2020–21 Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey 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.

2020–21 Michigan Wolverines
men's ice hockey season
NCAA Tournament, Regional semifinals
ConferenceBig Ten
Home iceYost Ice Arena
Rankings
USCHO#9
USA Today#9
Record
Overall15–10–1
Conference11–9–0
Home7–5–1
Road7–4–0
Neutral1–1–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachMel Pearson
Captain(s)Jack Becker
Strauss Mann
Alternate captain(s)Nick Blankenburg
Jimmy Lambert
Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey seasons
« 2019–20 2021–22 »

Previous season

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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

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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

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Player Position Nationality Cause
Jacob Hayhurst Forward   Canada Graduation (signed with Greenville Swamp Rabbits)
Hayden Lavigne Goaltender   Canada Graduation (signed with Birmingham Bulls)
Will Lockwood Forward   United States Graduation (signed with Vancouver Canucks)
Griffin Luce Defenseman   United States Graduation (signed with Rapid City Rush)
Luke Martin Defenseman   United States Graduation (signed with Greenville Swamp Rabbits)
Emil Öhrvall Forward   Sweden Transferred to Sacred Heart
Jack Olmstead Forward   United States Transferred to Miami
Nick Pastujov Forward   United States Graduation (signed with Kansas City Mavericks)
Jake Slaker Forward   United States Graduation (signed with Greenville Swamp Rabbits)
Shane Switzer Defenseman   United States Graduation (signed with Tulsa Oilers)
Adam Winborg Forward   Sweden Graduation (signed with Segeltorps IF)

Recruiting

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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

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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

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Name Position coached Seasons at
Michigan
Mel Pearson Head Coach 4th
Bill Muckalt Associate head coach 4th
Kris Mayotte Assistant Coach 2nd
Matt Hunwick Volunteer Assistant Coach 2nd
Steve Shields Program Assistant 3rd
Rick Bancroft Director of Hockey Operations 3rd
Joe Maher Head Strength and Conditioning Coach 8th
Reference:[5]

Standings

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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

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Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Regular season
November 14 3:00 PM #15 Arizona State* #12 Yost Ice ArenaAnn 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 CenterMadison, 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 ArenaState 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 ArenaEast 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 StadiumNotre 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 ArenaColumbus, 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 MariucciMinneapolis, 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 ArenaFargo, 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

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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

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Player Award Ref
Thomas Bordeleau Tim Taylor Award [11]
Cameron York AHCA West First Team All-American [12]
Cameron York Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year [13]
Thomas Bordeleau Big Ten Freshman of the Year [13]
Cameron York Big Ten First Team [13]
Thomas Bordeleau Big Ten Second Team [13]
Strauss Mann
Owen Power
Matty Beniers Big Ten Freshman Team [13]
Thomas Bordeleau
Kent Johnson
Owen Power

Players drafted into the NHL

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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]

Year Round Pick Player NHL team
2021 1 1 Owen Power Buffalo Sabres
2021 1 2 Matty Beniers Seattle Kraken
2021 1 5 Kent Johnson Columbus Blue Jackets
2020 1 29 Brendan Brisson Vegas Golden Knights
2020 2 38 Thomas Bordeleau San Jose Sharks
2020 4 120 Ethan Edwards New Jersey Devils
2020 5 144 Jacob Truscott Vancouver Canucks

References

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  1. ^ "Big Ten Statement on Competitions, Recruiting". Big Ten Conference. March 12, 2020. Archived from the original on March 14, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  2. ^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  3. ^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  4. ^ "Michigan Hockey Roster". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  5. ^ "Michigan Ice Hockey Coaches". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  6. ^ McNeil, Kristy (March 5, 2021). "Michigan and Michigan State Cancel March 10 Ice Hockey Game". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "2020-21 Ice Hockey Schedule". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  9. ^ "Big Ten Announces First Phase of Michigan 2020-21 Ice Hockey Schedule". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. November 5, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  10. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "Brisson Selected by Vegas Golden Knights in First Round of NHL Draft". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. October 6, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  15. ^ "Bordeleau, Truscott, Edwards Selected on Day 2 of NHL Draft". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. October 7, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  16. ^ 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.
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