The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/575020
HOCKEY PREVIEW talented skill players on the team and might have the best shot of scoring 20 goals. 2. D Zach Werenski: The difference between Werenski returning for his sophomore year or joining former classmate Dylan Larkin as "one-and-dones" is probably two or three Big Ten wins and the chance to compete for the title. He has a chance to be U-M's best defender since Mike Komisarek in 2002. 3. D Michael Downing: The 6-2, 200-pound Downing is a physical presence that has a reputation for laying out forwards with their heads down. But the junior has grown his game significantly and should be one of the best two-way defenseman in college hockey this year. 4. G Steve Racine: Junior Zach Nagelvoort is not far back in the race to start in net, but Racine is the more proven commodity, going 7-2-0 in nine career playoff games with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage en- tering his senior year. Nagelvoort has only appeared in one postseason contest. 5. F Tyler Motte: Head coach Red Berenson has remarked that Motte was, at times, Michigan's best player last season, possessing the game to earn a spot on the power play and penalty kill. Motte had 22 assists in 2014-15, but the junior has to score more than the nine goals he has averaged each season. 6. F Alex Kile: The left winger was a dominant juniors player, with 47 goals in 114 games, and showed flashes last season, netting 11 markers in Michigan's first 21 contests. But the junior had only two goals in the final 16 games, and he must be more consistent. No one, not even Compher, portends to be the natural scorer that Kile can be. 7. F Kyle Connor: Expecting Connor to match Larkin for freshman production — 15 goals and 31 assists — is asking for too much, but the 2015 first-round NHL pick should probably register 30 points or more, and Michigan needs him to. 8. D Cutler Martin: The sophomore defender missed four of Michigan's first six games and took time to mature, but he developed into, arguably, U-M's top stay-at-home defensemen during the second half of the season. He should be a top-three blue liner this year. 9. F Justin Selman: Often paired with Hyman and Larkin last year, Selman netted a career-high 11 goals and 23 points, and the coaches are counting on the senior to match those tallies in his final year. He's not a playmaker but pos- sesses good offensive instincts, and he's solid on the defensive end. 10. F Boo Nieves: A popular pick to be Michigan's breakout player this sea- son, Nieves is the fastest player on the team, and with a 6-3, 200-pound frame and elite offensive ability, he could lead the Big Ten in scoring. But Nieves has yet to show consistency offensively, and has much to prove as a senior. — Michael Spath