Talent
Infusion
The Wolverines Welcome A Heralded
Crop Of Recruits Led By Four Impact Forwards
T
By Michael Spath
wo years ago, Michigan fell
one overtime goal shy of
winning the 2011 national
title. But in 2012, the Wolverines were bounced in the first round
of the NCAA Tournament, and this
season they missed the postseason
tourney for the first time since 1990.
This year's disappointment was
due to the confluence of a number of
factors, including poor goaltending
J.T. Compher, a 6-0, 165-pound forward who
is the centerpiece of U-M's class, was tabbed
No. 34 in the 2013 NHL Central Scouting
Service final draft rankings.
photo courtesy USA Hockey
for much of the year, injuries and
a lack of team chemistry until the
final five weeks of the season. Yet, it
also exposed a fundamental weakness that had been slowly creeping
into the program — the Maize and
Blue roster lacked the depth of talent