60 Days. 60 Teams. 600 Words (or Less): Western Michigan

Western Michigan

2018-19 Record: 21-15-5 (13-10-1, 3rd in NCHC)
Head Coach: Andy Murray, 9th Year
Top returning scorers: Josh Passolt (16G-18A) and Hugh McGing (16G-14A)
Top returning goaltender: Ben Blacker (Sr.)

Would any team raise a banner for being state Pairwise champs? I doubt it, however, Western Michigan could celebrate being the best team in Michigan last season. While Lake Superior State also has a claim to the title, the Broncos finished with the highest Pairwise, which is the only thing to go by since none of the seven Michigan schools made the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

Two of the three Ohio teams did. Three Minnesota schools were the top three overall seeds and Massachusetts had a Frozen Four school, but it was a complete shutout for the third "M" state.

Western Michigan, for much of 2018-19, was the state's best chance, an honor that could continue in 2019-20. The Broncos keep much of its core intact and avoided the early departures most teams in its position do.

What's New: More Andy Murray. While the NHL has opened its doors wider for NCAA coaches, the former LA Kings and St. Louis Blues head coach continues to stay in the college game. WMU and Murray agreed to a new deal that keeps him in Kalamazoo until 2023-24.

The Broncos also hope to get a healthy Wade Allison. After being derailed by two injury-filled seasons, he returns for his senior year. Allison, who had 8 goals in only 22 games, served as Western Michigan's bellwether for much of last season. When playing, the Broncos did not lose a game until February.

Murray's team also gets the reigning USHL Player of the Year, Ronnie Attard, on its blue line. The 6'4", 210 lbs Attard led all USHL defenders with a USHL single-season record 30 goals and 65 points in 48 games for Tri-City. Not surprisingly, Attard's season led to him being drafted in June as the Philadelphia Flyers selected him with the 72nd pick.

Closing Thoughts: Every team ends up being different no matter how little turnover ends up happening. However, even with that caveat, Western Michigan, just on the outside of the NCHC elite, on paper looks similar this season to the one who lost to CC in the NCHC quarterfinals. Besides Attard, the Broncos only have three other freshmen.

Western Michigan does need to replace Trevor Gorsuch, who became the starting goaltender and one of college hockey's underrated turnarounds last season, along with leading scorer Colt Conrad. Ben Blacker has plenty of experience in goal. Incoming freshman Brandon Bussi, just up the road in Muskegon, had the third-best save percentage in the USHL.

Adding Attard to a blue line that has another big underclassman in Mattias Samuelsson should be a boost. Keeping Allison and Hugh "S.A" McGing for their senior seasons can be beneficial to the offense, along with a repeat standout performance from Josh Passolt, who developed into a 16 goal scorer last season.

Murray getting players like Passolt and McGing to bloom and develop has been key to the Broncos' success in recent years. It's a good way right now to look at Western Michigan's play. Nothing to stand out and raise a banner over, but plenty to still celebrate if one so chooses. There's a group who can develop into an NCAA Tournament team to represent the Great Lakes State.

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