7. University of Minnesota-Duluth

University of Minnesota-Duluth

Key losses: Evan Schwabe, F; Brett Hammond, F; Tim Hambly, F; Luke Stauffacher, F; Neil Petruic, D
Key Returnees: Tim Stapleton, F; Marco Peluso, F; Matt McKnight, F; Isaac Reichmuth, G
Key recruits: Matt Niskanen, D; Michael Gergen, F; Mason Raymond, F
Projected leading scorer: Tim Stapleton

Grades:

Offense: B-
Defense: B
Goalie: B-
Coaching: B

Analysis:

The past two seasons for Minnesota-Duluth have been very similar to the pattern followed by the Bulldogs of the CCHA. Two years ago, Duluth surprised everyone by finishing at the top of the WCHA, led by their senior superstar Junior Lessard, just as Ferris State had surprised everyone three years ago, led by their senior superstar Chris Kunitz. Both teams came into the following season with high expectations, but weren’t able to recover from the losses due to graduation and had disappointing bottom half finishes.

So where does UMD go from here? This will really be like a rebuilding year for the Bulldogs, starting with head coach Scott Sandelin. Sandelin’s stock was never higher going into last season. He won the Spencer Penrose Trophy as college hockey’s coach of the year, and was named head coach of the US World Junior team, after Dean Blais left for an NHL job. But a poor finish in the WCHA, and a disappointing finish at the World Juniors hurt the aura around Sandelin.

Sandelin will have the opportunity to rebuild with a talented young team. Duluth is bringing in one of the top recruiting classes in the country, and will need to rely on them heavily this year. They were dealt a blow this summer when hard-hitting winger Jared Boll wasn’t able to qualify, and left for Plymouth of the OHL. The Bulldogs still have a very deep and talented class, however, led by defenseman Matt Niskanen. Niskanen was a first round draft pick that should be able to log a lot of ice time this season. Duluth fans should enjoy watching him, though he may only be around for a season or two before the NHL comes calling. A number of forwards should be able to contribute immediately as well. Michael Gergen was a high scoring forward at Shattuck-St. Mary’s last year. They are also bringing in a pair of forwards from Alberta in Mason Raymond and MacGregor Sharp, who looked to be the most college-ready players in the AJHL last season.

One question mark surrounding Duluth is if they will have the ability to score enough goals to compete in the WCHA. They return two forwards that averaged a point per game last season in Tim Stapleton and Marco Peluso, but this year they will have to play without star linemate Evan Schwabe, who graduated. Duluth will need someone to step up and fill the void left by Schwabe.

The other major question for the Bulldogs will be in goal. Two years ago, Isaac Reichmuth looked like he would be one of the top goalies in the NCAA, but he never seemed to recover from his third period meltdown in the Frozen Four against Denver, and struggled much of last year, losing his starting job to Josh Johnson at times. Johnson is a decent goalie, but the Bulldogs will need Reichmuth to return to his 2003 form to help carry the team and keep them in games when they are overmatched against the top teams in the WCHA.

Overall, this should be a rebuilding year for the Bulldogs. They should be a very good team down the road if they can keep the core of this team together, but for now, I don’t think they are talented or experienced enough to hold up in the WCHA.