10. University of Notre Dame

University of Notre Dame

Key Losses: Morgan Cey, G; Cory McLean, F; Joe Zurenko, D
Key Returnees: David Brown, G; Wes O’Neill, D; Tim Wallace, F
Key Newcomers: Erik Condra, F; Jamie Silverson, D; Tom Sawatske, D
Projected Leading Scorer: Wes O’Neill

Grades:
Offense: D
Defense: C
Goaltending: B
Coaching: C+?

Analysis:

One year removed from an NCAA tournament berth, Notre Dame hit rock bottom. Last year was one that everyone associated with Notre Dame would rather forget. Without Rob Globke and Aaron Gill, the Notre Dame offense sputtered. Nobody stepped up to take their place. In fact, Mike Walsh regressed 15 points last season. Last year, Cory McLean led Notre Dame with .58 points per game. That total would have only been good for 5th on the 2003-2004 team. League leader Michigan had 12 players that averaged more points per game than McLean. I could go on with shocking statistics like that all day. Suffice it to say their offense was bad.

But an even bigger problem for Notre Dame was that the team flat out quit. With their goaltending, Notre Dame possessed the ability to shut a team down, take advantage of a lucky break or two and win a tight hockey game. They rode that strategy to the NCAA tournament two years ago. Last year, the defense wasn’t up to par and they ended up getting blown out a lot. They showed in their final game, however, that they have the potential to play a close game with anyone.

They lost an excellent goaltender in Morgan Cey, but David Brown returns. If he’s not left out to dry too often by his defense, Brown has the potential to control games. They also return one of the most talented defenseman in the league in Wes O’Neill.

The biggest question for Notre Dame at the moment is their coaching situation. As of right now, it looks like Jeff Jackson will be taking over. I think I covered my opinion of Jackson in a previous so scroll down if you’re interested.

Overall, Notre Dame still won’t be able to score enough goals to win many games, but with a new coach and a strong defense, they could give a lot of teams fits and force them to play some real nailbiters rather than just taking an easy W from the Irish.