warriors). He helped lead the Warriors to the 2023 Robertson Cup Championship and was named a First-Team All-NAHL selection. 

Payton Matsui | Lakeville, Minn. | 5-7 | Forward
A graduate transfer from Alaska-Fairbanks, Matsui has recorded 54 points in 94 games. He tallied a career-high 28 points in the 2022-23 season with nine goals and 19 assists. Last season with the Nanooks' he netted five goals and handed out 15 assists. 

Before college, Matsui played three seasons throughout the USHL, BCHL and NAHL. In his final season of juniors, he suited up for the Aberdeen Wings and recorded 65 points in 56 games. The Minnesota native played three seasons of high school hockey with St. Thomas Academy. 

Garett Drotts | Grand Rapids, Minn. | 6-0 | Forward
Drotts, a native of Minnesota joins the Vikings after a two-year stint in juniors. He opened up his junior career in the 2022-23 season with the Kenai River Brown Bears where he recorded 53 points in 59 games. Last season, he played in 50 games for three different teams in the USHL. He racked up 11 points and scored eight goals. Before juniors, Drotts played two seasons of high school hockey and collected 66 points in 46 games for Grand Rapids High School. 

Tyler Hennen | Hallock, Minn. | 6-0 | Forward
Hennen played one full season in the NAHL for the Anchorage Wolverines where he tallied 15 goals and 18 assists for 33 points in 58 games. He helped lead his Wolverines into the playoffs where he collected eight points in nine games. Before juniors, Hennen played in 92 games for his high school team, Kittson Central where he totaled 309 points including a 123-point season his senior year when he was named a Minnesota Mr. Hockey finalist. He is one of the all-time leading scorers in the state of Minnesota for high school hockey. Tyler is the younger brother of current Viking Hayden Hennen. 

Nace Langus | Ljubljana, Slovenia | 6-1 | Forward
Langus, a native of Slovenia, comes to Sioux Falls after a strong season with IK Oskarshamn J20 in the Swedish J20 Nationell League. There, he posted 49 points in 46 games by way of 22 goals and 27 assists. During the past three seasons, Langus has been named to the Slovenia U20 national team with whom he tallied 17 points in 15 games. 

Easton Young | Grand Rapids, Minn. | 5-11 | Defensemen 
Young, a native of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, joins the Vikings after a three-year stint with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL. He suited up in 128 games and recorded seven goals and 35 assists for a total of 42 points. In his final season with the Lumberjacks, he helped play a role on the blueline in the playoffs where he recorded a goal and an assist in eight games. Before juniors, Young played three seasons for Grand Rapids High and scored a career-high 50 points in his senior season.

Christian Manz | Blaine, Minn. | 6-1 | Goaltender
Manz, the lone goaltender in this year's incoming class hails from Blaine, Minnesota, and joins the Vikings after an impressive junior season in the USHL. Manz spent the last three seasons with the Chicago Steel and finished out his junior career with 10 games with Sioux Falls' local team the Sioux Falls Stampede and helped them make a run in the playoffs. In 83 games between the pipes, he recorded a record of 46-27-5. Before his junior career began, Manz recorded a 17-0-2 record with Shattuck St. Mary's 15U AAA. 

Carter Theissen | Plymouth, Minn. | 5-11 | Defensemen
A Minnesota native, Theissen joins the Vikings after two seasons in the NAHL with the North Iowa Bulls and Wisconsin Windigo. Throughout two seasons, he suited up in 109 games and recorded 32 points by way of five goals and 27 assists. Theissen was a four-year letterman in high school for Breck School in Golden Valley, Minnesota, and was named a captain in his senior season and tallied 32 points. 

Joey DelGreco | Grand Rapids, Minn. | 5-10 | Forward
DelGreco is the third Viking to hail from Grand Rapids, Minnesota in the 2024-25 incoming class as he joins Drotts and Young. DelGreco had an impressive two-year stint in juniors that spanned across the NAHL and USHL. He joined the Wichita Falls Warriors of the NAHL after his senior season for two games before returning for a full season where he totaled 69 points in 60 games and was named the league's MVP, Rookie of the Year and was a Robertson Cup Champion. He finished out his junior career with the Chicago Steel of the USHL and scored 21 goals and had 20 assists. Before juniors, DelGreco was a three-year letterman at Grand Rapids High and finished his senior year with 68 points in 28 games.