2020–21 Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey season
College ice hockey team season
The 2020–21 Michigan Wolverines men's hockey team was the Wolverines' 99th season. They represented the University of Michigan in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season . The team was coached by Mel Pearson , in his fourth year as head coach, and played their home games at Yost Ice Arena . The Wolverines received an at-large bid to the 2021 NCAA Tournament , however, they were removed from the tournament due to positive COVID-19 test results within the program.
Previous season
During the 2019–20 ice hockey season , Michigan went 18–14–4, including 11–10–3–2 in Big Ten play in a shortened season that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic .[1]
Season
As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of North Dakota's players would lose a season of play.[2] However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.[3]
Departures
Recruiting
Player
Position
Nationality
Age
Notes
Matty Beniers
Forward
United States
17
Hingham, MA
Thomas Bordeleau
Forward
United States
18
Houston, TX ; Selected 38th overall in 2020
Brendan Brisson
Forward
United States
18
Manhattan Beach, CA ; Selected 29th overall in 2020
Josh Groll
Forward
United States
19
San Diego, CA
Steve Holtz
Defenseman
United States
21
White Lake, MI
Kent Johnson
Forward
Canada
17
Port Moody, BC
Philippe Lapointe
Forward
United States
20
Hinsdale, IL
Erik Portillo
Goaltender
Sweden
20
Göteborg, SWE ; Selected 67th overall in 2019
Owen Power
Defenseman
Canada
17
Mississauga, ON
Jacob Truscott
Defenseman
United States
18
Fort Gratiot, MI ; Selected 144th overall in 2020
Roster
As of September 1, 2020 [4]
No.
S/P/C
Player
Class
Pos
Height
Weight
DoB
Hometown
Previous team
NHL rights
1
Erik Portillo
Freshman
G
6' 6" (1.98 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
2000-09-03
Gothenburg, Sweden
Dubuque (USHL )
BUF , 67th overall 2019
4
Cam York
Sophomore
D
5' 11" (1.8 m)
174 lb (79 kg)
2001-01-05
Anaheim, California
USNTDP (USHL )
PHI , 14th overall 2019
6
Jack Summers
Junior
D
5' 11" (1.8 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1999-05-18
Livonia, Michigan
Tri-City (USHL )
—
7
Nick Blankenburg (A )
Junior
F
5' 9" (1.75 m)
160 lb (73 kg)
1998-05-12
Washington, Michigan
Okotoks (AJHL )
—
8
Jack Becker (C )
Senior
F
6' 4" (1.93 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
1997-06-24
Dellwood, Minnesota
Sioux Falls (USHL )
BOS , 195th overall 2015
9
Eric Ciccolini
Sophomore
F
6' 0" (1.83 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
2001-01-04
Vaughan, Ontario
Toronto Jr. Canadiens (OJHL )
NYR , 205th overall 2019
10
Matty Beniers
Freshman
F
6' 1" (1.85 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
2002-11-05
Hingham, Massachusetts
USNTDP (USHL )
—
12
Dakota Raabe
Senior
F
5' 9" (1.75 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
1997-05-06
Capistrano Beach, California
Wenatchee (BCHL )
—
13
Kent Johnson
Freshman
F
6' 1" (1.85 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
2002-10-18
Port Moody, British Columbia
Trail (BCHL )
—
15
Jacob Truscott
Freshman
D
6' 1" (1.85 m)
178 lb (81 kg)
2002-04-12
Port Huron, Michigan
USNTDP (USHL )
VAN , 144th overall 2020
17
Johnny Beecher
Sophomore
F
6' 3" (1.91 m)
209 lb (95 kg)
2001-04-05
Elmira, New York
USNTDP (USHL )
BOS , 31st overall 2019
19
Brendan Brisson
Freshman
F
6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2001-10-22
Manhattan Beach, California
Chicago (USHL )
VGK , 29th overall 2020
20
Keaton Pehrson
Sophomore
D
6' 2" (1.88 m)
194 lb (88 kg)
1998-12-10
Lakeville, Minnesota
Tri-City (USHL )
—
21
Michael Pastujov
Senior
F
6' 0" (1.83 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1999-08-23
Bradenton, Florida
USNTDP (USHL )
—
22
Owen Power
Freshman
D
6' 5" (1.96 m)
214 lb (97 kg)
2002-11-22
Mississauga, Ontario
Chicago (USHL )
—
23
Jimmy Lambert (A )
Junior
F
6' 0" (1.83 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1997-02-09
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Vernon (BCHL )
—
24
Steve Holtz
Freshman
D
6' 4" (1.93 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1999-04-02
White Lake, Michigan
Penticton (BCHL )
—
25
Luke Morgan
Senior
F
5' 11" (1.8 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1997-08-28
Brighton, Michigan
Lake Superior State (WCHA )
—
26
Philippe Lapointe
Freshman
F
5' 11" (1.8 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2000-02-29
Novi, Michigan
