The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/510942
BY MICHAEL SPATH O ne of the emerging trends in college hockey over the past few years has been a shift to recruiting older players, with freshmen arriving on campus already 19 or 20 years old. This plan of attack has allowed traditionally sec- ond-tier programs such as Yale, Union and Providence to claim the last three national champion- ships, relying on a roster of older play- ers — the three fea- tured average ages of 23.5, 22.6 and 21.6 years old per player during their title-winning years — that are physi- cally and mentally mature. M i c h i g a n , b y comparison, fea- tured a roster with four teenagers and an average age of 20.7 years per player in 2014-15, while the championship-winning teams of the Bulldogs, Dutchmen and Friars contained only one teen- ager total. The Maize and Blue coaching staff has considered a different approach, but U-M is one of the few schools na- tionally, along with Minnesota, Boston College and Boston University, that pos- sess the resources to pursue the marquee young talent, win- ning battles with major juniors to sign the top pros- pects. And so it is this fall, U-M will wel- come four skaters that rank among the top 120 players in North America in the Central Scout- AS STRONG AS EVER Michigan Hockey Welcomes Another Heralded Recruiting Class, Including A Pair Of USA Hockey Standouts Defenseman Nick Boka, the No. 117 prospect in North America in the Central Scouting Service's final pre- NHL Draft rankings, will provide U-M with a much-needed physical presence. PHOTO BY TOM SORENSEN/NTDP