The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/246097
Mike Knuble (22) may have been U-M's first true power forward from 1992-95, scoring 103 markers over four seasons before notching 278 goals during his 17-year NHL career. Photo by Jamie Kellner and the physical play in the neutral zone that took its toll on skilled, shifty and usually undersized forwards in the 5-8 to 5-11 range. Players were getting bigger and stronger, but those punishing forwards often lacked the ability to create offense and score goals. "You qualified as a power forward maybe 20-25 years ago if you were a thug, like street muscle that was there to be an enforcer but wasn't worth much more than that," Knuble said. "You saw guys like that, and their only contribution was a fight or two per game. "But as the game evolved, you started seeing guys that could play that physical style but could be firstline wingers, dominating in all facets of the game. Guys like Brendan Shanahan and Keith Tkachuk that were heavyweights you didn't want to go into the corners with, but they also had incredible hands and were legit skaters." Shanahan stood in at 6-3, 220 pounds, and engaged in considerable fisticuffs during his career, earning 2,489 penalty minutes, but he also scored 656 goals in a 21-year career. The impact he, Tkachuk and others had on the NHL eventually trickled down to the college level. During the 1990s, Stewart, Knuble, Jason Botterill (1994-97) and Billy Muckalt (1995-98) played the powerforward game and enjoyed great success with the Maize and Blue. Others, such as Jason Ryznar (2002-05), Mike Brown (2004-05), David Rohlfs (2004-07), Brian Lebler (2007-10) and David Wohlberg (2009-12) followed in their footsteps and experienced varying degrees of success during their careers. The most successful power forward in U-M's recent history is Max Pacioretty, who was named CCHA Rookie of the Year in 2008. He was