Game Story: #3 Minnesota upset by Merrimack 4-3 to open year

MINNEAPOLIS- Two goals 16 seconds apart, coming in the final minute of a period, normally has been enough for Minnesota to pull away from its competition at home.

Normally. As Merrimack reminded the Gophers Friday night, it's a new year. The past doesn't mean anything.

Hosting Merrimack to open the 2017-18 season, Minnesota allowed the Warriors to score three times in a six minute stretch of play to erase a 3-1 lead. Lea-Kristine Demers made a career-high 54 saves as Merrimack (2-0-0) defeated the #3 Gophers 4-3 at Ridder Arena.

"They defended really well, blocked a lot of shots and kept things to the outside. Their goalie played really well, but didn't really give up any second chances," Minnesota head coach Brad Frost said. "I don't think we had one odd-man rush, a two-on-one, three-on-two breakaway. On the flip side, they had a couple two-on-ones and a couple breakaways. We didn't defend as well as they did and the puck ends up in the net."

Early Departure Rankings

Each season seniors depart college while freshmen arrive to take their place. Occasionally players leave college with eligiblity remaining for professional hockey, which can have a major effect on the upcoming season.

So with that in mind, and preseason rankings being a thing, I figured to combine the two by going in a different direction.

I'm ranking the 12 teams in Minnesota's sphere - 7 Big Ten schools (yes there are 7 teams now), the 4 Minnesota schools besides the Gophers, and North Dakota - on both the number of early departures and what effect it has on the team. The earlier one left, the more it counts.

Plus it's a good way to remember with the season starting up next week who left early.

John Hamre, Andy Kent round out Minnesota staff

Minnesota completed its staff just in time for the season to begin.

The team announced Monday (September 25, 2017) the additions of John Hamre and Andy Kent to the men's hockey coaching staff.

Hamre, a three-time graduate of the University of Minnesota, becomes the third Director of Operations in as many seasons. He takes over the role vacated by Ben Gordon, who left to take a job as Chicago Steel (USHL) Associate Coach. Hamre served as Wisconsin's Director of Operations during Mike Eaves' final season (2015-16). His 25+ year coaching career began as Minnesota graduate assistant coach back in 1991.

Kent is no stranger to Minnesota, being the volunteer goaltending coach for the Gopher women's team over the past six seasons. He will continue to coach both teams. In his other role, Kent helped develop Noora Raty, Amanda Leveille and Sidney Peters en route to four national championships. Usually he's the first one out there on the ice, working with the team's goalies. Prior to coaching, Kent was a goaltender at Augsburg from 2005-2009.

Kent replaces Justin Johnson, who has been the Minnesota men's team volunteer goalie coach the past eight seasons.

The Gophers begin play Sunday (October 1) with a home exhibition game against Alberta.

Full list of Minnesota coaching changes

Out:
-Grant Potulny, Assistant Coach (left for Northern Michigan head coach job)
-Corey Millen, Undergraduate Assistant (now Air Force Director of Operations)
-Ben Gordon, Director of Operations (now Chicago Steel Associate Coach)
-Justin Johnson, Volunteer Goaltending Coach

In:
-Scott Bell, Assistant Coach
-John Hamre, Director of Operations
-Andy Kent, Volunteer Goaltending Coach

Remain from 2016-17:
-Don Lucia, Head Coach
-Mike Guentzel, Associate Head Coach

Pohl Talk: Gophers ranked 3rd to open USCHO poll

Like the women's team last week, the Minnesota men open the USCHO preseason poll ranked 3rd.

The Gophers are joined by four Big Ten teams in the top 20. New member Notre Dame is eighth, Penn State tenth, Wisconsin 12th, and Ohio State is 19th. All except the Badgers made the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

Of the other Minnesota schools, three are in the top 20 while the fourth, Bemidji State, receives votes. UMD is sixth, St. Cloud State is ninth and Minnesota State, picked to win the WCHA, is 18th.

Obviously, the 50 voters seem to be high on Minnesota, moving the Gophers up from 7th in the final poll last season. There are things to be excited about with the team.

At the same time, it seems like Minnesota moves up in the preseason every year regardless.

BLOG: All-American Prospects Game Thursday for four Minnesota commits

While I mentioned this last month when the players were announced, it makes sense with the game date quickly approaching tomorrow (September 21, 2017) to bring this up again.

The sixth annual All-American Prospects Game in Buffalo features
four Minnesota verbal commits among the 42 American 2018 NHL Draft-eligible players participating. Forwards Jack Jensen (Eden Prairie, MN), Blake McLaughlin (Grand Rapids MN), Jaxon Nelson (Magnolia, MN/Sioux Falls - USHL) and Colin Schmidt (Maple Griove, MN/Wayzata HS) will get a chance to showcase their skills in front of NHL scouts and try to follow in 2016 AAPG MVP Casey Mittelstadt's footsteps.

The two teams are coached by Hall of Famers Chris Chelios and Brian Leetch. Jensen is with Chelios while the other three are on Team Leetch.

Unfortuantely, the game is not televised by NHL Network like it has in past years and can only be seen on MyHockeyTV.com http://www.allamericanprospectsgame.com/.

Puck drop is at 6 pm CT.

BLOG: Six snubs from today's Big Ten Preseason Watch List

Several thoughts came to mind when seeing today's Preseason Watch List.

First, the future of the Big Ten is bright. There's a lot of good, young new talent in the conference and it shows. 8 of the 17 players named are either freshmen or sophomores while 4 more did not play in the Big Ten last season. Of Minnesota's 4, 3 are underclassmen. So are all 3 of Michigan's representatives.

Second, I want to know which coach(es) left Ohio State's Mason Jobst off their ballot. The junior forward was the leading scorer in Big Ten conference games and one of the returning players along with Sheehy and Frederic, the two unanimous choices. You can even make an argument Jobst deserved to win the B1G Player of the Year Award.

And third? While the media doesn't make its own, I figure there are enough returning players left off the coaches' watch list that could deserve a look to where I can fill an entire team of snubs.

So let's give it a shot. Introducting your 2017-18 Preseason All-Big Ten Watch List Snub Team.

Tyler Sheehy 1 of 2 unanimous picks on Big Ten Preseason Watch List

Gopher junior captain Tyler Sheehy is one of two players chosen by all seven Big Ten coaches on the annual preseason watch list.

The reigning Big Ten Player of the Year was joined by three teammates on the watch list. Minnesota, meanwhile, was picked to five-peat in the conference by winning its seventh consecutive regular season title dating back to 2011-2012.

Joined by Wisconsin sophomore forward Trent Frederic as a unanimous selection, Sheehy's 53 points as a sophomore (20G-33A) were the most by any Minnesota player since Ryan Potulny in 2005-2006.

In addition to Sheehy, freshman forward Casey Mittelstadt, sophomore defenseman Ryan Lindgren and sophomore forward Rem Pitlick were among the 17 players named to the preseason watch list. Mittelstadt, one of three freshmen named, comes in as the 8th overall draft pick in June's NHL Draft. Lindgren was one of the top young defenders in the conference last year before his season was cut short due to injury and Pitlick finished strong, scoring 11 goals over the final two months of the season while playing on a line with Sheehy

Don Lucia's team picked to finish first in the conference in preseason marks the second consecutive year the Gophers were chosen to win and third time in the five seasons Big Ten has sponsored men's hockey.

Newomer Notre Dame was chosen second coming off of a season where the Fighting Irish made the Frozen Four. Wisconsin is third followed by the team who dashed the Badgers' NCAA hopes, Penn State. Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State round out the list.

Preseason Watch List

Quinn Hughes, D, Michigan
Will Lockwood, F, Michigan
Josh Norris, F, Michigan
Ryan Lindgren, D, Minnesota
Casey Mittelstadt, F, Minnesota
Rem Pitlick, F, Minnesota
Tyler Sheehy, F, Minnesota***
Jake Evans, F, Notre Dame
Jordan Gross, D, Notre Dame
Andrew Oglevie, F, Notre Dame
Mason Jobst, F, Ohio State
Matthew Weis, F, Ohio State
Peyton Jones, G, Penn State
Denis Smirnov, F, Penn State
Trent Frederic, F, Wisconsin***
Kyle Hayton, G, Wisconsin
Cameron Hughes, F, Wisconsin
***Unanimous Selection

Coaches Poll

1. Minnesota
2. Notre Dame
3. Wisconsin
4. Penn State
5. Ohio State
6. Michigan
7. Michigan State

BLOG: Minnesota's January 6th game broadcast on CBS Sports Network

One Gopher game this season will get the "Big Show" CBS Sports Network treatment.

