Michigan Off-season update

Since no one took up my call to arms for other college hockey blogs, I don’t feel so guilty about shamelessly posting an update on the team I follow closest: Michigan.

Western College Hockey has already predicted that Montoya will leave this offseason, and as the days go by, it’s looking more and more likely that I’ll be correct.

A poster on the Michigan Rivals site spoke to Montoya at the New York Rangers PR Day in New York yesterday. Montoya didn’t say much about his situation, but perhaps provided a hint when he signed autographs with the number 33 at the end, which is not his number at Michigan.

Head hockey guru at Rivals Michael Spath also posted that there have been major rumblings at Yost today that Montoya is a goner.

About the only positive news for Michigan fans is that the New York Post’s head hockey guy, Larry Brooks, stated that he thought the Rangers would lowball Montoya on an offer and that Montoya would probably return to Michigan. The New York Post also gave us interesting stories today like “bin Laden Coke Plot” and “Doc Cop a Big Bopper,” so take the Montoya story for what it’s worth.

Overall, it’s gotten to the point that I’d be very surprised if Montoya returned. The next issue facing is who will take over in goal if Montoya leaves.

It will either be Billy Sauer, or Steve Jakiel. Recruiting guru Bob Miller, said that at the beginning of the summer, the coaching staff was leaning more towards Jakiel simply because Jakiel was a little older and more mature than Sauer. It now looks more like the coaching staff is leaning towards Sauer, who will gain valuable experience as a member of the United States U18 team this summer. Sauer won Western College Hockey’s confidence with his performance at the Select 17 Festival in St. Cloud this summer. Sauer seems ready for the task, as he expects to be playing for Michigan in the fall.

One person that Michigan won’t need to worry about replacing is forward Jeff Tambellini. According to the poster that spoke to Montoya at the Rangers PR day, Montoya confirmed Western College Hockey’s prediction, by saying that Tambellini will definitely be returning to Michigan in the fall.

The other story for Michigan over the summer is the NHL draft that will take place this Saturday. CSTV put up a nice story on the potential Wolverine draft picks.

As for Wolverines in the draft, Jack Johnson will obviously be the first Wolverine selected. The Minnesota Wild have hinted that if Johnson is still available at 4th overall, they will select him. The question is whether Carolina or Anaheim will select him before that, and more importantly for Michigan fans, is if they will want Johnson’s services right away. The coaching staff has already prepared to bring in an extra defenseman in either 2006 or 2007 for when Johnson leaves school early. If Johnson doesn’t play next year though, it could be devastating to Michigan’s defense.
There’s a lot of mystery in where the other Wolverines will be drafted. Andrew Cogliano and T.J. Hensick have been rumored to be going anywhere from the late first round to the 6th round. T.J. Hensick was quoted as saying that he would like to be drafted by the Red Wings, but given the Wings history of not liking college players, and loving anyone from Europe, I highly doubt that will happen.

Jason Bailey and Zac MacVoy will be the other two players to be drafted. Both are big, powerful forwards with potential to make it in the pros. Bailey will be a good grinder type that can hit people, while MacVoy has nice hands and the ability to score goals.

A final note is that Michael Spath has a friend that has been skating with a few of the Wolverines over the summer.

The first that he mentioned specifically was Andrew Ebbett. Ebbett has been a solid, quiet playmaker for Michigan in his first three seasons. It looks like he’s trying to take his game to the next level in his senior year. He’s basically lived at Yost over the summer, and has taken his captain role very seriously. He could make the jump from a guy who quietly picks up a bunch of assists, to a top player in the CCHA.

The other player that he mentions is Matt Hunwick. Hunwick is a decent all-around defender, but doesn’t really have an area of his game where he stands out. He’s apparently worked very hard in the weight room and has gained a lot of muscle. Not only will this help him at Michigan this season, but some newfound physicality may help him earn a spot on the Bruins blueline in the future along with a couple other physical collegians in Mark Stuart and Andrew Alberts.

The Michigan coaching staff is interested in matching Hunwick up with Jack Johnson, which would be the top defensive pairing in the CCHA. There is also the possibility that he’ll be matched with freshmen Mark Mitera. Michigan will need Hunwick and Johnson to play a large number of minutes next season.