For many players on Middle Tennessee’s club hockey team, the journey onto the ice was never straightforward. Some grew up thousands of miles from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, while others faced setbacks that led them to the Blue Raiders.
MTSU forward Tommy Chunchukov
Tommy Chunchukov got into hockey at a very young age, inspired by his father, who enjoyed hockey in the former Soviet Union. Chunchukov played NCAA Division III hockey with Buffalo State University before transferring to MTSU. Chunchukov joined Middle Tennessee in the 2025 offseason.
“It’s crazy that everyone ended up here,” Chuchukov said. “… Nashville guys, Minnesota guys, guys from Fayetteville, all these different paths and we all ended up in Middle Tennessee.”
On the ice, Chunchukov plays with a gritty mindset. The forward is often seen in front of the net, screening the goaltender and fighting for rebounds.
MTSU defenseman Jakob Placentia
Jakob Placentias’ hockey journey began in California, where he played street hockey with Canadian friends. After moving to Tennessee in the second grade, he stepped onto the ice for the first time and got hooked.
After a tough loss that closed out his high school career, he considered turning the page on his hockey career. However, MTSU head coach JJ Murray reached out to him, asking him to come to Middle Tennessee.
“During high school hockey, we lost our last game, and I’m like, shoot, I can’t give this up,” Placentia said. “I’m not done.”
A quiet presence off the ice, Placentia lets his game speak for itself. As a defenseman, he embraces the prototypical defensive defenseman archetype. Placentia focuses on puck movement, protecting the crease and ensuring the six on the ice are on the same page.
MTSU defenseman Justin Beachler
It’s hard to miss Justin Beachler while watching MTSU club hockey compete at the Ford Ice Center. If someone is hyping up fans or setting the tone physically, look to “Beach,” as his teammates call him.
Beachler started playing hockey at age four; his dad was his coach and the early community of his youth team fueled his love of the game. Before coming to MTSU, Beachler played for the United States Premier Hockey League’s Lake Erie Bighorns. The biggest factor in Beachler’s commitment to Middle Tennessee is the team’s tight-knit culture, and there is no culture like a hockey locker room.
On the ice, Beachler is a defensive defenseman who provides energy on and off the ice. The defenseman emphasizes physicality and a high-energy style of play to create opportunities in open ice.
“Physicality brings energy, it rallies the whole team,” Beachler said. “It’s just a fun style of hockey to be a part of.”
That fun style of hockey carries over into the Blue Raiders’ culture as a bought-in defensive hockey team.
MTSU forward JJ Landers
Another newcomer to Middle Tennessee’s roster in 2025 is forward JJ Landers. The former USPHL Northern Colorado Eagle committed to MTSU in the 2025 offseason. The forward signed with the Eagles, and halfway through the season, Murray traveled to Colorado to recruit one of Landers’ teammates. During the visit, Murray noticed that Landers was originally from Tennessee and invited him to Murfreesboro for a skate.
After the skate, Landers was sold on MTSU.
“But when I came out and skated with them for Christmas,” Landers said. “I actually knew Brendan Ogle, and he was the only person that I knew. So, I skated with him the whole time. We talked it out at the end, talked to Gibby after the skate and committed.”
Once the pads are on, Landers focuses on the playmaking side of the puck. Anytime the Memphis, Tennessee, native is on the ice, communication and setting up scoring opportunities are the focus. With a 5-foot-3 frame, Landers stays on his toes to protect himself but communicates to protect his teammates.
MTSU forward Linden Palmer
After MTSU’s 3-1 loss to Grand Valley State University in the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Tournament, the Blue Raiders will bid farewell to longtime captain Linden Palmer. The Lebanon, Tennessee, native has spent his entire collegiate career with Middle Tennessee’s hockey program.
The forward donned the “C” for MTSU in the 2024-2025 season, along with the role of club president.
Palmer’s love for hockey started similarly to many kids in the Nashville area: after attending a Nashville Predators game, the kid enrolled in skating lessons and began playing in the house league.
“I loved it, never wanted to be off the ice,” Palmer said. “So, after two years of playing house league and termites and whatnot. He [dad] got me involved in travel and ever since then, it’s been go, go, go with hockey.”
A young Palmer adored NHL legend Paul Kariya, the winger who played for the Predators for two seasons and set, at the time, the team record for points in a single season. Kariya was known for his elite speed, creative playmaking, and clinical shooting throughout his 16-year playing career.
The adoration that Palmer showed for Kariya translates onto the ice. At the beginning of Palmer’s career with the Blue Raiders, the forward was the focal point of defenses with elite shooting prowess. With the team’s rise in national contention, Palmer has evolved into a mix of scoring and playmaking.
With Palmer’s eligibility in the ACHA exhausted, MTSU steps into a new era.
“Leaving this team is a very difficult thing to do because of how much pride I take in it, but I know it is in great hands,” Palmer said.
With the offseason underway, Middle Tennessee looks to retool its roster with new and familiar faces on the ice.
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