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Michigan Hockey: Rookie Recap

Since it's a slow day today, here is a look at how each player from the 2010-2011 hockey team did during their respective NHL/ECHL/CHL seasons.

Carl Hagelin:

Everyone is familiar with the success Carl had in his first season with the Rangers. Carl fit in well alongside Richards and Gaborik despite all three having similar skill sets, and provided a much needed scoring option for a Rangers club that at times struggles to score goals.

Louie Caporusso:

Louie spent most of his season in the ECHL and had some pretty good numbers, finishing fifth on the team in scoring. I think he has the skill to eventually play in the NHL, but for right now the ECHL is where he will continue to play at.

Scooter Vaughan:

Scooter tried out for San Jose last season as a defenseman, but was cut after breaking his arm. After he signed with Wheeling he played twenty games before another injury ended his season for good.

Matt Rust:

Rust played almost his entire season with the Baby Pens, finishing with a moderate scoring line. I always loved his work ethic and style of play, which is why I expect a big jump from Rust next season in production. He should have the opportunity to make the NHL club next season as long as Columbus does not trade him.

Brandon Burlon:

Burlon played all season in Albany and put up ok numbers. They look much worse then they actually are, but a quick look at the Albany roster shows that only a handfull of blueliners finished with a positive +/-. I'm not a close follower of the New Jersey organization so I can't say what his future looks like, but NJ not pushing Merrill to come up tells me that they are confident with what they have.

Chad Langlais:

The Ironman started out with Dayton before being traded to Evansville. His stats were decent, but he is going to need to put in work to continue his hockey career in the future.

Bryan Hogan:

Hogan had the best Non-Hagelin season for Michigan rookies. After a shaky start on a not so good Dayton team he was traded to Wichita and exploded. Although he only played fourteen games with the Thunder, his GAA and SV% easily led the CHL. The future looks bright for Hogan.

Ben Winnett:

Winnett followed most of our 2010 team to Wheeling and then to Dayton. Ben never really took off with Michigan after being drafted in the fourth round by Toronto, but you never know when the switch can come on and a player takes off. The perfect example would be Dustin Gazley, who was a role player for MSU in his four years and was best known for getting jacked by Hunwick. He exploded for Elmira and lead the CHA in scoring after one year.

I'm not saying Ben Winnett will turn into a top six forward but you never know, so it's something to keep an eye on.

Tristin Llewellyn:

I included Tristin even though he was not a rookie last season, I figured no one knew what he was up too anyways so I included him. Llewellyn was a pretty good player when he wasn't in the box, which was all the time. He drew the ire of Michigan fans with his knack for bonehead penalties, which usually came at the worst times.

He was kicked off the team for an off-ice incident with Fallon and joined Elmira midseason.

Jacob Fallon:

Fallon was kicked off the team in 2010 with Llewllyn, he joined Indiana in the USHL during the 2011 season. Fallon will join the University of Vermont for the 2012 season.

Michigan Hockey: 2012 Recuits

Forwards

Our top forward prospect in the 2012 class is Cristoval "Boo" Nieves and he is a guy to get excited about.

If we were going by a star system for recruiting, which hockey does not use, he would be a borderline 5* prospect. Scouts love his balance of size, speed and playmaking ability enough to call him Top-30 prospect in the upcoming NHL entry draft. The only knock against him was his decision to play his senior year at Kent Prep instead of at a higher level, although he will be joining the Indiana Ice as his high school season has concluded.

He has the ability to make an impact right away for Michigan no matter which line he plays on. Whether it is taking the spot vacated by Luke Glendening or on a lower line, he will be able to provide scoring that was not there. It's just a matter of how fast he adjusts to the speed and talent at this level that decides how much of an impact he has.

Daniel comes into the 2012 season as quite an unknown, as you can see the chart is much smaller for him because I could not find any specifics out about him.

One thing is certian though, this kid can play. He played Junior A hockey for the powerhouse St. Michael Buzzers finishing with a 16-31-47 line. The Owen Sound Attack thought highly enough of him to trade up and take him in the third round of the OHL draft, despite him only being 17 years old.

