ITHACA, N.Y. — Mike Schafer '86, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Men's Ice Hockey, and the Cornell men's hockey program announced Friday morning that four players will be joining the program for the upcoming 2024-25 season.

All players entering will be first-year players and immediately eligible for the upcoming season.

The breakdown of the incoming players includes two forwards, one defenseman, and one goaltender. Two players reside in the United States (California and New York) while the other two arrive from Canada (Alberta and Québec).

Biographical information on each player can be found below.

INCOMING PLAYER BIOGRAPHIES
Justin Katz
Goaltender • 6-1 • 180 lbs. • Right • Montréal, Québec • Powell River Kings (BCHL)

Katz split the 2023-24 season between the West Kelowna Warriors and Powell River Kings in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), where he registered a 4-9-4 record across 17 appearances with a 3.20 goals-against average and .902 save percentage, missing a bulk of the season due to injury. Katz also played two full seasons with West Kelowna from 2021-23, collecting a 24-13-2 record in 45 games with a 3.04 goals-against average and .905 save percentage.

While with West Kelowna, Katz logged a nine-game win streak across the final six games of 2021-22 season and first three outings in 2022-23. He also posted a seven-game win streak from Oct. 14 to Nov. 8 in 2022. During his three-year career in the BCHL, Katz logged 30-plus saves on 24 occasions.

By wearing No. 37 at Cornell, Katz will become the first wearer of a No. 37 sweater in Cornell program history. He will also be Cornell's fourth right-handed catching goaltender on record, joining Darren Eliot (1979-83), emergency backup goaltender Nathan Hicks (1996-98), and Ian Burt (1997-01). Katz will be the third Québec-born goaltender in Cornell program history, joining Jean-Marc Pelletier (1995-97) and Louis Chabot (2002-06) were the others.

Coaching staff on Katz: "Justin is an athletic goaltender that is truly a student of the game and is dedicated to his craft. He tracks the puck at a very high level and competes on every puck. We're excited to add him to our netminding stable this season and look forward to working with him at Cornell."

Charlie Major
Forward • 5-11 • 180 lbs. • Right • Skaneateles, N.Y. • Chicago Steel (USHL)

Major spent the previous two seasons playing under former Cornell goaltender Mike Garman with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL).

In his final year with the Steel, Major had a breakout 2023-24 campaign where he registered 70 points (30 goals, 40 assists) in 59 regular-season games. The 70 points ranked as the seventh-most by a USHL skater in 2023-24, while his 30 goals were tied for the ninth-most and his 40 assists were tied for 12th-most in league. Led all USHL skaters with nine game-winning goals.

Will become the second Big Red player to reside from Skaneateles, accompanying his uncle, Mark Major, who played on the Big Red for four years from 1983-87, amassing 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists) across 96 games played.

Coaching staff on Major: "Charlie is a dynamic offensive talent that played a key role on one of the top lines in the USHL this past season in Chicago. He has elite hockey IQ and creates offense every time he is on the ice with his dynamic skill, vision, and scoring ability. Charlie's a player we are really excited about and his game has progressed leaps and bounds over the past few seasons. The opportunity to bring in a top-10 scorer from the USHL is exciting for our program and we are thrilled to welcome Charlie to Cornell."

Parker Murray
Forward • 6-5 • 225 lbs. • Left • Manhattan Beach, Calif. • Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL)

Murray opened the 2023-24 season with the Penticton Vees of British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) before being traded to the Chilliwack Chiefs. Combined for 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in 37 games between the two clubs and logged four points (two goals, two assists) in eight playoff games with Chilliwack.

During the 2022-23 season with the Wenatchee Wild, also of the BCHL, Murray registered 39 points (23 goals, 16 assists) in 47 games. Split the 2021-22 campaign between the Oakville Blades (Ontario Junior Hockey League - OJHL) and Wenatchee, amounting 52 points (23 goals and 19 points) in 55 games.

Murray's father, Glen, appeared in 1,009 NHL games during a 16-year career from 1991 to 2008, playing for Boston, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles, amassing 651 career points (337 goals, 314 assists) and racking 679 penalty minutes, and also won gold medal with Team Canada at 2004 IIHF World Championships in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia.

Will be the third California-born player in program history, joining Alec McCrea (2015-19) and current Big Red goaltender Ian Shane, who is also a Manhattan Beach native.

Coaching staff on Murray: "Parker will add another element to our forward group with his rare combination of size, hockey sense, and pro shooting ability. He is a power forward that has a nose for the net and an uncanny knack for scoring goals. Parker is a high-upside player with hockey bloodlines, and we are looking forward to watching his progression here at Cornell."

Nicholas Wolfenberg
Defenseman • 6-2 • 210 lbs. • Right • Calgary, Alberta • Okotoks Oilers (BCHL)

Wolfenberg split time between the Salmon Arm Silverbacks and Okotoks Oilers of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) in 2023-24, appearing in 14 games with Salmon Arm before being traded to Okotoks and missing remainder of season due to injury.

Spent the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) with Okotoks before the club moved to the BCHL in the middle of the 2023-24 campaign. Amassed 37 points (9 goals, 28 assists) across 74 games with the Oilers, where he served as an alternate captain in 2022-23 and was named to the AJHL All-Academic Team.

Represented Canada West at the 2022 World Junior A Challenge in Cornwall, Ontario, appearing in six games and was held without a point.

Coaching staff on Wolfenberg: "Nick is a two-way defenseman that brings a hard-nosed, competitive attitude to the rink every day. He's a strong skater that makes good decisions with the puck and defends at a high level on a consistent basis. Nick's experience in Okotoks and Salmon Arm during his time in junior hockey will serve him well moving forward."

Photos in the story graphic are courtesy of the Alicia Baas Photography, Chicago Steel Hockey Team, Chilliwack Chiefs, and Chad Goddard Photography