2023 hockey hello
After the departure of Erik Portillo to professional endeavors following the Frozen Four last spring, it was paramount for the Wolverines coaching staff to find replacements in net for this upcoming hockey season. Enter Jacob Barczewski, who comes to Michigan as a grad transfer after playing four years at Canisius University in Buffalo. Barczewski is expected to be Michigan’s starting goalie this season, so let’s get to know him in another Hockey Hello.
Quick Background
Jacob Barczewski hails from O’Fallon, Missouri, in the outer reaches of the St. Louis area. He played two seasons in the USHL with the Tri-City Storm, posting a .904 SV% in 59 appearances before enrolling at Canisius University in the fall of 2019 for the upcoming 2019-20 NCAA season. Barczewski was Canisius’ primary goalie for all four seasons he was with the program, logging 28, 11 (in a 17 game COVID-shortened season), 29, and 32 games. In total that adds up to 100 gams, with Barczewski being credited with 44 wins, 6 career shutouts, and a .917 SV%.
Barczewski’s first season saw him post a .905 and a 2.92 GAA, but his numbers were much stronger over his sophomore to senior seasons. Those years won him praise in Atlantic Hockey circles, earning honors within the conference for his .926 SV% in the shortened 2020-21 season, in addition to being named Canisius Male Athlete of the Year. His .923 the next season earned him All-AHA First Team, and again he was named team MVP by his coaches and teammates. As a senior, his numbers dipped down slightly (though it was solely due to one NCAA Tournament game), but he was still named All-AHA Third Team and his greatest triumph was on the ice.
[Canisius Athletics]
Indeed, Barczewski’s career at Canisius hit a climax in the Atlantic Hockey Association Championship Game, when he and his Golden Griffins teammates blanked Holy Cross 3-0 to make the NCAAs for the first time since 2013. The euphoria from that victory was short-lived as Canisius played the University of Minnesota, 1st overall seed, in their first game of the NCAA Tournament five days later. Despite holding a 2-1 lead early in the 2nd period, the Gophers power-play took over the game and Minnesota ended up winning 9-2, a typical score for the lopsided nature of the 1 vs 16 matchup. That defeat ended the season for the Griffins and the career of Barczewski at Canisius.
The 2022-23 season was good statistically for Barczewski, who started all 32 games he appeared in. He finished with a .918 SV%, down from .925 before he had to face Minnesota with a Canisius defense in front of him. More importantly, Barczewski became noticeably stronger as the season progressed, which was exemplified by him registering 3 shutouts he in his last 10 starts. After the season, Barczewski entered the portal and then committed to Michigan with the intention of being the starter. Michigan goalie Noah West, who had originally entered the transfer portal after the season, re-committed to Michigan for his senior year as well, giving us the tandem for this upcoming season.
[AFTER THE JUMP: How we can try to evaluate goalies]
As we continue to welcome in transfer portal student athletes who will be wearing the Maize & Blue on the ice at Yost this year, today we are going to go into detail about F Josh Eernisse. The sophomore transferred from St. Thomas University, a rather new program to D1 hockey. The 21-year-old Eernisse was 2nd in goal scoring and tied for 2nd in points for the CCHA Tommies with 14 and 21, respectively. Who is Josh Eernisse? And how important is this get for Michigan Hockey? Let’s break it down:
Background on Josh Eernisse
Before attending St. Thomas, Eernisse played 2 seasons with the Tri-City Storm in the USHL. During his 2 seasons with Tri-City, Eernisse appeared in 85 games and only lit the lamp a total of 10 times while totaling 24 points, with 17 being a season high the year before he went to St. Thomas. Based on that, one could ask, “where did Eernisse's offensive production come from, especially since he didn't even score his first NCAA goal until the fourth game of the season”?