Because of my inability to find film or relevant information regarding position, I can not say what role he will have in the 2013 season. I do feel like he can be a huge sleeper like Phil Di Giuseppe was for us last season, and like I said with Nieves any scoring done on the fourth line is an improvement for Michigan.

Our third forward recruit in the 2012 class comes to us from Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.  Not a huge prospect in terms of the scouts buzz, but he is listed as a prospect who can sneak into the draft in the late rounds.

As a player who is known more for his physical play,  Justin will most likely start on the 4th line and work his way up. He is the perfect candidate for the Vaughn/Lebler breakout player of the year down the road, as a big bodied forward who plays on the checking line until having a 20-30 point senior season.

Defense

All Hail the gem of our recruting class. He started his season with the NTDP before moving up to the U20 team.

Jacob Trouba is expected to be drafted very early in the upcoming NHL entry draft. Just from looking around at various mock drafts he looks to fit in around the 8-11 range, which means nothing because it is an internet mock draft but still gives us an idea what kind of player we have. 

As of this point we do not know the role Jacob will play for the Wolverines yet, that is because we do not know the status of Jon Merrill and Lee Moffie. If they stay the pairs could look like this; Merrill-Moffie, Bennett-Trouba, Clare-Serville, with Chiasson and Carrick picking up extra minutes at the end. If they do not stay Trouba becomes a necessity and is first pair the second he gets on the ice.

Either way most people have him as a one-and-done prospect and I don't see anything that would challenge that statement. He has great offensive ability, great speed and is a physical player with outstanding vision.

He will be our highest drafted defensmen since Jack Johnson and it was a miracle we got him for a second season, so much that Carolina traded him because he wouldn't come up. That was a very uncommon situation so don't expect it to happen again.

Here is another player Wolverines fans should get excited about, because he is about as underrated as you can be. Carrick is a shutdown defenseman who is praised for his hockey I.Q. He will be drafted, but it remains to be seen where.

A smart blueliner with great puck skills and good size, Connor will anchor the Wolverines defense in the future. With a large group of D-Men coming back this season he will have to earn his playing time, which I think he can do. Look for him to get minutes on the third pair to start out, before working his way up later in his career. 

Goalies

Jared comes into the 2012 season as the presumed starter. He is a very good goalie but scouts looked at him as a developmental prospect, not a goalie you want to throw into the fire from day 1.

With that being said Josh Blackburn is an excellent coach who developed Sauer, Hogan and Hunwick, so if anybody can get Jared playing at a high level fast it's Josh. It doesn't hurt that he could have one of the deepest bluelines in the NCAA next year in front of him.

Expect a battle for the top spot between Jared, Janny, Dwyer, and newest goalie Steven Racine.

Steven is the darkhorse in the Great Goalie Competition of 2012. After a few rough seasons in the USHL he really hit his stride playing for Georgetown (OJHL), going 15-0 last year and posting a GAA of 1.66 and a SV% .938. He is a little older than Rutledge coming in at 21.

It's no secret Red loves big goalies and Racine fits the mold. I really believe he is going to make a big push for the starting spot, If not we have a good solid netminder to build around for future teams.

Michigan Hockey: The Journey

        As we get ready to faceoff against Cornell Friday, we get closer to the end of the chapter that is Michigan Hockey 2012. As careers end, legacies are forged and regrets are left on the ice. Players drift away and are forgotten, but long after their mark has faded from Yost Ice Arena the brotherhood shared can never be erased. Old men will tell stories to their grandchildren of how they skated with true Michigan men, telling of triumphs and sacrifice given to achieve greatness.

       The past has been written on the ice of Yost Ice Arena, legends have come and gone while others remain etched onto the white banners above above us. New players will arrive to start the next chapter, hearing their names called down from the stands while writing history for themselves. Starry eyed freshman will look up at the older players and dream of becoming the next champions to wear the Maize and Blue, hoping they can continue the Michigan legacy.

