When the Wolverines were picked by coaches in the preseason to finish fourth in the Big Ten, there were a number of factors that contributed to the impression that Michigan is going to be a middle-of-the-conference team.
For starters, Michigan lost offense that accounted for 100 or so of its 169 total goals scored in 2023-24.
Another factor was the hole in net left by starter Jacob Barczewski.
Additionally, the Wolverines finished fourth last season with an 11-11-2 record in Big Ten play.
“On paper, we’re not supposed to be doing what we’re doing,” said Michigan coach Brandon Naurato, now in his third season behind the bench. “As a coach, I know what we’re doing well and we’ve got to keep it going.”
The Wolverines are 7-2-1 to start the season, having just swept Notre Dame at home to open their Big Ten season. Those wins followed a huge road sweep of Boston University (Nov. 1-2) that included a pair of five-goal games, a 5-1 win and 5-4 win in overtime.
In spite of that 10-goal weekend against the Terriers, the Wolverines are struggling offensively, averaging 3.20 goals per game and converting on the power play at just 14.7 percent.
Heading into their third consecutive Frozen Four last April, the Wolverines were averaging 4.22 goals per game – third in the nation – and Michigan’s power play was tops in the nation (34.5%).
Naurato is confident that the lack of offense is a temporary situation.
“T.J. Hughes has zero goals and he’s a 50-point guy,” Naurato said. “Wait until he starts going. Our power play is extremely snakebit, but the meta data is as good as last year. We’re just not scoring.
“I don’t think anyone would have picked us to do what we’re doing now, so that’s all credit to the kids.”
Michigan has a bye week this weekend before heading to Penn State Nov. 22-23. Naurato said that that participation in the Frozen Confines Big Ten Hockey Series Jan. 3 helped the Wolverines build a bye into their schedule and that he’s looking forward to the team working on some basics.
“Right back to our core, just all the fundamental stuff,” said Naurato. “Overall individual development. That doesn’t mean skill sessions only … basically working on the parts that make up the whole style of play and identity because we have that luxury this week.”
“We haven’t had bye weeks since I’ve been here because of our big breaks over Christmas. Now that we’re playing that Wrigley game, we’ve got a couple. I don’t mind it. Reset in general.”
Naurato’s had a lot to contend with in his first two seasons behind the Michigan bench. Naurato became interim coach in August 2022 when Mel Pearson was let go following a season of off-ice controversy in 2021-22. In the first half of his first season, an adenovirus infection went through the team, hospitalizing several players and nearly killing defenseman Steven Holtz.
In spite the transition from Pearson to Naurato and the illnesses of that first half, the Wolverines made their second consecutive Frozen Four trip in Naurato’s first season, and they followed it with another at the end of 2023-24, in spite of that .500 Big Ten record.
Now they’re No. 5 in the USCHO.com Poll and 12th in the early PairWise Rankings – and still trying to learn a few things about their team.
“We lose a lot every year,” said Naurato, “but we lost 300 points and a lot of culture inside of that, with 17 NHL contracts over the last three years. You can’t really replace it.”
Another blow was losing the team captain, Rutger McGroarty, prior to the start of fall semester. In late August, McGroarty signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. McGroarty, picked by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft, was traded to Pittsburgh and plays for the Penguins’ AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Even with all the Wolverines have experienced in the past three seasons and with the significant player turnover from just last April, Naurato remains impressed with how his players have handled it all.
“Our culture is stronger than ever,” said Naurato. “I think that’s a huge compliment to our leadership group and our upperclassmen. I think through individual pain and success, all these guys have grown and learned how to play winning hockey and be winning members of society off the ice.
“Even before the BU weekend, we had some really good talks to kind of get everyone on that same page again and learning from the past. It’s a team right now, with depth and healthy competition in every area, splitting goalies every weekend and both are stepping up. It’s been good.”
One of the best developments so far this season is the play of freshman Cameron Korpi and graduate student transfer Logan Stein, a pair of goaltenders who have split time evenly for the Wolverines.
Stein, who spent four seasons at Ferris State, is 4-1-0 on Friday nights, with a .934 save percentage and 1.59 GAA. Stein’s first game was Michigan’s season opener, a 5-2 home loss to Minnesota State. In his three subsequent games, he’s allowed just three goals and never more than one in a contest.
Korpi, a 20-year-old rookie who spent two seasons with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm has played every Saturday with a 3-1-1 record, .906 SV% and 2.54 GAA.
Naurato said that both Stein and Korpi are calm and composed in net, “making the saves that they need to make or we expect them to, and then making some that they shouldn’t.”
The goalies are at a disadvantage, said Naruato, because they’re new to Michigan and its culture.
“think Logan’s experience for four years at Ferris State helps him,” said Naurato. “I think he and Korpi are good buddies and they kind of feed off each other and push each other in a good way. Korpi’s a young, really good prospect. It’s important to give him games. He’s finding ways to win and probably playing the tougher game on Saturday if we do win Friday.”
And the Korpi-Stein combo is giving the rest of the team the space to find its identity.
“They’re just doing what they need to do,” said Naurato. “They’re both good kids and there’s healthy competition and we’re comfortable with both of them in net to help Michigan win hockey games.”
That team in front of two new goaltenders has “confidence and belief,” said Naurato. “If we play by committee, we have success.”
After his first two seasons behind the Michigan bench, Naurato doesn’t know what the season will bring but he knows he’s not going to waste energy thinking about it.
“It’s something with every team, but we’ve got a lot of people that listen and work hard,” Naurato said.
