The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Hockey League, tallying 29 mark- ers in 2013 and another 24 this past season. At 6-0, 208 pounds, he adds muscle to his offensive acumen. "He would be more of a pure scorer than the other two," Berenson said. "He has a little bit of Brandon Nau- rato [2006-09] in him in that he can shoot the puck as well as anybody, and he's an opportunistic scorer. And whatever team he's played for, he always finds ways to score goals. "He'll have some parts of his game he needs to improve on, but we ex- pect him to add some offense im- mediately. He has some good mo- mentum and it wouldn't surprise me if he could fit in on one of our top lines." Alex Talcott is the final incoming forward, and the 6-1, 198-pound Kentwood, Mich., native will have to fight for playing time. He could prove a solid depth player, akin to sophomore Max Shuart. Over the past two seasons, he's netted 16 goals and 19 assists for the Indiana Ice of the USHL. He has not signed a let- ter of intent, thus the coaches cannot comment on him. On defense, Michigan signed two skaters and are pursuing a third elite- level prospect with the hope of land- ing the recruit in time to bring him in next fall. Cutler Martin was a strong per- former in 2013, ranking among the Tri-City Storm's best blue liners in 59 games. The 6-1, 210-pound East Lansing native was on track to be a USHL all-star this past year, but a concussion sidelined him after 23 contests. "When he gets healthy, and hope- fully he will be healthy by the fall, he will add a physical part to our de- fense," Berenson said. "And I think that was lacking on our team last year." "Cutler plays physical, in-your- face hockey," Wiseman added. "We have to be tougher to play against. Whether it's helping our goalies in front of the net or be more abrasive on our blue line. Do we want guys to be able to add offense? 100 percent. We're going to ask all of them to do that, and he has a rocket of a shot, but it takes a mentality to play the other side, and we feel he has some components of that." Sam Piazza is another 20-year-old — his birthday is in January — and he gives the Maize and Blue five of Tony Calderone, who hails from Trenton, Mich., enjoyed two productive seasons as a goal scorer for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League, tallying 29 markers in 2013 and another 24 this past season. PHOTO BY CHAD PHILLIPS PHOTOGRAPHY