Minnesota's road contest against St. Cloud State on January 6th is among 14 NCHC second-half games being broadcast nationally by CBS Sports Network. Coming the day after the World Juniors - where Huskies head coach Bob Motzko will try to lead Team USA to a second straight gold medal - Gophers-Huskies is both the lone non-conference contest and only regular season game broadcast by CBSSN on a Saturday.

CBS Sports Network is able to show it as part of the NCHC package because, with the game being in St. Cloud, SCSU controls TV rights.  This is usually why non-conference games with teams outside of the Upper Midwest go untelevised. Likewise, Minnesota will be able to decide when the two teams play in Minneapolis the following night.

In recent home-and-home series since the Huskies and Gophers joined separate conference in 2013-14, Fox Sports North broadcast with the home school's announcing team calling.

You can follow Nate on Facebook now

In a long overdue move, I've set up a professional page on Facebook.

You can like and follow at www.facebook.com/NateWellsWritesHockey/.

And if you aren't already following on Twitter, I'm there @gopherstate.

The Big Ten coaching carousel has been nuts this offseason

When the Gophers started practicing this week, half of last season's coaching staff was elsewhere.

The shake up is part of a series of moves that see both of last year's hires, Corey Millen and Ben Gordon, move on to other jobs. Millen's stint as an undergraduate assistant ended when he stopped being an undergraduate. Gordon, Director of Operations, went back to the USHL to coach.

And that doesn't include assistant coach Grant Potulny moving up in the coaching world by becoming the third head coach in Northern Michigan history.

Gordon's job remains to be filled, but only head coach Don Lucia, associate coach Mike Guentzel and volunteer goalie coach Justin Johnson are back from 2016-17. Newcomer Scott Bell fills in Potulny's role.

Based on the rest of the conference Minnesota's turnover fits right in the Big Ten.

WCHA coaches pick Minnesota to win conference; Grace Zumwinkle preseason rookie of the year

The preseason's opening poll gives a few nods to Minnesota.

By a single point, Minnesota was picked by the seven WCHA head coaches to win the conference. The Gophers ended up with 4 first-place votes and 34 points to two-time defending WCHA champion Wisconsin's 3 first-place votes and 33.

Coaches were unable to pick their own team.

Minnesota Duluth, which made the eight team NCAA Tournament last season along with Minnesota and Wisconsin, tied for third with Ohio State. Each had 23 points. Bemidji State, St. Cloud State and Minnesota State round out the preseason raknings.

BLOG: A Look At 2017-18 New Men's Players Numbers & More

Three weeks from Friday the Minnesota men will be kicking off 2017-18 against Minnesota Duluth.

So long summer. Hello hockey.

The previews and features will be ramping up, both here and with other outlets, the closer it gets to the Ice Breaker. To kick things off, however, I wanted to start with something simple before diving into the deep end. Introduce the new Gopher players. Point out their names, their numbers, their size and maybe find out which junior teams were off in their measurements.

I say new players, not freshmen, because goaltender Mat Robson is officially a sophomore (and sitting out half a year). Connor Hurley, who enrolled this fall at Minnesota to begin classes, is a senior. The size and numbers are below for all except Hurley, who is not included due to sitting out the year as a transfer.

Jake Braccini commits to Minnesota

Buffalo, MN native Jake Braccini has become the fourth person in a week to verbally commit to play men's hockey at Minnesota.

Proud to announce my commitment to play college hockey at the University of Minnesota. Thanks to everyone who's helped me get here #gophs 〽️

— Jake Braccini (@BracciniJake) September 5, 2017

The 2001-born forward had one of the top Bantam seasons among Minnesota players in his age group and attended the national Select 16 Camp in Amherst, NY this summer.