Trail (BCHL )
—
27
Nolan Moyle
Junior
F
6' 2" (1.88 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1999-09-13
Briarcliff Manor, New York
Green Bay (USHL )
—
31
Strauss Mann (C )
Junior
G
6' 0" (1.83 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1998-08-18
Greenwich, Connecticut
Fargo (USHL )
—
34
Thomas Bordeleau
Freshman
F
5' 9" (1.75 m)
179 lb (81 kg)
2002-01-03
Terrebonne, Quebec
USNTDP (USHL )
SJS , 38th overall 2020
37
Jack Leavy
Junior
G
6' 5" (1.96 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
1997-09-19
Birmingham, Michigan
Johnstown (NAHL )
—
51
Garrett Van Wyhe
Junior
F
6' 2" (1.88 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1997-04-30
Seattle, Washington
Fargo (USHL )
—
52
Josh Groll
Freshman
F
5' 10" (1.78 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
2001-08-09
San Diego, California
Lincoln (USHL )
—
55
Jake Gingell
Junior
D
6' 0" (1.83 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
1997-02-11
Dexter, Michigan
Youngstown (USHL )
—
71
Nick Granowicz
Sophomore
F
6' 1" (1.85 m)
174 lb (79 kg)
1998-03-28
Macomb, Michigan
Merritt (BCHL )
—
90
Jay Keranen
Sophomore
D
5' 11" (1.8 m)
183 lb (83 kg)
1998-05-08
Brighton, Michigan
Prince George (BCHL )
—
Coaching staff
Standings
Conference record
Overall record
GP
W
L
T
OTW
OTL
3/SW
PTS
PT%
GF
GA
GP
W
L
T
GF
GA
#8 Wisconsin †
24
17
6
1
1
1
0
52
.722
92
52
31
20
10
1
118
80
#7 Minnesota *
22
16
6
0
0
0
0
48
.727
69
44
31
24
7
0
117
64
#9 Michigan
20
11
9
0
1
0
0
32
.550
69
45
26
15
10
1
91
51
#17 Notre Dame
24
12
10
2
1
2
2
41
.542
65
53
29
14
13
2
84
78
Penn State
18
7
11
0
2
1
0
20
.389
48
68
22
10
12
0
65
81
Ohio State
22
6
16
0
0
2
0
20
.273
39
82
27
7
19
1
53
101
Michigan State
22
5
16
1
2
0
0
15
.250
32
70
27
7
18
2
40
77
Championship : March 16, 2021 † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll
Schedule and results
Date
Time
Opponent#
Rank#
Site
TV
Decision
Result
Attendance
Record
Regular season
November 14
3:00 PM
#15 Arizona State *
#12
Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI
BTN+
Mann
W 8–1
80
1–0
November 15
7:00 PM
#15 Arizona State*
#12
Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI
BTN
Mann
W 3–0
72
2–0
November 19
6:00 PM
at #14 Wisconsin
#6
Kohl Center • Madison, WI
FSD
Mann
W 5–2
0
3–0 (1–0)
November 20
6:00 PM
at #14 Wisconsin
#6
Kohl Center • Madison, WI
FSD
Mann
W 2–1 OT
0
4–0 (2–0)
November 27
7:00 PM
Notre Dame
#4
Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI (Rivalry )
BTN+
Mann
L 2–3
0
4–1 (2–1)
November 28
7:00 PM
Notre Dame
#4
Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI (Rivalry)
BTN+
Mann
L 1–2
0
4–2 (2–2)
December 2
6:00 PM
at Penn State
#7
Pegula Ice Arena • State College, PA
Mann
W 3–1
153
5–2 (3–2)
December 3
6:00 PM
at Penn State
#7
Pegula Ice Arena • State College, PA
BTN+
Mann
L 5–9
166
5–3 (3–3)
December 8
8:00 PM
#4 Minnesota
#5
Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI (Rivalry )
BTN
Mann
L 1–3
0
5–4 (3–4)
December 9
6:30 PM
#4 Minnesota
#5
Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI (Rivalry)
BTN
Mann
L 0–4
0
5–5 (3–5)
January 8
7:00 PM
Michigan State
#8
Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI (Rivalry )
BTN+
Mann
W 9–0
80
6–5 (4–5)
January 9
4:30 PM
at Michigan State
#8
Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI (Rivalry)
Mann
L 2–3
100
6–6 (4–6)
January 15
7:00 PM
Ohio State
#9
Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI
BTN+
Portillo
W 4–2
69
7–6 (5–6)
January 16
7:00 PM
Ohio State
#9
Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI
BTN
Mann
W 5–0
70
8–6 (6–6)
January 21
6:30 PM
at #16 Notre Dame
#8
Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN (Rivalry)
Portillo
W 5–1
136
9–6 (7–6)
January 22
6:30 PM
at #16 Notre Dame
#8
Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN (Rivalry)
NBCSN
Mann
W 3–1
138
10–6 (8–6)
February 3
7:00 PM
Penn State
#7
Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI
–
February 4
7:00 PM
Penn State
#7
Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI
–
February 9
7:00 PM
Michigan State
#8
Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI (Rivalry)
–
February 13
2:00 PM
#7 Wisconsin
#8
Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI
BTN
Portillo
W 5–1
93
11–6 (9–6)
February 14
5:00 PM
#7 Wisconsin
#8
Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI
BTN+
Mann
L 2–3
98
11–7 (9–7)
February 19
5:30 PM
at Ohio State
#7
Value City Arena • Columbus, OH
BTN+
Portillo
L 2–3
0
11–8 (9–8)
February 20
