By David Malinowski (@dmmm14)
Depth is the word that the Wolverines are stressing this September.
With a tangible load of uncertainty facing the Wolverines heading into recruiting season, the feeling around the locker room is a positive one, albeit reflective.
“You’ve got to win the games you should win. We didn’t win the games we should have won last year,” Berenson said frankly.
This season brings a ton of new faces to Ann Arbor, among them some quality recruits in Zach Werenski (D), Dexter Dancs (F), and Dylan Larkin (F), creating a melting pot of a roster with what was already a mixed bag last season.
“We lost two players that would have been seniors in Guptill and Phil [DiGiuseppe],” said Coach Red Berenson. “What we need talent-wise is some of the young freshman from last year…to really step up and show what they can do.”
With more talent having been added on the blue line, the Wolverines look to make Andrew Sinelli a full-time defenseman, at least to start. Among the returning players, a younger core group around the lineup brings with it changes in leadership and for the second year in a row, one of the youngest team average ages in the NCAA.
This isn’t something that frightens junior captain Andrew Copp, who now looks like a staunch NHLer in comparison to his former self. Copp looks more poised, with a taller and wider stature complete with a scruffy face formerly championed by his predecessor, Mac Bennett.
When prompted about having a ‘C’ on his jersey, Copp smartly responded, “Well, I haven’t worn it yet. It’s not necessarily a new role for me [wearing the 'A' last year] but I’m ready for the challenge.”
Copp and company are fully aware of the concerns that his team faces this season, among them being the first Michigan team in three decades to miss the national tournament for a third time in a row, an unprecedented thought that Michigan fans don’t want to experience (especially considering the state of the football program).
Looking at the roster, it’s easy to see that the standard work has been put in by every player this summer.
“A lot of our guys stayed around for the summer. We got some good workouts in and started to develop some team cohesion early on,” Copp said. “Each and every guy has added something.”
There will be some changes in the lineups overall, and the coaches won’t have set line combinations until at least the start of the season due to limited practice time with the team. Line combinations are still floating around, though it’s safe to say that the goaltending position is set with Zach Nagelvoort as the number one.
One of the larger changes will see JT Compher moving from the center position to the right wing, a move that Berenson is excited to see pan out.
“I think we have some depth on the right side, right now we’re playing JT Compher on the wing with Andrew Copp,” Berenson said. “I think he can play the wing and be a deadly scorer as well as a top-two centerman. I like the depth that we’ve got as well as the flexibility.”
Questions on the blue line
Before recruiting, the Wolverines looked hopeless on the back end, but now it seems as though the opposite is true. With some sheltered help combined with creativity in the form of new blood, it looks as though the blue line won’t be in hot water after all.
Kevin Lohan will be back after nursing a leg injury last year, along with Michael Downing‘s physicality, Nolan De Jong‘s puck smarts, as well as what Berenson is heralding in a highly underrated Andrew Sinelli. The coaching staff expects his returning players to have their best year at the school collectively this season, though he paid special attention to Sinelli and Serville.
“If [Sinelli] can live up to expectations, he’ll stay on defense,” Berenson said.
Among the questions is how such a young player in Zach Werenski, let alone a defenseman, will fit into Michigan’s scheme with what seems like an uphill learning curve.
“He just turned 17, but he’s a lot more mature than his age would indicate,” said Berenson. “He’s catching up quick.”
Werenski has been soaking in the whirlwind since arriving on campus, having first been admitted to the school on September 14. However, his name has been associated with nothing but praise on all levels in both academia and hockey smarts. After running up against several walls in terms of high school accreditation, exams, and recruiting paperwork, the big-bodied defenseman is finally in Ann Arbor, or at least on the other side of Stadium Boulevard.
“You have to be stronger on the puck at this level. Playing against guys like this makes you better; it feels like a different level.”
Werenski described his hunger to get better as a motivational tool, but didn’t seem to be too worried about falling behind his teammates nor the stiffness of the competition. A USHL product, Werenski is a smooth skating defenseman with a clear top-4 ceiling.
“I’m an offensive defenseman. I hate to be scored on but I like to score goals,” he said. “You’ll see my first priority is always keeping the puck out of the net but I like to jump up into the (rush) and make plays too.”
Systematic Adjustment
Red Berenson preaches a team game on all sides of the ice, but he’s one of the coaches who builds out from the goaltender. As such, he wants his team this season to not only give up less goals, but to have the puck a lot more and spend less time in its own zone. The breakout for the Wolverines starts from the D.
“We want to get our D in the rush too. Mac was one of the few people who could do that last year, but Sinelli created a lot of offense on D and I like that. I hope he can continue to do that.”
There won’t be too much adjustment in the play calling as the team goes through teething problems, but every question asked of Berenson reverted back to the breakout and smooth skating on the back end. For a team last year that struggled to generate points from its defensemen (Mac Bennett tallied only 14 points in 35 games, Downing 12 in 34), it’s certainly a welcome sight and a highly ambitious goal.
“We need to create more offense from our D. You’re going to see quick passes up to the forwards, you’re going to see D jump up on the weak side, and you’ll see Sinelli once in a while just wheel through everybody because he can skate. When our forwards get the puck, the D will be in play.”
Whether or not Sinelli will be the savior the coaching staff expects him to be or if the recruits will pan out remains to be seen. The Wolverines begin their season on October 4th at Ferris State.
The post A Team of Change: Michigan Hockey Notebook – 9/26/14 appeared first on The Hockey Guys.
