Muskegon Lumberjacks sign first 16 players for 2026-27 season

Muskegon took a major first step toward its 2026-27 roster when it announced on Instagram that it had signed its first 16 players for the season. That is a sizable early commitment in the USHL, and it gives the Lumberjacks a head start on shaping roles, competition and chemistry long before the puck drops.

The club has wrapped the move in its “Get JACKD” branding, turning roster news into part transaction, part recruiting pitch. Muskegon’s social posts put names to some of the faces in that broader rollout: Peyton Schneider is primed for his first full season in Muskegon, while Rudy Bērzkalns and Will Schlechtweg were both described as back in Muskegon for 2026-27. Those messages matter because they show the Lumberjacks are not just adding bodies. They are highlighting players who already have a connection to the program and presenting the next roster as something with a built-in base.

That blend of returners and first-year pieces is the clearest clue about Muskegon’s approach. A first full season for Schneider suggests the staff sees unfinished upside worth carrying forward. Bērzkalns and Schlechtweg coming back points to continuity, the kind that helps a junior club avoid starting from scratch every fall. In a league where rosters turn over fast, signing 16 players this early is more than housekeeping. It is a statement that the Lumberjacks already see the outline of next year’s group.

Muskegon’s timing also fits into a larger offseason plan. The club released its 2026-27 regular-season schedule on June 23, then followed with a June 29 website post titled “Lumberjacks Announce First 16 SPDA Signings.” The team also has a 2026-27 men’s ice hockey roster page in place, which makes the summer announcements feel like pieces of a single build rather than isolated posts.

The geographic angle is there too. Schneider was singled out as a Michigan kid, a detail that plays into the Lumberjacks’ ability to sell familiarity and regional connection while still chasing high-end upside. With 16 players already signed and “Get JACKD” serving as the public face of the effort, Muskegon is signaling unusual early structure for a USHL team and an offseason push aimed at arriving with a real identity instead of assembling one in September.