Listed at 5'11" 175 lbs, Braccini was the sixth overall pick in May's USHL Phase 1 Draft by the Bloomington Thunder (since re-named the Central Illinois Flying Aces). Adding Braccini means the Gophers have three verbal commits among the top 10 picks.

From Chris Dilks of SB Nation College Hockey:

Jacob Braccini-Buffalo HS-Braccini is a strong, athletic skater, with explosive quickness. If his hockey sense can match his physical abilities, he could be a home run pick.

(Full disclosure: I've also been a writer for SB Nation College Hockey.)

Braccini is expected to spend his sophomore year playing high school hockey for Buffalo. While most 16 year-olds do not play full-time in the USHL, Central Illinois did keep Braccini on its affiliate list for next season. (For that matter, fellow Minnesota commit Jake Boltmann also has his rights held by Central Illinois.) He is among those listed participating in the Minnesota HS Elite League this fall.

Recent Minnesota hockey commits:

-Chaz and Cruz Lucius (men's)
-Aaron Huglen (men's)
-Audrey Wethington - Blake (women's)
-Tella Jungels - Edina (women's)
-Jake Ratzlaff (men's)

Why Mat Robson will be sitting out the first half

New Minnesota sophomore goaltender Mathew Robson officially will sit out half of the season due to his time playing Canadian major juniors. He will have 2.5 years of eligibility.

Eric Vegoe of Gopher Puck Live was first to report. The Gopher Hockey Blog has confirmed.

Robson, who last season helped lead Penticton (BCHL) to the Canadian Junior A championship tournament, is ineligible for 18 games, but when the goaltender will be officially eligible to make his debut is not exactly clear at this time. He will either be eligible to play in the team's final series of the first half (December 8-9 at Ohio State), or the first series after Christmas (December 29-30 vs Army). (UPDATE: Confirmed Robson will be eligible at OSU.)

Notre Dame junior Connor Hurley transfers to Minnesota

Don Lucia's team will have a high-profile transfer coming in for the fourth consecutive season.

Forward Connor Hurley is enrolled at Minnesota after three years at Notre Dame, multiple sources tell The Gopher Hockey Blog. Additionally, the University of Minnesota officially announced Hurley would join the roster Tuesday (September 5, 2017). He will wear #25.

Unlike recent Wisconsin transfer Kyle Hayton, who can play in goal for the Badgers right away, Hurley is not a grad transfer. He will have to sit out 2017-18 before being eligible in 2018-19. Having Hurley eligible in 2018 helps a team that will lose Leon Bristedt and any early forward departures.

The Edina, MN native was the highest drafted Minnesotan in a 2013 draft that featured Jake Guentzel, Hudson Fasching and Jonny Brodzinski (all of whom have played NHL games). At the time his tremendous vision and playmaking abilities as a two-way player were heralded despite being the youngest player in his draft class.

Hurley, a 2nd round selection by the Buffalo Sabres (38th overall), did not play in the second half of his junior season. During the first half he was fourth among Notre Dame forwards in points per game (0.78 PPG). Hurley finishes with 48 points (14G-34A) in 98 games for the Fighting Irish.

The 6'2", 185 lbs Hurley returning home continues a recent trend. Tyler Nanne will suit up this season after transferring from Ohio State and sitting out 2016-17. Before Nanne, Mike Szmatula transferred from Northeastern in 2015. Nick Seeler (UNO) did the same in 2014.

All except Nanne, who will make his Minnesota debut as a sophomore, came in as upperclassmen.

Updated with Gophers officially announcing and jersey number.

BLOG: What is a verbal commit from a 13/14 year-old worth?

By the time yesterday's two young verbal commits play for the Gophers, if all goes to plan, none of the current players on the roster will be playing at the University of Minnesota.

And that's if all goes to plan. A half decade can be a lifetime when teenagers choose their college choice before choosing a high school. If history tells us anything, it's far easier for players taking the path that Chaz and Cruz Lucius did - committing at 13 and 14 - to go on another rather than stick with their original.

Without delving into the good, bad and ugly of recruiting itself (a subject for another day), or recruiting getting younger, I wanted to look at whether past early commitments by 13 and 14 year-olds panned out for players and teams. What is a verbal commitment worth? Do star players remain stars? How much do plans change?

The answer is complicated.