The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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58 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2022 MICHIGAN HOCKEY in the community. Eligibility require- ments include being a senior or graduate student and high marks in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. Fan votes for the award run through March 28 and will be weighed in with media and Division I head coaches. Blankenburg is an international stud- ies major and has been a Big Ten Scholar- Athlete in each of his first three seasons in Ann Arbor. He was praised by the pro- gram for his captainship on a team full of talented underclassmen. "He was instrumental as an alternate captain last season when the season ended the day the team was scheduled to play in the NCAA regional semifinal," the U-M release noted. "His positive energy, encouragement and thoughtfulness were unmatched during the difficult time and earned him the utmost respect amongst his teammates. "Blankenburg has been heavily in- volved in the Ann Arbor community since arriving at Michigan. He created a GoFundMe account to raise money for COVID relief for the Ronald McDonald House of Ann Arbor; took the lead in the team's effort with Team Impact as they adopted 16-year-old Kellen who lives with cerebral palsy; he volunteers at Grace Bible Church and at Motts Chil- dren's Hospital." The Wolverines have had two other finalists since the inception of the award in 2007 in Kevin Porter (2008) and Sam Piazza (2018). The winner will be an- nounced during the NCAA Men's Frozen Four in April. — Anthony Broome THREE FUTURE WOLVERINES NAMED IN LATEST 2022 NHL MOCK DRAFT Michigan hockey's current roster has plenty of NHL talent in its ranks, but the program is expected to be well rep- resented with future names during the 2022 NHL Draft. Three signees, all of whom are spending time currently with the United States National Team Devel- opment Program, appeared on the latest mock draft from Peter Baracchini. The highest pick was winger Frank Nazar, who went No. 11 overall to the San Jose Sharks. Baracchini praised his abil- ity to make an impact as a playmaking forward. "Nazar does an excellent job at leading and carrying the offense and it shows in his production. He's currently second on the USNDTP with 51 points," he wrote. "In 14 games tracked in the USHL this season, he has the third-best P1/GP with 1.36. The offensive dynamo has been constantly gaining attention and has a great chance to crack the top-10. He's quick, crafty and a complete offensive threat whenever the puck is on his stick." Center Rutger McGroarty came off the board two picks later at No. 13 overall to the Columbus Blue Jackets, which would unite him with another Michigan for- ward in Kent Johnson. Johnson was the No. 5 overall pick of the Blue Jackets dur- ing the 2021 NHL Draft. "With Cole Sillinger and Kent John- ston in the pipeline as centremen, drafting McGroarty would give them tremendous depth in the middle of the ice," Baracchini said. "Already with an NHL-like frame at 6-foot, 205 pounds, he has tremendous strength and is a dual-threat with his playmaking and goal-scoring skill set. He struggled at times at the beginning of the season, but he has been better consistently in regards to his overall play and production as he ranks fifth on the NTDP with 43 points." The third and final signee to appear in The Hockey Writers mock draft was de- fenseman Seamus Casey, who went No. 17 overall to the Buffalo Sabres. Another potential Wolverine pairing would take place here in joining Owen Power, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft. "An extremely dangerous and two- way defenseman, Casey has the poise and confidence to be an impactful pro- ducer on the blue line," Baracchini said. "He displays excellent puck-moving skills and has the speed to be extremely effective in transition. Everything he does is flawless. He does need to get stronger, but the potential that he has is difficult to pass up. "With Owen Power in the fold on the left side, Casey would be another impor- tant piece to the Sabres' future." The 2022 NHL Draft is set for July 7-8 and will take place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. — Anthony Broome Senior defenseman Nick Blankenburg was tabbed as one of 10 finalists for the 2021-22 Senior CLASS Award. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL