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Thursday, July 13, 2017
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS

Thirteen Wolverines 
attend NHL camps

From June 25 to July 12, 13 

members of the Michigan hockey 
team attended 11 different NHL 
Development Camps.

The 
camps 
are 
typically 

week-long 
events 
intended 

to simulate an actual NHL 
training camp for prospects, 
allowing them to gain valuable 
experience 
for 
a 
potential 

professional 
career 
in 
the 

future.

Defenseman 
Luke 

Martin and goaltender Jack 
LaFontaine both participated 
in the Carolina Hurricanes’ 
development 
camp. 
Martin, 

drafted 52nd overall by the 
Hurricanes in this year’s NHL 
Draft, led the Wolverines last 
season with 76 blocked shots 
and 
a 
plus-2 
rating 
while 

appearing in all 35 games as a 
freshman. 

LaFontaine, also a freshman 

last season and drafted by 
the Hurricanes 75th overall 
in 2016, was part of a three-
man rotation at goaltender 
for 
Michigan, 
tallying 
a 

1-7-1 record and a .911 save 
percentage.

The Philadelphia Flyers also 

had two Wolverines at their 
development camp — forwards 
Cooper Marody and Brendan 
Warren. Marody, a sixth-round 
pick of the Flyers in 2015, 
played in just 18 games as a 
sophomore after missing the 
first half of the season with a 
suspension, but still finished 
fifth on the team with 15 
points. 

Warren, whose draft rights 

were traded to Philadelphia 
from 
the 
Arizona 
Coyotes 

during the NHL Draft on June 
24, was one of three players to 
appear in all 35 of Michigan’s 
games in 2017, totalling three 
goals and seven assists.

Sophomore 
forward 
Nick 

Pastujov 
and 
his 
younger 

brother, Michael, were both 
invited 
to 
development 

camps, as well — Nick with 
the New York Islanders and 
Michael with the Detroit Red 
Wings. Michael, a product of 

the 
United 
States 
National 

Development Team Program, 
will suit up for the Wolverines 
as a freshman forward next 
season.

Incoming center Josh Norris, 

a teammate of Pastujov’s on the 
National 
Development 
Team, 

attended camp with the San Jose 
Sharks, who selected him 17th 
overall in the NHL Draft. Norris 
was second on the USNDTP 
in scoring last season with 26 
points in 25 contests.

Forward Will Lockwood, who 

was named Michigan’s Most 
Valuable Player as a freshman 
in 2017, attended the Vancouver 
Canucks’ 
development 
camp 

after a season in which he tallied 
eight goals and 12 assists. The 
Canucks 
selected 
Lockwood 

64th overall in the 2015 NHL 
Draft.

Rising junior Joseph Cecconi 

took part in camp with the Dallas 
Stars. Cecconi, the recipient of 
the Vic Heyliger award as the 
Wolverines’ most outstanding 
defender, scored eight points 
this season on one goal and seven 
assists.

Michigan’s leader in points 

this 
season, 
forward 
Jake 

Slaker, 
attended 
the 
first-

ever 
development 
camp 
of 

the Vegas Golden Knights, an 
expansion team set to begin 
play this season. In his first 
year in Ann Arbor, Slaker 
scored seven points and added 
14 assists.

Goaltender Hayden Lavigne 

competed with fellow freshman 
LaFontaine for playing time 
in the crease this past season, 
going 6-6-1 with an average of 
2.92 goals allowed per game. 
Lavigne attended camp with 
the 
Ottawa 
Senators 
this 

summer.

Defenseman Nicholas Boka 

attended the Minnesota Wild’s 
development camp last week. As 
a sophomore in 2016-2017, Boka 
competed in 34 games, recording 
four points.

The New York Rangers invited 

defenseman 
Griffin 
Luce 
to 

their camp. During his freshman 
season, Luce scored one goal and 
two assists in 27 games for the 
Wolverines.

JACOB SHAMES

Summer Managing Sports Editor

ICE HOCKEY

RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily

Defenseman Luke Martin attended the Carolina Hurricanes’ development camp after they drafted him 52nd overall this summer.

Pearson welcomes three additions 
to first recruiting class at Michigan

The Michigan hockey team 

has rounded out new head coach 
Mel Pearson’s first incoming 
class with two transfers and 
one additional commitment, the 
program announced Tuesday.

Forwards 
Alex 
Roos 
and 

Luke Morgan will transfer into 
the 
program 
from 
Colorado 

College and Lake Superior State, 
respectively. 
Forward 
Jack 

Becker signed his letter of intent 
after three years with the Sioux 
Falls Stampede of the United 
States Hockey League.

The trio will add attacking 

prowess to a program that 
frequently lacked it in the 
final few seasons under former 
head coach Red Berenson. The 
Wolverines’ Corsi percentage in 
2017 — a metric used to measure 
shot 
attempt 
differential 
at 

even strength — was the third 
worst in college hockey at 42.8 
percent. 
Pearson’s 
Michigan 

Tech team finished fourth, at 
56.5 percent. 

With five incoming forwards 

ready 
to 
replace 
the 
three 

graduating senior forwards — 
including Alex Kile, the team-
leader in shots — Michigan has 
beefed up its depth up front.

Becker has the track record at 

a high level to suggest he may be 
able to help out. The 20-year-old 
notched 28 points — including 16 
goals — last season in 49 games 
in the USHL.

Under 
Pearson, 
Michigan 

Tech showed fervent interest 
in Becker leading up to his 
commitment to the Huskies in 
January. Becker’s father, Russ, 
played for Michigan Tech in 
the 1980s, when Pearson was 
an assistant coach there. With 
Pearson moving to Michigan, 
Becker followed suit, inking his 
letter of intent to Pearson and 
the Wolverines.

Roos played three seasons 

at Colorado College, totaling 
15 goals and 13 assists in 105 
games, though he saw his playing 
time decrease as his career 
progressed. Roos did not play for 
the Tigers last season, instead 

stepping away from the program 
to focus on his economics degree. 
Roos, 22, will have one year of 
eligibility left.

Morgan, 19, helped lead Lake 

Superior State with 22 points 
in his freshman season. He also 
spent a season with the Cedar 
Rapids 
RoughRiders 
of 
the 

USHL, where he notched 25 
points in 60 games. While Roos 
(a graduate transfer) and Becker 
(a commitment) will be eligible 
to play right away, Morgan will 
be forced to sit a year, heeding 
the NCAA’s established transfer 
rules.

While it would be ambitious 

to expect Roos or Becker to 
be slotted into the top six 
forward slots right away — those 
will likely belong to a mix of 
established players such as senior 
Tony 
Calderone, 
sophomore 

Will Lockwood, junior Cooper 
Marody and talented freshmen 
like Josh Norris and Michael 
Pastujov — the newcomers will 
bring valuable attacking depth as 
Pearson attempts to rejuvenate a 
struggling program.

Transfers Roos and Morgan and incoming freshman 
Becker are expected to provide talent, depth on front line

MAX MARCOVITCH

Daily Sports Writer