The answer can be one or a multitude of things ranging from better linemates, position in the lineup, and growth and maturity as a player. Something I've witnessed throughout the years is a player thriving within the structured play at the NCAA and pro level, compared to the more freelance approach that most junior teams allow their players to play. Junior coaches often encourage/tolerate individual skill and taking more chances (as long as the coach feels secure about his job status!), whereas NCAA and pro coaches often encourage players to use their individual skills, but not to the detriment of overall team success, leading to a more structured environment. Conversely, there have been MANY players who've been phenoms in junior but couldn't translate that success to the NCAA or pro level. Jay O'Brien, once a 1st round draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, is a current example of a player who couldn't translate their junior success to the NCAA and the Flyers decided not to sign him to a pro contract.
[AFTER THE JUMP: the breakdown]
Not long after Quinnipiac shocked the college hockey world with their stunning overtime win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers in Tampa, the Michigan Wolverines received some good news when Tyler Duke, Dylan's brother, entered the Transfer Portal after his freshman season at Ohio State. It came to no surprise to anyone to see Tyler commit to patrol the blueline for the Maize & Blue starting this fall, although I for one was puzzled by him going to OSU in the first place. It always seemed logical that after he followed his brother's footsteps through the NTDP program, he would follow him to Ann Arbor.
Although not big is stature, Duke is built like the proverbial fireplug and doesn't shy away from physical play at all. In fact, he looks like a hockey playing version of Michigan running back Blake Corum and brings the same competitive mentality to the rink. He's an excellent skater with a surprising extra gear of speed when needed. Duke has strong stick skills and moves the puck quickly and efficiently out of the zone and in transition. He has great read and react skills in the offensive zone and does a great job on the blue line to create a passing lane for his teammates.
Duke went undrafted in the NHL, though he did attend the Tampa Bay Lightning's Development Camp (Dylan was drafted by the that team) early in July and also participated in the recent World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, playing with and against some of the best young talent from the US, Sweden and Finland trying to vie for a position on the US U-20 that will be competing in Sweden after Christmas.
[Rena Laverty/USNTDP]
Overview of Tyler Duke
Before we look at where we think Tyler Duke will be slotted into Michigan's defense for this upcoming season, let's take a look at his body of work during his freshman year at Ohio State. Like most first year defensemen in the NCAA, he was given limited minutes in the first few games of the season and was slotted onto the third pair. Once he gained the confidence of the coaching staff, he was moved up to the second pair and teamed with senior Scooter Brickey for the remainder of the season. Ohio State had one of the best defenses in the NCAA last year, so earning a second pairing position was a big accomplishment for Duke. From an NCAA perspective OSU only allowed 2.5 Goals Against per game (14th), gave up 28.2 Shots per Game (21st in the NCAA and 1st in the Big 10) and had an 88.7% Penalty Kill efficiency (1st).
From an individual statistics perspective, Tyler Duke's four goals tied him for 2nd most on the defense with Mason Lohrei, trailing leader Cole McWard who had nine. Duke finished with 12 points, which was two behind his defense partner Brickey and nine and twenty points behind top pairing members McWard and Lohrei, respectively. One significant statistic that pops out is that of Duke's four goals, three of them were game winners, which put him in a tie for the team lead with Tate Singleton and Patrick Guzzo. Scoring goals is great but scoring clutch goals, especially from a defenseman, is a key to ultimate success.
Looking into my crystal ball I fully anticipate Tyler Duke being a Wolverine for the rest of his NCAA career, which should be for at least the next 3 years. I also anticipate him coming in and competing with junior Ethan Edwards to be on the second defensive pairing alongside fellow sophomore Seamus Casey (I expect senior Jacob Truscott and grad student Marshall Warren to be the top pairing). Duke pairing with Casey would actually reunite the two former NTDP teammates who played alongside each other during their U-17 and U-18 years and even as recently as the World Junior Showcase, where they were paired together for team USA Blue in the first game of the tournament. Duke and Casey read off of each other extremely well and their complimentary styles of play will make them a top unit for at least the next year.
[AFTER THE JUMP: what he brings to the Michigan defense]
9