        For some the journey does not end here, as they will take their skills beyond the college game to the next level. For others it's time to say goodbye to everything we have ever known, every minute of our lives have been given to the game we love but the unknown quickly approaches. Our memories take us back to a time when the rink was a foreign place known only by our heroes as we watched on TV, while our fathers watched from the stands dreaming of the day when we would share the ice with the NHL greats. From the time we could skate to the moment when the horn sounds one final time, every drop of sweat and blood has been given to the ice to be a champion. Wherever the journey of life leads is unknown but one thing is certain, long after Yost has forgotten the names of the past the Wolverine will always remain inside.

“We know that hockey is where we live, where we can best meet and overcome pain and wrong and death. Life is just a place where we spend time between games.” -Fred Shero

CCHA Tournament Picture Pages

The Clare shorthanded goal is excluded because of the of highlights length, but it was very cool to see him deke like Gordan Bombay.

Goal #1:

Here we start with Merrill and Clare high, Brown is having his way in front. With only 12 seconds left Merrill just throws the puck to the net.

As you can see Brown has set a perfect screen. Hammond is still up because he can't see it, but the the shot is already on the way and it's low.

He tries to go for the tip, but it doesn't matter that he missed because the shot is already in the back of the net.

Goal #2:

After a nice stick to keep the puck in, the Wolvereines gain control along the back boards. As illustrated each Bowling Green defender has his eyes locked onto the puck, not aware of any cutting forwards.

A beautiful pass from Moffatt across the crease finds a streaking David Wohlberg.

And the Wolvereines have the second goal of the night.

Goal #3:

Another hustle play keeps the zone, with Treais gathering along the side boards.

Even with three defenders around him and a near trip, Treais still gets to the net.

This was one of the only mistakes Hammond made all night and it was the biggest. He was challenging way too high out in the first place, but A.J. gets him to drop and he has no chance to recover.

The stomach slide keeps him from dunking it, but with three Michigan forwards crashing there isn't much of a chance for BG to save it.

Moffatt continues his great weekend with the game winner.

Goal #4:

This was a great goal for our powerplay unit and it really stood out to me after I watched it. This is the exact same play Michigan State ran against us earlier in the year, that I wished Red would draw up for us. Here it is.

Michigan has Merrill on point, Treais handing with Moffie opposite and Moffatt low. I can't see the screener and I'm to lazy to check the box score to see who it is.

Once Treais gives to Moffatt, he and Moffie and both going to come low. It makes Western have to choose quickly who to cover and who to leave open.

They make the right choice by covering the center, Treais and challenging Moffatt. It leaves us with the difficult play of trying to find Moffie across the crease, or pulling out and resetting.

Moffat picks the difficult route and slides the puck right through the crease, the only penalty killer who can attempt to break it up is a lefty.

Moffie slaps it in with a nice one timer and brings Michigan within one goal.

Altough they did score differently here is that MSU PP goal

Another CCHA head scratcher, heres to hoping the B1G Hockey Conference can get games on TV the fans can actually watch.

Forward Overview:

As you can see this forward group is not the most dynamic unit in the league, up until the tournament they were one of the nations worst. Obviously regular season numbers meaning nothing anymore, as the Falcons have gotten hot enough offensively to take down Michigan, NMU and Ferris State.

Although Bowling Green has been winning games lately, they have been doing it in true underdog fashion. They do enough to hang around the entire game, before taking advantage of a breakdown or turnover late to win the game.

The key here is to play solid, mistake free hockey. With a team that is playing like this a conservative game may not be the best idea, look for an aggressive forecheck and pinching blueliners to try and get them down early. Hopefully they have run out of gas.

Defensive Overview: 

Not a good group at all, they do not do much on either side of the puck. It's never a good sign when your top defensmen is a -13.

Except for one game against NMU opposing teams have had no problem scoring on the Falcons in this strech, if our top two lines do what they usually do we should be fine.

Goalie:

I am a big fan of Andrew Hammond. He has respectable numbers on a really bad team, which makes you wonder what kind of stats he would put up on a good team.

