The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/299859
MICHIGAN HOCKEY to fill the void — junior forwards Phil Di Giuseppe (13 goals) and Alex Guptill (12) — both declared for the NHL. "Alex is in a real unique position because he was drafted the year prior to coming to Michigan and Dallas would lose his rights Aug. 15, so while maybe we weren't 100 percent on Phil signing we were 100 percent sure on Alex," U-M associate head coach Billy Powers said. With the loss of the junior class- mates, Michigan will lose 43.0 per- cent of its offense (46 of 107 goals), and must hope that the rising sopho- more class of nine, including five for- wards, can contribute in a big way. The good news is that the Wolver- ines expect no more early departures. "You've seen in the past some sur- prises, but we feel confident that the remainder of the team will be back," Powers said. Di Giuseppe, who signed first, and Guptill became the 19th and 20th U-M skaters/goalies to leave school early since 2000 in voiding their se- nior seasons (and that list does not include three players that signed let- ters of intent but did not enroll). A Maple, Ontario, native, Di Gi- useppe scored 11 goals and had 15 assists in a strong rookie campaign in which he lived up to his junior hockey hype. His play was good enough to earn the Carolina Hur- ricanes' interest, when he was the No. 38 overall selection in the 2012 NHL Draft. Di Gisueppe slumped in his sopho- more year, recording only nine goals. He increased his assist output to 19, but struggled to become the dynamic offensive force his coaches felt he was capable of being. The 6-1, 195-pounder continued to languish during his junior campaign this past year, scoring just one goal in a 16-game span from Nov. 2-Feb. 15. However, he found his rhythm late, scoring eight goals in Michigan's final nine games while adding two assists. "You're always losing a good player based on the fact that every year they should be getting a little Forward Alex Guptill, a 2010 third-round pick of the Dallas Stars, tallied 44 goals and 50 assists in his three years with the Wolverines before opting to move on to the NHL. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL