The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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HOCKEY PREVIEW Top Returning Players Senior defenseman Luke Martin After his season was cut short at 28 games by an upper body injury, Martin will need to log im- portant minutes on the blue line against oppo- nent's top offensive threats and on both special teams, power play and penalty kill. The alternate captain has been a workhorse through his first three years and will be leaned on heavily by head coach Mel Pearson for his steady influence. Senior forward Will Lockwood Michigan's offense leaned heavily on Lock- wood last season. His 16 goals led the team in that category, while his six power-play goals and 112 shots on goal also led the team. Eschewing an opportunity over the summer to turn pro with the NHL's Vancouver Canucks, Lockwood will return to Ann Arbor to captain the Wolverines in his senior season. Senior forward Jake Slaker Slaker's 33 career goals in his first three seasons make him a prime candidate to bolster Michigan's offensive attack in 2019-20. Five of those 33 goals have been game-winners and 11 have come on the power play. Senior forward Nick Pastujov Coming off two consecutive seasons with double-digit points, Pastujov will seek to solidify his posi- tion on the top two Wolver- ine lines. Steadily increasing his goal scoring over his first three seasons, the New York Is- lander draft pick will look to continue that trend in his final season at U-M. Sophomore forward Nolan Moyle Leading all U-M freshmen in goals with seven, Moyle qui- etly gained offensive steam as his rookie season progressed. Teamed with classmate Garrett Van Wyhe and then-sophomore forward Dakota Raabe, the trio gave Pearson steady production on both ends of the ice. Sophomore defenseman Nick Blankenburg With the departure of elite defense- man Quinn Hughes to the professional ranks, Blankenburg will provide a large dose of puck control and stick skills. Sophomore goaltender Strauss Mann While Michigan seeks improvement at all positions after a disappointing 2018-19 season, nowhere does the need stand out more than in goal. Battling Hayden Lavigne for starting honors, Mann showed signs in his freshman season that, with after a year's worth of experience and maturity, he could provide the goaltending level that Michigan has sought for several seasons. Junior forward Michael Pastujov While his nine goals and 10 assists were a nice follow up to his freshman season, Pastujov came to Michigan to join his brother, Nick, from the U.S. Na- tional Team Development Program with the prom- ise of so much more. A breakout season from the younger Pastujov in 2019-20 would surprise no one. Quick Guide To The 2019-20 Season By Bob Miller By The Numbers 1 New assistant coach — Kris May- otte fills the void left by Brian Wiseman's move to the NHL to assume an assistant coach's spot on the Edmon- ton Oilers. Mayotte brings a record of success in his previous role as associate head coach at Providence College and as an assistant coach at St. Lawrence University and Cornell University. 2 2019 NHL Draf t first round choices will suit up at U-M this year — freshman defenseman Cam York was chosen 14th overall by the Phila- delphia Flyers and freshman forward Johnny Beecher was chosen 30th over- all in last June's NHL Draft. 3.09 Goals against average p o s te d by M i c h i g a n netminders a year ago. Improvement in the win/loss column in 2019-20 will require better net play. By comparison, Michigan's opponents posted a 2.98 goals against average. Wolverine goal- ies stopped shots at a save percentage of .887 while their opponents played to a .914 save percentage. 6 International players on the roster — four from Canada and two from Sweden. Freshman forward Eric Ciccolini (Vaughan, Ontario), grad transfer forward Jacob Hayhurst (Mississauga, Ontario), sophomore forward Jimmy Lambert (Sas- katoon, Saskatchewan), and senior goal- tender Hayden Lavigne (Brampton, On- tario) all hail from Canada. Senior forward Adam Winborg (Stockholm) and redshirt sophomore forward Emil Ohrwall (Vaxjo) are both natives of Sweden. 9 Michigan natives will wear the maize and blue — sophomore de- fensemen Jack Summers (Livonia), Jake Gingell (Dexter) and Nick Blankenburg (Washington), senior forward Will Lock- wood (Bloomfield Hills), grad transfer defenseman Shane Switzer (Bloomfield Hills), sophomore forward Jack Olm- stead (Troy), redshirt junior forward Luke Morgan (Brighton), sophomore goalten- der Jack Leavy (Birmingham) and fresh- man forward Nick Granowicz (Macomb). 11 Overtime games played in 2018-19, 10 of which came in Big Ten play. 18 Games tied or decided by one goal in 2018-19, an indicator of the fine line between wins and losses last campaign. 19 Goals scored by freshmen in 2018-19 — forwards Nolan Moyle (seven), Garrett Van Wyhe (four) and Jimmy Lambert (four) led the group. 1,281 Shots on goal taken by Michigan in 2018-19 — the top four returners in this category are Lockwood (143), senior forward Jake Slaker (110), senior forward Nick Pastujov (109) and junior forward Jack Becker (92). Senior defenseman Luke Martin led the Wolverines in blocked shots as a freshman and sopho- more, and finished fourth on the team last year while missing eight games due to injury. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL 58 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2019