The 2007-08 Michigan ice hockey team looks far different from a season ago as 12 freshmen have stepped in for 11 departed players from the final 2006-07 roster. Nevertheless, head coach Red Berenson's Wolverines have no intention of lowering their expectations of winning the CCHA, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament and making a run at an NCAA title. Michigan's young team will be challenged by a difficult schedule, but the coaching staff is eager to see how quickly its players jell and let their talents shine through their inexperience.
FORWARDS
Known for its ability to put the puck in the back of the net, Michigan has consistently been ranked among the nation's most proficient offenses. During the 2006-07 campaign, U-M's 4.24 goals per game topped the charts nationwide, while three Wolverines -- T.J. Hensick (1st), Kevin Porter (3rd) and Andrew Cogliano (9th) -- were among the country's elite in points per game.
But with the loss of Hensick and Cogliano -- and a total of 51.6 percent of last season's offense -- Michigan's forwards know it will be an uphill battle to keep their scoring at the same level. However, they are confident they can do just that.
"We still have high expectations. As far as the forwards go, I think it's a real good group," explained associate head coach Mel Pearson. "I think it's the most depth we've had in a while. You won't see the superstar qualities -- even though both Porter and (Chad) Kolarik will have a real good year -- but I think you'll see more scoring in numbers. We'll have a lot of good efforts from a lot of players. I like the depth of the forward lines we have, and I think that'll help us to score more.
Porter
"I like the forwards we have coming in, and I like the forwards we have coming back," Pearson continued. "I think the biggest thing will be how some of the kids -- Tim Miller, Travis Turnbull and Brandon Naurato -- in the junior class do. Those guys are going to have to take another step up for us to score like we did last year. And with the freshmen, you're not sure who's going to score or how many they're going to score, but they'll be given a chance to get good goals and put up some good offensive numbers. It'll take some time, but I'd say we have a good chance to score as much as we did last year."
Although new to the college hockey ranks, the six-man squad of freshman forwards is ready to pick up the offensive slack. With a total of 120 goals between the six of them last year in juniors, Matt Rust, Carl Hagelin, Louie Caporusso, Max Pacioretty, Aaron Palushaj and Ben Winnett are no strangers to scoring and have the skills necessary to do so again during the coming season.
"I think one of the things that has really caught my eye is the work ethic and the skill set that they have -- the speed, the shooting, the stick handling, and the puck skills," Pearson commented. "They all have looked really good on the days that we have been able to get on the ice with them."
With such a large freshman class, the leadership and the on-ice experience of captain Porter and alternate captains Kolarik and Miller will be relied upon more than ever. Both Kolarik (18-27-45) and Porter (24-34-58) will look to improve on their career-high outputs from 2006-07 in order to kick start the offense, while Miller will let his physical style of play do the talking.
Also returning this season are senior Chris Fragner; juniors Turnbull, Naurato and Danny Fardig; and sophomores Anthony Ciraulo and Brian Lebler.
Chemistry will be another key issue facing the Wolverines with such a large number of new players in the lineup. In the preseason, line combinations were constantly being switched in order to find that chemistry as quickly as possible.
"I think it's going to be hard the first few weeks trying to figure out who has chemistry with whom and who plays well together," Porter said. "But I think down the road, when the (CCHA and NCAA) tournaments come around, it's going to pay off. That's when we're going to have our lines set for good and everyone will have been playing together for a while. It's ultimately going to help out."
Both Miller and Kolarik echoed those sentiments. "I think it gives everyone a chance to play with everyone else and see if there is that click," Kolarik stated. "I think it's a good idea. It can only help out in the long run."
"With 12 freshmen, you don't know who's going to pick it up in games throughout the season, and you don't even really know who's going to be in the lineup yet," Miller added. "Getting to play with all different players is a good way to start."
Chemistry and a highly effective offense will be in high demand immediately this season. With six of the first eight games on the road, the Wolverines will be tested from the start. U-M will face No. 2-ranked Boston College in the season-opening Ice Breaker Invitational, followed by a match-up the next day against the winner of the RPI/No. 6 Minnesota game. The following weekend U-M gets on the bus for a long trip to Northern Michigan. Instead of looking at the coming weekends as a challenge, the Maize and Blue sees it as an opportunity to grow -- as players, as lines, and as a team.
"I think it's good to go on the road early and be in those hostile environments," Kolarik explained. "If we play against Minnesota on Saturday night in the Xcel Center, it will be nuts, but it'll be good for our freshmen. We have 12 freshmen and you never know who's going to step it up. It'll be a great experience for them."
"I think it's going to be a positive thing," Miller noted. "Getting on the road is a team bonding experience. Especially with all the freshmen that we have, it will be a good experience for everybody to put them in a hostile environment right away. It'll be good; it'll prepare us for the rest of the season."
DEFENSEMEN
After losing four key players from last season, the Wolverine defense looks toward its three returning members -- junior Mark Mitera and sophomores Chris Summers and Steve Kampfer -- to lead the U-M defensive corps. The defense will also have four freshmen on the blue line, with freshmen Scooter Vaughn, Chad Langlais, Kevin Quick and Tristin Llewellyn being added to the 2007-08 mix.