When he gets hot he is the kind of goalie you can ride and BG has been doing that. The scoring chances will be there, Michigan just needs to take advantage of them.

Michigan

Forwards:

It would seem that our offense is starting to get even better. Wohlberg and Treais are heating up at the right time, which makes our top two lines scoring machines. The bottom two lines not so much, which has not been a problem to this point.

The scoring chances will be there, we just need to finish plays.

Defense:

The defense is playing good enough to stop Bowling Green, there is no issue there. Merrill getting picked in OT is exactaly the kind of plays we need to avoid in this game to advance, the less we turn it over the better chance we win.

Goalie:

The numbers are starting to get legendary. Hunwick is putting up numbers similar to Ryan Miller in '02, the same year he was All-American and CCHA player of the year. For comparison here are those numbers.

*Shakes fist at CCHA

Prediction

I think Red will have the guys ready for tonight, somehow both NMU and Ferris fell asleep in their series this past week but Bowling Green isn't flying under the radar anymore. Depending on how much gas is left in the tank for these guys will depend on if Michigan wins a close game or a laugher, I'm not saying we are going to roll them but I like our chances to win.

Notre Dame Picture Pages

Watching the highlights I was very surprised by how the scoring played out for us. I could not see anything televised because of my location, but it was very strange to see an entire series of lucky bounces and soft goals. 

In the preview I noted that there are two Summerhayes, he's either almost unbeatable or incredibly bad. This weekend he was terrible, getting beat to the glove, letting in bad angle shots and having awful positioning.

Goal 1:

Our first goal is set up in transition after a nice stick from Treais keeps the puck in the zone. It's set up with Di Giuseppe in the middle, Treais trailing and Glendening going to the net. Good things happen when you get the puck on net.

This has been an issue for the Wolverines all season long, the transition game suffers because they just don't shoot, they try to make the extra pass and the window closes.

It should have been an easy save for Summerhays, but he lets it get by him. Michigan gets a lucky roll and the puck bounces off the inside part of the post and back into the crease.

Because of the position of the defenders in the previous frame they have taken themselves out of the play, and Glendening can punch in the rebound for our first goal.

Goal 2:

Our game winning goal starts with Lynch and Rohrkemper fighting along the side boards. The Irish have left Bennett, Brown and Merrill on the left side of the ice by themselves.

I've watched replay over and over again, but I can not figure out how the puck gets out to Bennett. As you can see the Irish are scrambling to get back into position but Bennett has already made his decision on where he is going with the puck. 

Bennett slings it across the ice to Brown, who does a great job of bringing the puck in on his backhand and getting his hips turned for the shot.

Notice how Summerhays is playing back in the crease, if he moves up a little bit he may be able to take the angle away from Browns wrister, but Brown sends it past the glove for the game winner.

Game 2

Goal 1:

We start here with Di Giuseppe fighting down the side boards for the loose puck, Michigan is changing lines which leaves him by himself.

Phil comes away with the puck and Wohlberg curls around. The defender is only in position to make a play on PDG, who hits David for the one timer.

Once again Summerhays is playing extremely far back in the crease, if he is challenging higher he may have a play on the puck but Wohlberg gets it past him with ease.

Goal 2:

This was a great goal that opened up the game for the Wolverines, it took me a couple views to see what actually happened because of the angle.

Treais gets the puck in the corner boards after a nice keep in and just throws it at the net. Di Giuseppe gets a stick on the puck and deflects it right through the open legs of Summerhays.

This is a low confidence goal given up by the Irish, it should have been routine for the netminder to get his pad down but when things aren't going right you don't get the breaks.

Goal 3:

Another soft goal and lucky bounce for the good guys, Guptill crosses the line and meets with two Notre Dame defenders.

The Irish do a good job of knocking the puck away from Big Gup, but unfortunately for them it goes right to a trailing David Wohlbeg.

It's not the closest shot or the best angle, but Summerhays takes a big whiff and is left staring at an empty glove while the Wolverines send the Seniors out with a win in their last game at Yost Ice Arena.