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.

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