The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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The Plymouth, Mich., native ranked second on the team in penalty min- utes (94). "He is a highly motivated, compet- itive kid that skates extremely well and loves the aggressive style," Wise- man said. "He can get up in the rush and join, and we'll see that part of his game evolve, but the first thing you notice is he can go back and retrieve pucks without fear because he's not the kind of kid you pick a fight with in the corners. "He's going to be fun for our fans to watch. He has a presence on the ice, and you're going to feel him ev- ery game." The 6-3, 209-pound Cecconi is big- ger than Boka but his size manifests in a different way than his future classmate. "He doesn't look for the hits like Boka, but he's a big kid, long, and he plays heavy down low," Powers said. "He knows how to use his size to cre- ate an obstacle between the puck and the goal, and forwards have a dif- ficult time finding open space when he's out there. "He also has really good hands, and we think there is some offensive upside that he can bring." With Boka and Cecconi, and a top three of Downing, Werenski and Martin returning, Michigan expects to have its best defense since Trou- ba's lone season in 2013. "When you look at both kids we're bringing in, and then the continued maturation of some of our guys like Downing and Werenski, and the emergence of Cutler Martin, we're going to be more physical and we expect that when teams play against us, they're going to have to grind it out because we're going to make them work for everything they get," Powers said. In addition to an improved de- fense, Michigan needs more stability in net. This past season, rising senior Steve Racine and rising junior Zach Nagelvoort combined for a paltry .903 save percentage, each suffering through prolonged slumps. Racine turned it on in the postsea- Player Profiles Here are quick capsule bios of the newest members of the U‑M hockey team. Nick Boka • D 6-1 • 197 • Plymouth, Mich. Ranked as the No. 117 prospect in North America in the Central Scouting Ser‑ vice's final pre‑NHL Draft rankings … Spent the 2014‑15 season with the U.S. National Development Program Under‑18 team, scoring five goals with six assists in 54 games … Helped lead Team USA to a gold medal at the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation Under‑18 World Championship this past April … Played for the U.S. Under‑17 team in 2013‑14, registering six goals and 13 assists in 50 games … Becomes the 11th defensemen from the USNTDP to play for the Wolverines … Father, Don, played college football at Ferris State.