The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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56 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2019 HOCKEY PREVIEW "We think it's the strength of our team. We're going to have to possess the puck to take some pressure off our team defensively. I think our scor- ers have the capability of doing that." "I feel extremely confident with our lineup of forwards," Lockwood added. "We're really deep this year. We've got 17 forwards on the team and each guy has a chance to play in the lineup. I think that will bring out a little more competition in practice. "It will help this team toward the mentality I talked about. We want to compete every day in practice, not just Friday and Saturday in games." Pearson admitted some concern over the experience level of his de- fense, citing the loss of two key se- niors and one pro defection. "We'll be a little inexperienced since we lost [Joe] Cecconi, [Nick] Boka and [Quinn] Hughes, three re- ally good hockey players," Pearson confessed. "We're a little inexperi- enced on the back end, but when you bring a guy in like [freshman] Cam York, that's a positive. He's going to be able to slide in and play right away. E v e r y t h i n g a b o u t M i c h i g a n's 2019‑20 hockey team shouts "more experience," even the incoming class of skaters. Whereas last season's group of new‑ comers was comprised of 10 true freshmen, the current group only has five true freshmen. Two gradu‑ ate transfers and one true transfer en‑ hance the overall level of experience on the roster. Two of the eight new‑ comers play on the blue line, while six are forwards, making for a deep group at the latter position. This group of new Wolverines has the experience, which will make their adaptation to Michigan's on‑ice effort quicker than the usual incoming class: FRESHMAN DEFENSEMAN CAM YORK Shoots left, 5-11, 174 2018-19 stats with the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP): 63 games, 14 goals, 51 assists and 65 penalty minutes York is an elite‑level defensive prospect. Drafted 14th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in last June's NHL Draft, he possesses a blend of high hockey IQ with the skill level to utilize that on‑ice intelligence. York is very capable of quarterbacking a power play, a skill the Wolverines need with the departure of Quinn Hughes to the pros. Unlike Hughes, who used a puck‑carrying style of control, York will look for a clever pass before free‑lancing as the main puck carrier. While not large physically, York uses his skating skill to excel in the defensive zone. Pearson: "I'm excited to see Cam York, his poise and pa‑ tience. I think he's everything he's advertised to be. He's not Quinn Hughes. He plays a different style, but he plays a very effective style in his own way." FRESHMAN FORWARD ERIC CICCOLINI Shoots right, 6-0, 170 2018-19 stats with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens of the On- tario Junior Hockey League (OJHL): 48 games, 27 goals, 35 assists and 58 penalty minutes Even though skating speed is his calling card, Ciccolini has a full toolbox of offensive skills. NHL Central Scouting in 2018 listed Ciccolini as having a "high‑ end skill set, good offensive hockey sense, puck‑on‑a‑string control and can see the ice at top speed." Ciccolini's explosive skill set of of‑ fense is just what the Wolverines lacked last season. Pearson: "He has tremendous speed and is smart. I've already seen, in one day of practice, some things that I wasn't expecting. He's very, very talented, and people will notice his speed right away." GRADUATE TRANSFER DEFENSEMAN SHANE SWITZER (FROM BOSTON UNIVERSITY) Shoots right, 6-2, 190 Career stats with Boston Univer- sity of the Hockey East Association: 31 games, three goals, two assists and 20 penalty minutes Despite the modest stat line, Swit‑ zer is very capable of using his years of experience to help steady a blue line that lost three important contributors in Hughes, Joe Cecconi and Nick Boka. Pearson: "Shane Switzer played three years at Boston Uni‑ versity. He was in and out the lineup there a little bit, but got some good experience." GRADUATE TRANSFER FORWARD JACOB HAYHURST (FROM RPI) Shoots left, 5-8, 165 2018-19 stats with RPI of the Eastern College Athletic Conference: 29 games, three goals, 20 assists and 27 penalty minutes Hayhurst led RPI in scoring in 2018‑19. Pearson: "Jacob Hayhurst is a guy that a lot of people are going to notice. He's shown, just in one day on the ice with us here, his talent, skill and play‑making ability. That will help offset the loss of Josh Norris to pro hockey." FRESHMAN FORWARD JOHNNY BEECHER Shoots left, 6-3, 209 2018-19 stats with the USNTDP: 63 games, 15 goals, 28 assists and 88 penalty minutes In the prospect‑rich environment of the U.S. National U‑17 Fantastic Freshmen And More: Mel Pearson Breaks Down His Squad's Newcomers Pearson's newcomers for this season include five freshmen, two graduate transfers and one tradi- tional transfer. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL