Moving On...

Next on my set of predictions are the two teams who rounded out the bottom half of the 06-07 WCHA standings - Wisconsin and Michigan Tech. My write-up on MTU is a bit longer, seeing as how I am a Tech fan, and so my knowledge about them is more concrete.

Wisconsin

The Badgers are coming off of a down year, claiming 7^th place in the WCHA just one season after winning the 2006 National Championship.

One thing the Badgers can probably count on is goaltending. Brian Elliott is gone, but Shane Connelly looks ready to start after shutting out 3 opponents in the seven games he played last season.

Offensively, UW lost a fair bit of experience to graduation and an early departure. Senior forwards Andrew Joudrey, Jake Dowell, and Ross Carlson all graduated after 20+ point seasons last year, and sophomore Jack Skille departed for the pros. The good news for the Badger offense is that their incoming class contains the #3 overall pick of the NHL draft in Kyle Turris, as well as Josh Turnbull and Sean Dolan.

On the defensive side of the puck, Wisconsin lost three experienced defensemen, notably junior Joe Piskula who departed early for the pro ranks. The biggest incoming d-man will likely be Ryan McDonagh, although Brendan Smith was also taken in the first round back in June.

Overall, the Badgers are a pretty young team this season, and will probably start off a bit slow. However I would be surprised if they didn’t gather some steam as the year wears on, and by the end of the season I expect that they will be a team nobody wants to face during the league playoffs.

Prediction: Somewhere between 3^rd and 6^th in the league.

Michigan Tech

The Huskies are coming off of a surprising 06-07 campaign which saw them earn their first winning season in 15 years, and their first trip to the WCHA Final Five since 1996.

A strong point for Tech this season will be goaltending. Michael-Lee Teslak and Rob Nolan are both good goalies and they will enjoy a solid defense in front of them. They will be competing for playing time, and with some room at the top after the departures of Schneider, Curry, and Elliott, I wouldn’t be surprised to see at least one of them sitting among the country’s Top 5 netminders for most of the season.

Some people have argued that their season save percentages (91.6% for Teslak, 91.0% for Nolan) are merely average. Keep in mind that Tech suffered a mid-season slump, because if you look at the second half of the season (when Teslak emerged as the starter and Tech made their run), beginning with the Friday game against Bemidji up until the loss to Wisconsin at the Final Five (13 starts), Teslak posted a 93.03% SV. He also posted four shutouts on the season (two in the second half); I don’t consider those average stats. Having watched both of them in action many times, when either one of them is playing well, he is tough to beat.

On offense, MTU needed a shot in the arm, which was painfully obvious after so many one-goal losses and narrow victories last season. Key returning players will be last year’s top two point-getters Peter Rouleau (7-23-30) and Tyler Shelast (15-9-24). Jamie Russell and his crew of assistants seemed to have recruited an excellent class which included third-round draftee Casey Pierro-Zabotel (‘CPZ’ for short). Unfortunately, CPZ was unable to qualify academically on his first try (although Russell reports that he was very, very close), so he will continue to play with Merritt of the BCHL until he can retake his exams in October, and hopefully join the Huskies in December, in time for the series against Northern Michigan.

Until then, MTU can still look forward to Eric Kattelus, who racked up 39 points with Indiana of the USHL last season and was second on his team in PPG (an area in which Tech really needs improvement). There is also Bennett Royer, who led the Calgary Canucks of the AJHL with 76 points (including 18 PPG), and averaged almost 1.5 points per game. Finally, there is Jordan Baker, who was second in scoring for the Olds Grizzlies of the AJHL, with 50 points (including 20 PPG). Jordan sustained a shoulder injury later in the season and missed the team’s last 15 or so games, but should be healed in time for the start of practices at Tech.

Defensively, the Huskies lost senior Lars Helminen to graduation. While Lars was an important part of the team and his leadership will be missed, the rest of the defensive core remains, which will go a long way towards sustaining the performance Tech showed in the second half of last season. The Huskies have just one incoming defenseman, but Deron Cousens is expected to perform well as an offensive d-man after compiling 51 points last season with Penticton of the BCHL, including 9 PPG and 2 shorties. Hopefully, he can help fill Lars’ shoes down the line.

Tech will be looking for home ice this year after narrowly missing it last season, and I anticipate that we will get it by a hair. As for making the NCAA tourney, it’s too early to say for certain whether or not it will happen. How will the defensemen fare without Lars to lead them? How much grit will the team show without Batty to fire them up? Can any upperclassmen step in and fill their shoes this year? Can Teslak and/or Nolan play for a whole season like they did at their peaks last year? The answers to these questions will likely determine how far Tech goes this season.

Prediction: Somewhere between 4^th and 7^th in the league.