Wednesday, July 13, 2022 — 7
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Frank Nazar III selected by Chicago in NHL Draft
COLE MARTIN
Daily Sports Writer
It didn’t take long for the Michigan
hockey team to showcase its elite
talent in the 2022 NHL Draft,
particularly among its incoming
recruits for the 2022-23 season.
Selected
by
the
Chicago
Blackhawks at 13th overall, Frank
Nazar III came off the board first.
He was a highly touted forward for
the US National Team Development
Program last season and projects to
be a key center for the Wolverines
next season.
In his last season with the
Americans,
Nazar
put
up
an
impressive 70 points in just 56 games.
Nazar was also a part of Team USA
at this spring’s U18 World Junior
Championship, where he tallied nine
points in six games and helped it
secure a silver medal.
The most impressive attribute of
Nazar’s game is his skating, which
he uses to help out on defense and
break out in transition quickly. Nazar
looks to play a balanced, two-way
game, modeling his playstyle after
NHL stars Brayden Point and Patrice
Bergeron, who are among the best
players on both sides of the ice in
today’s game.
Nazar will be a major focus of
Chicago’s future, but first he will
take his talents to Ann Arbor. He
will help fill in an immediate void
left after top center Matty Beniers
signed with the Seattle Kraken, in
addition to the loss of other centers
in San Jose Sharks signee Thomas
Bordeleau, Boston Bruins prospect
Johnny Beecher and senior Garrett
Van Wyhe. In mending those holes,
Michigan will have to lean on
Nazar’s talents at center.
And Nazar seems ready to do
that right away.
While playing in an exhibition
game on Feb. 2 against the
Wolverines,
Nazar
flourished
during his time on the ice, scoring
two goals. Nazar even had the
chance at a hat trick but passed the
puck up to his teammate to attempt
to clinch a USNTDP victory.
“I figured I would have a better
chance than just the breakaway,”
Nazar said after the game. “I heard
him screaming and I was like ‘I’ll
get him involved in the play.’ I
wasn’t really thinking too much
(about a) hat trick … (A team win)
is the one and only (important)
outcome for me.”
And for both Michigan and
the Blackhawks, a team-oriented
center is exactly what they need.
The Chicago Blackhawks selected Frank Nazar III at 13th overall in Thursday’s first round of the NHL Draft.
Bryce Clay returning to Michigan for fifth year
After a dynamic 2022 campaign
from
the
Wolverine
offense,
Michigan’s young core will receive
a boost of veteran experience this
upcoming season.
On Tuesday, fifth-year attackman
Bryce Clay announced that he will
return to Michigan for his final
season on the team.
After tearing his ACL at the
beginning of this past season during
a practice in November 2021 — which
kept him on the sidelines for the
entirety of his senior season — Clay
received an NCAA medical redshirt,
giving him another year of collegiate
eligibility which he will exercise,
returning to the Wolverines.
The sniping attackman started
for three years and thrived under
Michigan
coach
Kevin
Conry’s
offensive scheme, starting 10 of 12
games played in 2021 and tallying 27
total points with 23 goals during that
stretch. Clay’s consistent finishing
compliments
his
knack
for the nitty-
gritty — a rare
duality amongst
attackmen.
His five caused
turnovers
and
22
secured
ground
balls
were
first
amongst
Michigan
attackmen two
seasons ago in
2021.
Clay
will
rejoin
an
attack
group
full of budding
talent. He will
recognize some
familiar
faces,
and meet a fresh
few along the
way as he prepares for the upcoming
2023 campaign with a team that will
look different from when he last
stepped on the field.
Michigan is coming off one of its
most offensively prolific seasons in
program history thanks, in
part, to an energized youth
movement. Now, Clay must
find where he fits into
the Wolverines’ offense.
After strong seasons from
attackmen Josh Zawada,
Michael Boehm and Ryan
Cohen, Clay will have to
carve out a new spot.
Despite the crowded
field,
Clay
will
play
an
important
role
in
Michigan’s
upcoming
season. The attackman will
look to continue building
upon
his
playmaking
in conjunction with his
already dangerous scoring
abilities in order to help
lead
an
exceptionally
young program towards
a run at the Big Ten
Championships
and
beyond.
ICE HOCKEY
LACROSSE
JOHN TONDORA
Daily Sports Writer
GABBY CERITANO/Daily
ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily