The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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44 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2021 MICHIGAN HOCKEY PREVIEW "We have a number of guys who really made giant strides. We have a great sup- porting cast here." Freshman forward Mackie Samoskev- ich, the No. 24 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft by the Florida Panthers, is also expected to make an impact this season, after impressing — and even surprising, to an extent — this summer. "Mackie Samoskevich is a freshman, and because of the recruiting restric- tions the last year and a half, we weren't able to see him live," Pearson explained. "This summer at the World Junior Showcase for the top under-20 players in the U.S., I got to see Mackie live, and he was a better live player than I had seen him this year on video. "I was really impressed with him, and have been since we've been able to go out on the ice with them as coaches. He's a lot better player than even I ex- pected him to be. Now, this is practice, and we've got to get in the games …" Junior forward Eric Ciccolini is one who has battled injury in the past, in- cluding missing eight games in 2019- 20, but he's healthy and has progressed nicely. "Mentally, he's in a good spot; physi- cally, he's in a good spot," Pearson said. "He's got tremendous skill, and he's come in stronger as a junior now. He's made good strides." Losing forward Cam York, who notched 16 assists and four goals as a sophomore last season, to the Phila- delphia Flyers leaves a void, but Pear- son believes the Wolverines still have enough to field a proficient — if not po- tent — offense. LEADING FROM THE BACK LINE U-M allowed just 1.96 goals per game last season, which was the third-best mark in the nation and first in the Big Ten. Strauss Mann, the 2019-20 Big Ten Goaltender of the Year and a 2020-21 finalist for the award, moved on and is now pursuing a professional career in Sweden. While he was a big part of the Wolverines' success, Pearson likes where his team is at in the net, with sophomore Erik Portillo having gained some valuable experience a year ago. The Swede played in seven games and Newcomer To Watch Luke Hughes Has The Pedigree To Succeed Naturally, freshman Luke Hughes — the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft — is one of the world's top pro prospects, and it shouldn't be surprising that he ended up at Michigan, either. The brother of former U-M All-America defenseman and current Vancouver Canuck Quinn Hughes and New Jersey Devil forward Jack Hughes, the youngest Hughes brother was ranked No. 11 in the class of 2021 by EliteProspects.com and No. 4 by NHL Central Scouting (North American skaters). Quinn Hughes played for U-M from 2017-18, totaling 62 points (52 assists and 10 goals) with an on-ice rating of plus-12 in 69 career games before being picked No. 7 overall in the 2018 draft and beginning his NHL career. Prior to arriving at U-M, Luke Hughes played the last two seasons with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, where he led the defensemen in points per game last season with 34 in 38 games. In 86 games over two years, he collected 62 points (13 goals and 49 assists). In 46 USHL games, he had 27 points and was fourth in the league among de- fensemen in points per game. "Luke Hughes is an extremely tal- ented young man, and he's got tre- mendous skating ability, which allows him to do so many things on the ice," Pearson said. "He's probably a cross between his two brothers, Quinn and Jack, in that he's a good skater, he sees the ice well, he's dynamic. "He's bigger than both those guys. He's probably stronger than when Quinn came in, so he's already a little bit ahead of Quinn in that regard. But the genes there are tremendous." Hughes also shined at this past sum- mer's USA Hockey Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Mich. Analyst Corey Pron- man of The Athletic was in attendance and broke down what makes Hughes a unique talent with high-level potential. "While his older brothers are known for their ability to change directions and how quickly they can toggle be- tween gears to fool opponents, the first word that comes to mind about Luke Hughes' skating ability is smooth," Pronman wrote. "His first couple of steps do not look as naturally quick as his brothers', but his size and longer strides allow him to cover so much ground. It makes watching him go back to recover a puck and then ignite an offensive possession with a sweeping maneuver through the neutral zone a can't-miss moment. "There are other areas of his game that need more work — even his skat- ing prowess is not a finished product — but it's abundantly clear this will be a strength at the NHL level and the foundation of whatever path his development unlocks." Some freshmen have to ease their way into the college game, and while there's still a learning curve for Hughes, he should make an impact right away. "We expect big things from Luke," Pearson said. "And he's going to have his mo- ments — he's a freshman — just like Quinn did his first year, too. He's human; he's going to make mistakes. It's a game of mistakes, but at the same time, he's going to do some things that other players can't do." — Clayton Sayfie Hughes helped Team USA win the silver medal at the 2020 World U17 Hockey Challenge. PHOTO BY RENA LAVERTY/USA HOCKEY'S NTDP