2019-20 Michigan Hockey roster announced; multiple transfers
The 2019-20 roster was announced today. Let's go through some notes-
- F Jack Randl will not play his sophomore season here: he's back down in the USHL in Omaha. Randl saw ice time in 22 games but only registered an assist for 1 career point, while finishing -2 on the season.
D Christian Meike is no longer on the team. This would've been his senior year and it's currently unknown where he's headed or if he's headed anywhere. Meike played in 6 games in 2016-17, missed the entire 2017-18 season and played in just 2 games last season.
8 new faces: 5 freshmen, 2 grad transfers and a journeyman
- #4 Cam York (D)
- 5-11/174
- Anaheim, CA
- US NTDP Under-18 (USHL)
- 1st round draft pick- #14 overall to Philadelphia Flyers
- #9 Eric Ciccolini (F)
- 6-0/170
- Vaughan, Ontario
- Toronto Jr. Canadiens (OJHL)
- 7th round (#205) pick to New York Rangers
- #15 Shane Switzer (D)
- Grad transfer from Boston University
- 6-2/190
- Bloomfield Hills, MI
- 31 GP, 3 goals, 1 assist, 4 points, +2
- #16 Jacob Hayhurst (F)
- Grad transfer from RPI
- 5-8/165
- Mississauga, Ontario
- 102 GP, 22 goals, 44 assists, 66 points, -24 (RPI sucks)
- #17 Johnny Beecher (F)
- 6-3/209
- Elmira, NY
- US NTDP Under-18 (USHL)
- 1st round draft pick- #30 to Boston Bruins
- #20 Keaton Pehrson (D)
- 6-2/194
- Lakeville, MN
- Tri-City Storm (USHL)
- #28 Emil Öhrvall (F)
- Played Freshman year at RPI (2017-18); went back to USHL for 2018-19
- 5-11/170
- Växjö, Sweden
- Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
- 31 GP, 2 goals, 9 assists, 11 points, -11 at RPI in 2017-18
- #71 Nick Granowicz (F)
- 6-1/174
- Macomb, MI
- Merritt Centennials (BCHL)
PLZZZZZZZZZ HANG ON TO YORK AND BEECHER
I still don't know how college hockey "works" as far as recruits and matriculation.
same. kinda feels like they sign a ton of guys and hope like 30% of them end up on campus.
August 10th, 2019 at 12:31 PM ^
I’m not an expert but I can give you a brief summary. Top prospects have multiple options for where to play from age ~17-25 like NCAA, USHL, and most dangerously the CHL. For a school like Michigan, you have to hedge your bets because your best croots are flight risks to other leagues (or the pros). Feels like Mel is filling with a decent amount of lower end guys to stop gaps and that’s going to result in more transfers (and guys being told theres no longer a spot for them before they even get here) but thats part of the game
Well the trade offs between playing college and playing juniors both prepare you in different ways for pro hockey. For juniors kids, the schedule falls more like a pro schedule and the travel and what not. For college you’re playing against older, bigger, stronger competition. And you’ll have access to a D-1 schools workout facilities and trainers but you also have to take classes.
Usually players taken where cam York were and higher talk to their pro team and they come to a decision together. Guys like Beecher will probably be given more say in where they want to play for that first year and depending on how they perform, the next year their team will give them more guidance as to where they think they can have better growth.
I'm pretty confident that the guys they announce are staying. If there was a serious push for either York or Beecher to sign somewhere, the team would be aware of it.
Of course, it's Michigan Hockey, so anything can happen. But a lot of the "departures" are happening before the guys get in the building now.
York and Beecher will be playing at Michigan next year and probably done after that. College hockey 1 and dones!
Eh probably not Beecher. He was drafted at the end of the first round, meaning he’s going to a Cup caliber team (Boston in this case).
Late first round picks are usually at least a year or two away from making NHL rosters. Maybe 2-3 years at least for a real good team.
York is a potential one and done, but it’s possible even he comes back for two. But Beecher would almost certainly need an off the charts type season to get an NHL deal at the end of the year.
They’d want to be certain he would make the NHL team before signing him and starting the clock on his rookie deal.
Michigan is carrying 17 forwards and 8 defensemen even with the departures. Now that teams get to dress 19 skaters, that's still 4-5 forwards and 1-2 defensemen scratching each game.
On D, it looks like 5 of the regulars will be Blankenburg, Luce, Martin, Summers and York, with Switzer & Pehrson competing for that 6th spot.
At Center, all 4 regulars from last year return--Nick Pastujov, Slaker, Winborg, Van Wyhe.
At Wing, 7 of the regulars will be Lockwood, Mike Pastujov, Becker, Beecher, Lambert, Raabe and Morgan. Not sure who the last 1 will be--I'm assuming they wouldn't have taken Hayhurst if they didn't see a role for him. He was the high scorer on a very low scoring team last year.
That's 18 skaters, room for 1 more, and I can't imagine that they keep Ciccolini off the ice. So there's your 19 regulars...until and unless one of last year's regulars loses his job to an incoming player. That happens every year, but I don't really have a feel for who it might be--there are people here who know that sort of stuff much better than I do. I see Winborg's spot in the lineup as possibly vulnerable, if there's a fourth center somewhere in the lineup.
Strauss Mann and Hayden Levigne will split the time in net until one steps up, I assume. Redshirt Freshman Jack Leavy is also on the roster.
Wasn’t manon rheaume’s son going to play here? Is leavy her son?
Dylan St-Cyr. He ended up decommitting; he's a sophomore at Notre Dame now, backing up Cale Morris.
St-Sieve
you forgot Ohrvall, I think
What about Steve Holtz, USHL grad? 6'4" 190lb defensman from Youngstown Phantoms. He's committed to UM.
Reclassified to 2020-21. Now he's in the BCHL playing for Penticton
Hayhurst is a pretty good transfer. Point per game player last year while leading RPI in points. Should fit in as a top 6 forward at least here. Worst case is he adds some production to the third line.
August 12th, 2019 at 1:05 PM ^
Interview with Mel on USCHO indicated that they think Hayhurst is a Top 6 forward. I'm going to take that at it's word and expect to seem him on a Top 2 line.
FWIW, i have a friend who has RPI season tix and has for about 10 years. I go to their games 1-2 times/year. Amature evals but take it FWIW:
Hayhurst is slow and small.
Ohrvall was solid but not a committed player defensively. Of course, this was 2 years ago now
August 9th, 2019 at 10:33 PM ^
Sounds like kris moyette is going to replace wiseman as an assistant coach.
August 10th, 2019 at 12:13 AM ^
Whatever happened to Kenny Johnson??
August 11th, 2019 at 8:36 AM ^
damn