The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
8 — Wednesday, July 20, 2022
CONNOR EAREGOOD
Summer Managing Sports Editor
Michigan’s 27-year
draft streak fed by
recruiting success
ICE HOCKEY
For the Michigan hockey team, the
success of last Thursday’s NHL Draft
was something the Wolverines are
accustomed to. With three players
selected, a 27-year streak of at least
one Michigan player being picked
continued. It is tied with Boston
College for the longest active streak
in NCAA hockey.
And that draft success stems from
more than the Wolverines’ strength
in developing top players once they
arrive at Michigan. It’s also a product
of its success in attracting high-
profile contributors to begin with.
“It’s not like you get drafted and
all of a sudden there’s this magic dust
on a player and he’s all of a sudden a
different player because of where he
got drafted,” Michigan associate head
coach Bill Muckalt said. “That’s just
the start of the journey. There’s still a
long ways to go after that.”
Michigan accounts for just one of
many stops along a player’s hockey
journey, and some of its recruiting
targets have spent years polishing
their games in the hopes of attracting
NHL interest. Those skill sets
attract plenty of attention, and the
Wolverines aren’t the only ones vying
for their services.
In order to compete for that elite
talent, programs need to show what
sets them apart, and the Wolverines
work tirelessly to do that. Michigan
has to ensure its recruiting pitch
convinces those players that coming
to Ann Arbor is the right move for
their hockey careers. While the
program’s success in advancing
players to the professional ranks
certainly aids in the Wolverines’
recruiting endeavors, it takes more
than that to draw in future stars.
For that, Michigan’s coaches
rely on a variety of advantages
the program can offer. From the
University’s academic strength to
an expansive alumni network across
the hockey world, there are plenty of
positives to draw in prospects when
they view the program.
But for many top recruits, getting
to the NHL is the highest priority.
That’s
where
the
Wolverines
commitment to developing pro
talent brings an added bonus.
“We really work hard at the
development side of it,” Muckalt
said. “… Promoting our players
and helping them become the best
version of themselves to get ready to
play in the National Hockey League
and have success in the National
Hockey League.”
Whether it’s the way practices
are held or the way strength
training prepares athletes for the
ice, Michigan’s environment aims
to ready players for the next level.
While what that looks like has
evolved over the past 27 years, the
program has found ways to keep
those goals at the front of its efforts.
And as much as the Wolverines’
training system helps convince
players to join their team, players
also want to skate with the best
teammates they can.
GABBY CERITANO/Daily
The Michigan hockey team has had a player picked in the NHL Draft for 27 years straight,
including incoming freshman forward Rutger McGroarty.
Read more at michigandaily.com