The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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not as simple as outscoring the other team because it's hard to score goals. "If you don't let up goals, and if when I'm on the ice for my shift the other team doesn't score, we're going to have a great chance to win. "Wanting to win at all costs pushes me and shapes my game." When Michigan began recruiting Compher at Team Illinois, it became quickly apparently he possessed rock-solid fundamentals and would be a player the Wolverines needed to land. "I told Billy Powers, don't wait on this one," Pedrie said. "He liked Michigan, his game fits so perfectly with how they like to play, and he was the kind of kid they would love to coach because I loved to coach him. I think they offered him a schol- arship the next day." "When you watched this kid com- pete, it just jumped out at you how he approaches the game," Wiseman said. "When we'd watch him play he never took even a second off. He was full-go his entire shift, and when you add his skill set, he's a extraordinary player." IN RARE COMPANY Watching Compher in the defen- sive zone is different than watching some of Michigan's best defensive forwards, like Carl Hagelin (2008-11), Kevin Porter (2005-08) and John Mad- den (1994-97). Hagelin relied on unrelenting speed and work ethic to harass op- ponents into coughing up the puck while Porter understood angles and putting himself between the op- ponent and a scoring chance better than, perhaps, anyone Red Berenson has coached in 30 years. Madden was a different breed alto- gether, possessing a little bit of every- thing in utilizing whatever worked against each specific skater. Compher is probably closest to Madden, though there are elements of both Hagelin's and Porter's games in his too. He is adept at lifting a stick to prevent a shot, using lever- age to body a forward out of posi- tion around the crease, intercepting passes because he can sense where an opponent wants to go with the puck, and — when needing to — willing to simply outwork his foe in the corners or in front of the net. "Hockey is so much more than just passing and shooting, but most guys are so concerned with that, that they don't focus on all the little things," said junior center Zach Hyman, a noted defensive forward for this year's Wolverines. "The moment he came here, J.T. showed an awareness for the entire game and played like an upperclassman. "He works on the little things as hard as anyone on our team, and then he's so detail-oriented when we actually play. It's incredible." Throughout Michigan's storied hockey history, the program has pro- duced 12 Rookie of the Year award winners, including 10 forwards. However, among those front-line players, only David Wohlberg in 2009 was noted for his defensive prowess. If Compher takes home Big Ten hard- ware, he would be, arguably, the top two-way forward U-M has ever had