Michigan is a new team, but its expectations remain the same

After a successful season that culminated in a Frozen Four run, the No. 7 Michigan hockey team faced an offseason chock full of change. 

It brought in 12 new players, including top freshmen and transfers, but it also took big hits such as the late and unexpected departure of its star forward Rutger McGroarty. Despite all of the changes in the locker room, the Wolverines’ goal is still the same: to win.

“Most importantly, I just want to win,” graduate defenseman Jacob Truscott said. “I want to win a national championship here.

While yes, the ultimate goal of every team in every sport is to win a national championship, it’s a tall order even for the best of the best. So for Michigan, which lost a whopping 11 players this offseason, it means finding answers — and quickly. 

Bringing in a plethora of new faces, seven freshmen and five transfers to be exact, there are plenty of options to go around for the Wolverines. Whether it’s the Montreal Canadiens’ first round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, freshman forward Michael Hage, or the grizzled graduate transfer defenseman Tim Lovell, there’s an abundance of new talent to mesh with the Wolverines’ returners. But it’ll take time for Michigan to find its footing and coordinate chemistry-filled lines, so it’s all hands on deck in Ann Arbor.

“We don’t expect to be perfect for day one,” Wolverines coach Brandon Naurato said. “But (we’re) just really excited to see where we’re at and playing a good team in (Minnesota State) the first week. And it doesn’t get any easier. We’ve got a tough, tough schedule with the Big Ten and nonconference, so we should be battle tested for sure.”

That tough schedule is certainly not one to be overlooked, especially in one of the strongest conferences in the country. So, as Michigan works to perfect its offensive system, it can’t overlook the challenges it could face defensively. With a battle for the starting goaltending job, it’ll be on the Wolverines’ new defensive pairings — that are healing from the loss of half their top-six defensemen — to gel quickly if they want to reach the mountaintop for the first time since 1998.

With a season ahead full of hungry opponents that have the same championship aspirations, it’s a tall task for Michigan. But if you ask Truscott, he’ll tell you the Wolverines are up to the challenge.

“That’s the expectation here,” Truscott said about winning national championships. “It’s a historic program with a lot of national championships. So that’s the standard here. And I think just letting those new guys know early on that we expect that and (do) what we got to do to reach that goal. So, I mean, we haven’t got it done in the past three years. And I think this is a good opportunity for us to get it done and instill that into their brains.”

For a team that’s faced many obstacles this past offseason, Michigan seems to be optimistic about its altered roster.

And regardless of what’s put in front of the Wolverines, they aren’t going to shy away from any challenge. They’ve said it themselves, and they’ll look to carry that mentality all season long. Because for Michigan, winning is the expectation, regardless of the team’s offseason turnover.

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