VANCOUVER – As UBC Thunderbirds men's hockey undergoes one of its most impactful roster makeovers in recent memory, the team is welcoming in a dynamic, skill-laden forward group which will undoubtedly make a large mark on one of the country's preeminent programs for the next several seasons.

Transfer student-athletes Brayden Schuurman, Zeke Nicholson and Austin Fraser join true freshmen Ewan Rennie and Arjun Bawa as the newest members of the blue and gold this fall.

"The recruiting landscape is quite different and with a lot of guys leaving it was lots of fun scouring all kinds of leagues and talking to so many players," said UBC head coach, Sven Butenschon, set to enter his 11^th year manning the T-Birds' helm. "It's always with the same mindset that's never changed which is finding high character people that still have lots on the table in terms of development."
 

Returning to his home province after playing his inaugural collegiate season with Colorado College, Brayden Schuurman brings championship pedigree to the 'Birds, along with an elite offensive ability.

"We watched him for years in the WHL and we had him circled and targeted if we ever had a chance to get a conversation going with him," said Butenschon of the Abbotsford native. "He's really heavy on pucks, high compete level, very skilled. He was looking for a place closer to home and it's still an opportunity to develop. He's hungry to get better and to be able to play in his backyard and the possibility of winning a championship in his home province meant a lot to him."

Starting his junior career with the Victoria Royals, Schuurman produced 29 goals and 54 points in 68 games in his second full WHL campaign. Traded to Moose Jaw early in the 2023-24 season, he helped the Warriors to a league championship title.

The 5-foot-10, 200 pound Schuurman finished his junior career with the Seattle Thunderbirds, amassing a career total of 180 points (83 G, 97 A) in 235 WHL regular season games.
 

"UBC offers a great balance of what I'm looking for in both my athletic and academic future," said Schuurman who returns to play in B.C. for the first time in three years. "On the ice, I look forward to helping this team with future success as well as developing my game as a player as well as playing closer to home. Academically, I look forward to continuing my studies in the world of business. Ultimately, I wanted a program where I could compete at a high level while getting an education."

Given his leadership qualities both on and off the ice, Schuurman brings plenty to the T-Birds' room.

"I am a high IQ player that plays a 200 foot game. I have an ability to elevate the players around me," Schuurman continued. "I've learned how to manage a travel schedule and games, performing at a high level while maintaining a high GPA which has helped my time management skills significantly. Bringing that experience allows me to hit the ground running as I already understand the intensity required to succeed here."

Similar to Schuurman, Nicholson is a B.C. product returning to his home province having spent last year with Robert Morris University.

The 6-foot, 181 pound Vancouver native played his entire junior career with the BCHL's Port Alberni Bulldogs, serving as captain in his final season where he put up 17 goals and 22 assists in 53 regular season contests.
 

"Zeke's a great kid, he was part of the Saint George's Academy that plays out of this rink and I've known him a long time," said Butenschon. "He's an incredible worker, he's got a motor on him. He's relentless, he's going to be great on forechecks and getting pucks back and going to the net and being a real pain in the butt to play against."

Appearing in 12 games with Robert Morris last season, Nicholson decided to head back north of the border with UBC as his ideal landing spot.

"I chose UBC because it was close to home along with the vibe around the team. It's a hardworking group with a large focus on winning as well as developing every day," Nicholson said, describing himself as a hardworking, physical player. "I like to be aggressive on the forecheck and go to the dirty areas of the ice whether that's in front of the net, banging in rebounds or playing in the corners. I like to be physically engaged and create a lot of energy while still making plays."
 

Rounding out the three transferring forwards is Austin Fraser who played the last two seasons with Simon Fraser University, garnering plenty of high quality experience routinely competing against NCAA Division I opposition.

The 6-foot-2, 205 pound West Vancouver product knows exactly the type of team he's joining having played against the T-Birds a number of times.

"I decided to continue my college career at UBC based on the tenured success of the school both academically and athletically," Fraser said. "It's an opportunity to come to a program that knows how to win and has done it in the past. My biggest goal is to win a Canada West Championship and a U SPORTS national title."

Prior to beginning his collegiate career, Fraser played three full seasons in the BCHL, split between the Coquitlam Express and Prince George Spruce Kings where he was one of the team's top point producers in his final year with 36 points (13 G, 23 A) in 54 games.
 

