Player development central to Michigan’s early-season focus

Just two weekends into the season, the No. 10 Michigan hockey team has seen several game-breaking moments. A last minute collapse, undisciplined penalties and a struggle to protect graduate goaltender Logan Stein have been three storylines that have affected the Wolverines’ performance. In part due to these shortcomings, Michigan’s 2-1-1 start hasn’t been what it hoped it would be.

But each struggle carries a teaching moment. 

Take Saturday’s game against Arizona State, when the Wolverines lost a two-goal lead in the final minutes. After taking an offensive zone penalty — its fifth of the game — Michigan failed to protect its lead by allowing the Sun Devils to play a man up. And when the Wolverines went back to the locker room after the 3-3 tie, it was clear they knew those undisciplined failures can’t be repeated.

“We had guys own up to their stuff and take accountability for it,” graduate forward Philippe Lapointe said Saturday. “Move on, learn from it and make sure it never happens again, because that’s not what we do here, and that can’t happen.”

Just taking the isolated lessons learned on the ice isn’t going to be enough to move past the errors that have halted Michigan in its place so far — it’ll take an entire team effort. If taking five penalties in one game was enough to stifle Michigan’s performance against Arizona State, it’ll be enough to do the same — or more — against opponents in the star-studded Big Ten.

“(There’s) big learning moments,” Wolverines coach Brandon Naurato said Tuesday. “Same thing I said after the game, taking an offensive zone penalty on the power play. Our (penalty kill) has been really good, but when you take that many penalties, it’s hard to continue to kill. Just like a power play, you keep giving them opportunities there, eventually they’re going to score.”

Like Naurato has preached, it takes time to build a cohesive unit. More than just the instruction, it takes players ready and willing to grow on the ice. And for some, that process is slower than others.

“The quicker you learn, the more we can give you, the more you’ll grow,” Naurato said. “It’s just like anything academically. Learning how to learn is massive. So if you can listen, and if you want to be coached or learn, … it’s just a big deal. … That’s why you need a healthy balance of young guys that are quick learners and older guys to show them the ropes.”

The Wolverines have that balance. With seven freshmen — including budding star forward Michael Hage — looking up to veteran locker room leaders like junior forward T.J. Hughes, Naurato’s roster construction vision is there. But what Michigan doesn’t have is a finalized product, and it’ll take new faces stepping up to get it there.

“Eight of 10 guys are new on the power play, and I want it to be the best in the country yesterday,” Naurato said. “It takes time. It took time with all those guys who just left. That’s what’s frustrating in a funny way, is (that) you get them there and (then) they’re gone.”

Naurato isn’t going to rest on last year’s laurels — he knows development is central to the process. He’s done it before, working last year’s squad from a floundering team to the Frozen Four.

At the end of the day, the Wolverines know they need to grow because their faults have been exposed this season. Simple mistakes have been the difference between a win, loss or tie, holding Michigan’s record back.

They know those mistakes are no excuse for complacency, because the Wolverines need to build upon the lessons they’ve already learned.

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