5:30 PM
at Ohio State
#7
Value City Arena • Columbus, OH
BTN+
Mann
W 6–0
0
12–8 (10–8)
February 26
7:00 PM
Arizona State
#7
Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI
BTN+
Portillo
W 4–1
61
13–8 (10–8)
February 27
7:00 PM
Arizona State
#7
Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI
BTN+
Mann
T 1–1
71
13–8–1 (10–8)
March 5
8:00 PM
at #3 Minnesota
#7
3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Rivalry)
FSD
Mann
W 5–2
0
14–8–1 (11–8)
March 6
5:00 PM
at #3 Minnesota
#7
3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Rivalry)
BTN
Mann
L 2–4
0
14–9–1 (11–9)
March 10
TBA
at Michigan State
Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI (Rivalry)
Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic [6]
Big Ten Tournament
March 14
8:30 PM
vs. Ohio State
#6
Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, IN (Quarterfinals)
BTN
Mann
W 4–0
119
15–9–1
March 15
8:30 PM
vs. #4 Minnesota
#7
Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, IN (Semifinals)
BTN
Mann
L 2–3 OT
123
15–10–1
NCAA Tournament
March 26
4:00 PM
vs. #9 Minnesota Duluth
#8
Scheels Arena • Fargo, ND (Regional semifinals)
ESPNU
Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols [7]
*Non-conference game. # Rankings from USCHO.com Poll . All times are in Eastern Time . Source:[8] [9]
Rankings
Poll
Week
Pre
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21 (Final)
USCHO.com
12
6
4
7
5
6
7
8
9
9
8
7
7
8
7
7
7
6
7
8
—
9
USA Today
12
6
3
7
5
6
7
8
9
10
9
7
7
8
6
7
7
7
6
8
9
9
USCHO did not release a poll in week 20. [10]
Awards and honors
Players drafted into the NHL
Michigan had four players selected in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft . Brendan Brisson was drafted in the first-round, becoming the 25th first-round NHL Draft selection for Michigan, which leads all NCAA teams.[14] [15] Michigan had three players drafted in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft . Owen Power became the first Wolverine to be drafted first overall.[16]
References
^ "Big Ten Statement on Competitions, Recruiting" . Big Ten Conference . March 12, 2020. Archived from the original on March 14, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020 .
^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility" . CBS Sports . August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021 .
^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately" . NCAA . December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021 .
^ "Michigan Hockey Roster" . MGoBlue.com . CBS Interactive . Retrieved November 19, 2020 .
^ "Michigan Ice Hockey Coaches" . MGoBlue.com . CBS Interactive . Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2020 .
^ McNeil, Kristy (March 5, 2021). "Michigan and Michigan State Cancel March 10 Ice Hockey Game" . MGoBlue.com . CBS Interactive . Retrieved March 5, 2021 .
^ Svoboda, Kurt (March 26, 2021). "U-M Removed from NCAA Ice Hockey Tournament Due to COVID Protocols" . MGoBlue.com . CBS Interactive . Retrieved March 26, 2021 .
^ "2020-21 Ice Hockey Schedule" . MGoBlue.com . CBS Interactive . Retrieved November 19, 2020 .
^ "Big Ten Announces First Phase of Michigan 2020-21 Ice Hockey Schedule" . MGoBlue.com . CBS Interactive . November 5, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020 .
^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll" . USCHO.com . Retrieved November 26, 2019 .
^ "Michigan freshman Thomas Bordeleau selected 2020-21 Tim Taylor Award winner as national rookie of the year" . USCHO.com . April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021 .
^ "Boston College, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin lead way with three All-American college hockey players apiece for '20-21 season" . USCHO.com . April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021 .
^ a b c d e "Hockey Postseason Honors Announced" . Big Ten . March 16, 2021. Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021 .
^ "Brisson Selected by Vegas Golden Knights in First Round of NHL Draft" . MGoBlue.com . CBS Interactive . October 6, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020 .
^ "Bordeleau, Truscott, Edwards Selected on Day 2 of NHL Draft" . MGoBlue.com . CBS Interactive . October 7, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020 .
^ McNeil, Kristy (July 23, 2021). "Power, Beniers Go First, Second in NHL Draft; Four of First Five Picks Wolverines" . MGoBlue.com . CBS Interactive . Retrieved July 24, 2021 .
External links