"(With many new players) there's a lot more attention to detail," said assistant coach Billy Powers, who focuses his attention on the defensemen. "I think we have to spend a lot of time early on with the new kids to get them in sync with what our expectations are with the defensive corps here. Summers, Kampfer and Mitera are also helping in that regard. We have three guys that have logged a lot of minutes, even though it's two sophomores and a junior. You have three very experienced guys coming back based on the minutes they have played."
Mitera
Look out especially for third-year veteran Mitera, who had a 1-17-18 line last season, to be a leader on the blue line, "We challenge Mark with that, we expect that, and I think he is expecting that of himself," Powers said. "This is his first opportunity in a while for him to be on a team where he actually is the so-called oldest guy on the blue line. I think it's a challenging role, but he has the maturity to embrace it."
Mitera has been accepting of his new challenge, stating, "I definitely think I need to be more of a leader this year vocally and with leading by example on the ice."
Summers looks to help the defense as well, as he moves back to the blue line after playing forward during the latter part of last season. The sophomore posted a 6-8-14 line during his freshman campaign and earned CCHA All-Rookie team honorable mention as well.
As for the freshmen, expectations and potential run high. Look for Kevin Quick to play an offensive defenseman role this season. "His numbers will be deceptive, but he has offensive instincts," said Powers. "He's shown us early on that he'll jump in the play, and he's smart with the puck so he makes good decisions with it." Summers concurred, "Quick is a really good offensive defensemen and, oddly enough, quick."
Also look for the 21-year-old Langlais to make some noise on the ice. According to Summers, "He is an incredible, incredible player. He's a really, really smart player. Not having the size that many of the guys do, his puck handling skills and smarts really set him above a lot of players."
Llewellyn, on the other hand, "comes in with some size, some toughness, some meanness to his game," remarked Powers. "He's a guy that we're hoping will be a shutdown defenseman similar to Mitera, a guy that will provide a physical presence. He's always done that. He's a reliable, smart defenseman."
Rounding out the freshmen is Scooter Vaughn. According to Powers, "Scooter has real good poise with the puck, great vision. He's a really well-rounded player and we've liked what we've seen early on." Summers added, "He's a solid skater, and I think he is going to be a really good guy we can count on in our defensive zone."
Furthermore, look for the freshmen to be paired with returning players on the blue line. "We would like to have the returning players playing with a freshman," said Powers. "And I think that we'll probably design that early if we can. That's basically the path we've taken so far." The early stages of the season have reflected that philosophy. Mitera has been paired with Vaughan, Summers with Llewellyn, and Kampfer with both Langlais and Quick. Competition for playing time should be tight as there are only three spots in the lineup for the four rookies. Sophomore Eric Elmblad is also in pursuit of game action, giving U-M eight defensemen.
With a solid mix of returning and new players, look for the Maize and Blue defensive corps to focus on its own zone first this season. Their skills will be certainly tested early on against Boston College and possibly Minnesota in the Ice Breaker and then Boston University two weeks later.
GOALTENDERS
Michigan's lone experienced goalie to begin this season will be junior Billy Sauer, who started 40 of 41 games a year ago and has 62 career starts to his credit. Sauer had a solid record of 25-14-1 in 2006-07, but his 3.03 goals-against average and .896 winning percentage were not in line with U-M's normal standard for its goaltenders.
Sauer is not content with his play to this point either and is eager to prove himself. "I'm working on things I don't think I was really focusing on before -- things like challenging shooters through screens, communicating with my defense, playing the puck better -- the parts of the game that you don't always think of as keys to goaltending," Sauer explained. "That's the stuff I need to work on, and that's what I've been doing the last couple weeks. It's been really helping me."
Sauer
Head coach Red Berenson has acknowledged that Sauer's game is still a work in progress. After all, the junior goalie is still only 19 years of age. However, he is still a two-year veteran and needs to help provide a backbone for U-M's youthful team. "Billy's an experienced goalie who should be able to help this team when they make mistakes. If he can play the way he played during stretches of last year, like in January and February when he was a rock and leading our team, we'll be in good shape. I think he's ready for that. The team needs that and Billy needs that, and he should be ready."
A newcomer to the coaching staff this season is Michigan alumnus Josh Blackburn (1999-2002) as the volunteer goalie coach. He has quickly become a valuable tutor for U-M's young goalies. "I've been talking with Josh Blackburn and every day we're trying to concentrate on the same things that I know I need to pick up my game and they're coming along," said Sauer. "Depth is the biggest thing for me -- grabbing ice. I'm trying not to commit too early and be more patient in the play. Then I want to use my athleticism when I need it."
Sauer will be backed up by freshmen Bryan Hogan and Shawn Hunwick, who were brought in to create more competition in the crease. Unfortunately, U-M's depth in goal was damaged well before the season started as Hogan was diagnosed with mononucleosis in September. Hunwick then fell ill just before U-M's exhibition games and missed a chance to see game action. Hunwick is ready to go as the season is ready to kick off, but Hogan will easily be out for the first few weeks.
Strong performances by Sauer in the early part of the season would help take pressure off the youthful offense while also building confidence for the skaters on the blue line. If Sauer is able to give the Wolverines reliable goaltending throughout the season, the team should be able to reach its goals of challenging for CCHA supremacy and earning its 18th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance next spring.