My pick for 9th place in the WCHA is Michigan Tech
Projected Depth Chart
LW Justin St. Louis C Ryan Angelow RW Tyler Shelast
LW Mike Batovanja C Tyler Skworchinski RW Jimmy Kerr
LW Alexandre Gagne C Jordan Foote RW Derek Kitti
LW Phil Axtell C Peter Rouleau RW Mike Van Wagner
LD Mark Malekoff RD Lars Helminen G Michael-Lee Teslak
LD Geoff Kinrade RD Drew Dobson G Rob Nolan
LD Eli Vlaisavljevich RD Jake Wilkens
Strengths:
Like Minnesota State, they’ve got a talented tandem of sophomore goalies in Michael-Lee Teslak and Robbie Nolan. They’ve got some good offensive defenseman on the blueline, and some very good size up front.
Weaknesses:
This team really lacks a star-quality forward now that Chris Conner is gone. Their first line won’t be able to match the first line of any other team in the league.
Overall:
The Huskies leading scorer this year could be a defenseman. Lars Helminen is the only player on the roster to have cracked the 20 point mark in a season. That’s not a recipe for success.
Question Marks
Will Tech suffer without the presence of a “go-to” offensive guy like Chris Conner? Can Teslak and Nolan hold Tech in enough games to move up in the standings?
Key Player: Ryan Angelow. Angelow, who only scored 3 goals in his freshmen season last year, will likely get a shot at taking over as the Huskies top center.
Breakout Player: Tyler Shelast. Shelast is the Huskies leading returning scorer, and will have be the star to help carry this young group of forwards.
Bellwether: The number of points generated by defenseman, which should be the Huskies strength, will be an important factor in their season.
Did You Know?
Michigan Tech set three Guiness Book of World Records last year at Winter Carnival.
Michigan Tech’s last winning season came in 1992-1993 when the team went 17-15-5 in coach Bon Mancini’s first season.
Senior Mike Batovanja, along with CC’s Brandon Straub, Wayne State’s Will Hooper, Vermont’s and Kenny Macaulay are the last remaining players in NCAA Division I hockey that played for the University of Findlay’s hockey program.
If You Go There:
You Have to Eat At: The Ambassador Restaurant. They serve pretty good pizza in a college bar type setting.
You Have to Stop At: One of the abandoned copper mines in the area. I think most places give tours and they’re pretty interesting.
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3 comments:
You miss Malcolm Gwilliam as a wing would will be playing Forward long before Mike Van Wagner sees icetime off the blueline.
You're correct. I forgot about Gwilliam since he didn't play last yera, but he should definitely be on there.
You should check out MeanEGirl's blog, she has a great interview with 3 Tech players about their new hockey treadmill.
http://techhockey.blogspot.com/2006/09/skating-treadmill-q.html
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