"He's also tough to play against, we watched him in all his games against the NCAA teams they played last year," Butenschon said of the Red Leaf turned T-Bird. "He's a big body, heavy on pucks, he has a bit of a mean streak as well and he's in phenomenal shape. It's not easy to win in this league, you have to be able to shut teams down and be really stiff and stubborn away from the puck and that's what he does well."

"I would call my game a power forward style or throwback comparing myself to a modern day Matthew Tkachuk or Tom Wilson," Fraser added. "I excel in initiating physical plays to create offence for myself and teammates, aiming to drive plays and the puck to the net while also knowing how to play both sides of the puck and being a hard nosed centre defensively and in the face-off circle."

Ewan Rennie also brings a junior 'A' background to the T-Birds having played in both the BCHL and SJHL, the last two years of which were spent with the Estevan Bruins where the White Rock native led the entire league with 37 goals in 2025-26, finishing second in scoring with 78 points.

"We watched a lot of his games early on, he was probably the first guy we got really excited about last winter," Butenschon said. "We had a really good, positive experience with Reilley Kotai who had a similar path, kind of figured out his game in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, takes a solid step then came here and took a massive step. We're hoping to replicate that development path for Ewan. You want guys that are excited to come here and really love coming to the rink every day and when we told him that we had a spot for him, I don't know if there's ever been a kid happier in all my time here when we told him that."
 

"It was an easy decision coming to UBC which has a great hockey program and is always competitive at the top of the league. Academically, it's also one of the best universities in Canada," said the 5-foot-11, 165 pound Rennie who was named SJHL Most Valuable Player last season. "I'm responsible in all zones and excel in playmaking and can score. Estevan gave me a great opportunity and I just tried to take full advantage of it and I was able to take my game to another level."

Arjun Bawa brings an ideal combination of size, skill and smarts to the T-Birds, joining the blue and gold following a junior career with considerable experience in both the WHL and BCHL.

A Richmond, B.C. product, the 6-foot-2, 183 pound Bawa played a combined 177 regular season WHL games split between the Red Deer Rebels, Prince George Cougars, and Seattle Thunderbirds. He closed out his junior career with the BCHL's Chilliwack Chiefs where he put up nine points in 11 playoff games this past spring.
 

"Arjun is another local kid who we've watched for years. He's a great power forward and brings a lot of the same elements that some of the others have," said Butenschon who sees Bawa and the rest of his fellow forward recruits as a player with huge potential to grow within the program. "With so many guys leaving, I'm talking about these guys right now but I'm hoping they can do more at training camp. I'm hoping there's more on the table, I'm hoping they're training really hard right now because there's opportunity to get ice time, to get in the lineup, to get on the power play."

A stepbrother of current T-Birds defenceman, Kayden Sadhra-Kang, Bawa is thrilled to get his collegiate career underway at his hometown university.

"The hockey program has a strong reputation for player development and academic excellence, making it an ideal fit for my goals both on and off the ice," Bawa said. "I've also heard nothing but positive things about the program from my stepbrother, Kayden. I'm a highly competitive person who loves to win, and I believe my values and mindset align well with the culture of the program. My parents and extended family have supported me from day one and after being away from home throughout my junior career, it's really special to be close to them again. I'm grateful for their support and thankful for the chance to live at home while continuing my career."
 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by CHILLIWACK CHIEFS (@chwkchiefs)

These five forward recruits combined with the program's previously announced blue line and goaltending commits will form a major backbone of the team for the foreseeable future while also being a significant success factor right off the hop.

"For four or five years now it's been about just one or two pieces slotting into the right spot and hoping you find chemistry on special teams," said Butenschon of the recruiting scenario in recent years. "Now it's a legitimate training camp and a 'show us what you got' situation. We have a really solid D corps, a really amazing goaltending situation. The forward group is going to be a work in progress and I'm excited to see who comes in and really shows us something."

The T-Birds begin their training camp at the end of August with their first pre-season action coming at home on September 12 when they host the Victoria Vikes. The 2026-27 Canada West regular season begins Friday, October 9 with the 'Birds hosting the Calgary Dinos at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.