MARQUETTE -The Northern Michigan University hockey lineup will look very different two years from now.

Lost from this season's team will be: goaltender Brian Stewart; defensemen T.J. Miller and All-American co-captain Erik Gustaffson; a slew of talented forwards, including leading-scorer Mark Olver, Ray Kaunisto and Jared Brown; and - as head coach Walt Kyle described him - "the straw that stirs the drink," co-captain Billy Smith.

All are players that have become familiar to Wildcat hockey fans and Kyle knows it's a big task to fill the void those players will leave after graduation.

"Our next two classes are huge classes for us, absolutely," Kyle said. "It's kind of been like that. We've had two big classes and two small classes."

The first of those two classes was announced Friday, as seven players signed with the Wildcats for the 2010-2011 season.

Kyle announced the signing of forwards Reed Seckel, Stephan Vigier, Ryan Daugherty, Sam Muchalla and Dylan Walchuk, along with defenseman C.J. Ludwig and goalie Jared Coreau.

"I'm real happy with the class," he said. "I think, arguably - and time always tells - but this is going to be one of the better classes we've had. I really like them.

"They're all going to get the opportunity to impact us," he added, "and I think they're all capable of impacting us."

The goalie Coreau, an athletic goalie from the United States Hockey League's Lincoln Stars, shouldn't have a problem fitting in with NMU hockey. At 6 feet, 4 inches, his size will bear a likeness to former Wildcats like Tuomas Tarkki and the team's current goaltender, Stewart.

"I like good goaltenders first," Kyle said. "But I think it's one position - you just can't teach size. You just cover more net."

Stephan Vigier, from the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL, is the cousin of another former NMU skater, J.P. Vigier, who spent time in the Atlanta Thrashers organization. Kyle said the Sioux City-recruit, who had 48 points last season, will provide some offensive firepower to the team.

Along with Vigier and Coreau are three other USHL-products, in Seckel, Daugherty and Ludwig. Kyle attributes NMU's recruiting in the league to assistant coach Rob Facca, who coached the Lincoln Stars in the USHL before coming to Marquette.

"We're certainly in the US league more than we have been," Kyle said. "And part of that is that's where Rob's history is, and he has a number of connections in that area."

According to Kyle, Seckel, from the Green Bay Gamblers, fits the mold of an NMU hockey player: hard-nosed and intelligent. And Kyle also described the Omaha Lancers' Ludwig, whose father is 17-year NHL veteran Craig Ludwig, in the same way.

"We think this guy has really got some great leadership potential and he's a real hard-nosed solid defender," Kyle said of C.J. Ludwig. "He's a big body checker."

Daugherty, who scored 16 points last season and already has 10 this year, also comes to Marquette from the Lancers.

But the NMU coaching staff is still pulling from the British Columbia Hockey League as well, with the additions of Walchuk and Muchalla.

"Those guys are both good, high-end forwards," Kyle said.

And, according to Kyle, NMU hockey will continue to recruit the league.

"I have good relationships with their coaching staffs. I know their coaches," he said. "I coached against them, coached one of them in Anaheim's organization, and the I coached against another in the Western Hockey League. We know those people."

Kyle added that one of the biggest assets in this recruiting class is that the seven skaters are likely to stay four years on campus, and have the opportunity to put up big career numbers.

"That's a big plus. We have to have that," he said. "We hope Michigan loses guys after two, and we keep them for four."