Wolverines Preview

By Michael Caples –

Rewind: The Wolverines were one bounce away from a 10th NCAA title last April. A 3-2 loss to Minnesota-Duluth in the national championship game concluded a season in which the Wolverines won a CCHA regular-season title and third-place finish in the CCHA playoffs. Coach Red Berenson then had an active summer, bringing in nine freshmen to replace ten looming vacancies in the Wolverines locker room.

Bench boss: Berenson, who will start his 28th season behind the bench in October, was a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award last year, given to the top hockey coach in America. Last season marked Berenson’s 11th trip to the Frozen Four. Berenson needs 17 wins to move up to fifth place on the all-time wins list for coaches. This season he will be working with new assistant coach Brian Wiseman, who replaces Mel Pearson — now head coach of Michigan Tech.

Line Change:
Gone: Scooter Vaughan (F), Jacob Fallen (F), Carl Hagelin (F), Ben Winnett (F), Matt Rust (F), Louie Caporusso (F), Brandon Burlon (D), Chad Langlais (D), Tristin Llewellyn (D), Bryan Hogan (G)

Arriving: Phil Di Giuseppe (F), Zach Hyman (F), Andrew Sinelli (F), Travis Lynch (F), Alex Guptill (F), Mike Chiasson (D), Brennan Serville (D), Mike Szuma (D)

If the water bottle’s half full: As stated earlier, the Wolverines were one play away from a national championship last spring. With 11 NHL draft picks on their roster, and one of the top coaches in college hockey history leading the way, the Wolverines are one of the top contenders in the CCHA.

If the water bottle’s half empty: Arguably no team in college hockey has been hurt more by decommits than the Wolverines. In back-to-back years, Michigan has had top goaltending prospects — Jack Campbell in 2010 and John Gibson in 2011 — opt for Canadian juniors. That means there are only two goaltenders on Michigan’s roster at this point — fifth-year senior Shawn Hunwick and sophomore Adam Janecyk, who appeared in less than two minutes last season. If Hunwick falters, so could the Wolverines.

MVP: Hunwick will be expected to play a lot of minutes for Michigan, which means he’s going to be counting on strong performances from the Wolverines’ defense. Jon Merrill will need to build on his stellar rookie season in which he was a finalist for the CCHA’s top rookie, offensive defenseman, and defensive defenseman. Despite being only a sophomore, the Wolverines need a strong season from the second-round pick of the New Jersey Devils.

Difference-maker: With Carl Hagelin, Louie Caporusso, and Scooter Vaughan now out of the Wolverines’ line-up, junior A.J. Treais can take over the offense. The Bloomfield Hills native had nine goals and 12 assists last season, and he has some of the best puck-handling skills in the nation. Expect big things out of the National Team Development Program alum.