We have a roster.
We have captains.
While there is still some uncertainty (even if only in my sometimes-negative mind) as to exactly what the 2021-22 season will look like, the season is definitely approaching. And I hope all the UMD fans out there are getting excited. I know I am. Little things like the roster and captain announcements are certainly a big part of that excitement.
After taking last year off because of all the uncertainty heading into it, our annual — oft-futile — exercise where your humble correspondent tries to project what the lines and defensive pairings will look like on Opening Night has returned.
I’ve come really close a couple times, but usually these are more wrong than right. Why? Because I don’t solicit the opinions of those in the know before I put it together. To me, this bit has always been more about having fun and getting excited for the season than it is trying to out-smart everyone.
So here’s my swing at how the Bulldogs will line up Oct. 8 in Bemidji. Again, this is strictly my opinion based on a few factors that swing through my head, and it’s for fun only. Please don’t place wagers with your friends on this, because I won’t feel bad when you lose.
Forwards
Noah Cates – Casey Gilling – Koby Bender
Kobe Roth – Jesse Jacques – Tanner Laderoute
Quinn Olson – Kyler Kleven – Luke Loheit
Jarrett Lee – Ben Almquist – Blake Biondi
Luky Mylymok – Dominic James – Carter Loney
If I were ever going to agonize over a depth chart that’s largely for entertainment purposes only, this would be the one. I really like UMD’s depth up the middle, because Biondi, Loheit, and Almquist all have experience at the position coming back. But is it where they’re the best fit for this team? It seems like a longshot for Scott Sandelin and staff to go with someone who lacks experience at center over players who have it, even if it’s the bottom six. That said, I think this is a year where we could see it. There will be a lot of competition, and I think it’s a season where we see a ton of different combinations along the way, before the coaching staff settles in on what it likes and doesn’t like.
I believe Cates returns to wing, the uber-experienced Gilling gets the first shot at centering the top line, and these top two lines are basically 1A and 1B at the outset. Loheit is a proven penalty killer who has more skill than he gets credit for (especially good shot), Biondi can score but had his struggles as a freshman (I expect him to take quite a step as this season goes on), and I thought Olson struggled a bit last year, but was also the victim of some bad luck (it felt like the poor guy hit more goalposts than a Vikings kicker).
There aren’t necessarily any “blue chip” guys coming in up front, but there should be a lot of competition for playing time with 15 total forwards and some hungry freshmen.
If you’re wondering about the special teams units, there’s plenty of skill to build the power play with, and guys like Loheit, Laderoute, Cates, Bender, and Gilling can kill penalties. While he might not need to worry as much about COVID absences this season, Sandelin is still a safe bet to try a lot of different looks on special teams so no one is getting overloaded with too much ice time when you have the inevitable game with 20 combined PPs or something dumb like that.
Defensemen
Wyatt Kaiser – Louie Roehl
Matt Anderson – Connor Kelley
Owen Gallatin – Darian Gotz
Jake Rosenbaum – Hunter Lellig
Will Francis*
(* – Francis, who has battled leukemia, is on the roster. I don’t have a great sense of whether he will be able to play much, but he’s out of junior eligiblity, and he’s been skating. He played in Da Beauty League this summer.)
Lots of status quo here. Kelley was getting consistent top-four minutes, and I look for both he and Kaiser to take a huge step this season. Not sure that any individual players’ improvement will be more fun to track, actually. Roehl and Anderson are great veterans for this group. Gallatin has promise, and I promise you he isn’t coming in here to sit a bunch.
Seems to me that Kaiser and Kelley are mortal locks to be the main power play guys, but stranger things have happened.
If Francis is able to play at any point, he could be a huge wild card. This isn’t the biggest defensive corps in the NCHC, and a healthy Francis could be a huge contributor because of his size (6-5, over 200 pounds).
Also, Francis, Lellig, and Rosenbaum are all right shots, so UMD has six right-shot guys back here out of nine. They’ve been even heavier to the left in recent years, and it worked out just fine and dandy. Sandelin has repeatedly said he likes putting guys on their off-side for a multitude of reasons, so don’t be shocked if we see right-handed guys on the left side for shifts or even full games.
Goalies
Zach Stejskal – Ryan Fanti – Ben Patt
Stejskal getting the start in that regional final against North Dakota sticks in my mind and makes me think that he’s (even if only slightly) ahead of Fanti. That leads me to think he will get the nod when the season opens.
That said, I think Fanti starts the next night, and I think — unless one of them plays really well, like Fanti did in the pod last December — we’ll see a pretty healthy rotation between the two.
Stejskal’s numbers were better last season, yes, but the sample was also smaller. Stejskal made nine appearances and totaled around 622 minutes. Fanti logged 1170 minutes over 20 games. The reality is he (Fanti – pronouns, pal) played well enough that he doesn’t deserve to be stapled to the bench, provided everything remains similar to how it was when the season ended.
This is one of the more intriguing teams UMD has fielded in some time. It’s absolutely loaded with experience, something it overcame a relative lack of just last season. I sense some hunger in the conversations I’ve had with coaches, and there’s enough grizzled veteran leadership that I think that hunger will translate to the locker room very nicely.
We’re approaching six weeks to the opener. Hit me up on Twitter @BruceCiskie to talk about what you see here. I know summer is awesome (I’ve quite enjoyed mine, thankyouverymuch), but it’s okay to be pumped about hockey season while you bask in what’s left of the warm weather.
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