Michigan hockey coach fully supports his players participating in Olympics

mlive ^ | 1/9/2022 | Ryan Zuke

[Right Wing Vegan]

ANN ARBOR – Michigan’s hockey team tied a program record this year with five players competing at the World Junior Championship, an annual showcase of national under-20 hockey teams from around the world.

All five returned to the ice for the Wolverines as they began the second half of their season Saturday with a 4-1 win over No. 10 UMass. But head coach Mel Pearson might not have his whole complement of players available for long.

With the NHL opting out of participating in the 2022 Beijing Olympics that begin next month, countries will have to look elsewhere to fill their rosters, including NCAA teams.

Michigan (15-6-1) has an NCAA record seven first-round picks on its roster. Five were drafted last July, including four in the first five picks: defenseman Owen Power (No. 1, Buffalo Sabres), forward Matty Beniers (No. 2, Seattle Kraken), defenseman Luke Hughes (No. 4, New Jersey Devils) and forward Kent Johnson (No. 5, Columbus Blue Jackets).

All four are off to strong starts this season and have at least 18 points. With a rich talent pool in Ann Arbor this year, Olympic teams could be enticed by a handful of Wolverines.

Pearson said after Saturday’s win that Beniers, who had three points against UMass to give him 24 in 21 games this season, has already been invited to join Team USA.

Although Pearson said Hockey Canada has not extended any official invites to any Michigan players yet, Power, who leads all NCAA defenseman with 23 points, will reportedly represent Canada at the Olympics, according to multiple outlets.

USA and Canada both begin tournament play Feb. 10, and the gold medal game is scheduled for Feb. 20.

Michigan has four games scheduled during that span before it concludes regular season play Feb. 25 and Feb. 26 at Notre Dame.

Barring any mandatory quarantine following a positive COVID-19 test in Beijing, Michigan players participating in the Olympics would be back in time for the Big Ten Tournament (March 4-19) and the NCAA Tournament (March 25-April 9) if the Wolverines qualify.

“Anytime you recruit good players, they’re gonna have opportunities that arise,” Pearson said. “We can control what we can control, but we told the players, ‘Hey, it’s a great opportunity. If they want to go, we’ll fully support them. Opportunities like that, they don’t come along that often. As much as we want our team together, and we were just excited to finally get everybody back, it’s a great opportunity. We’ll fully support them and look forward to getting them back once they get home with a medal.”

In Michigan’s one game over winter break without its WJC participants, it tied Michigan Tech 0-0 on Dec. 29. But a two-week stretch for the Wolverines without some of their top players could have a significant effect on the Big Ten standings and their NCAA Tournament outlook. They are currently second in the conference – two points behind Minnesota but also just two points ahead of fourth-place Ohio State.

With one month until Olympic play begins, countries are still in the preliminary stages of selecting their teams. More Michigan players could receive invites as the process unfolds. Johnson, who leads the team with 26 points, is on a long list of candidates for Canada, according to The Athletic.

“Obviously, it’d be an honor, but I don’t think anyone has been called about the roster yet,” Johnson said after Saturday’s game.

Meanwhile, sophomore forwards Brendan Brisson and Thomas Bordeleau could be candidates for the U.S. Brisson, a 2020 first-round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights, leads the team with 13 goals after scoring two Saturday.

Bordeleau missed his fourth straight game Saturday and hasn’t played since Dec. 4.

“We’re just going to reevaluate in the morning and see where they’re at,” Pearson said of Bordeleau and defenseman Jacob Truscott regarding their availability for Saturday’s game against UMass.

Before the season began, college players competing at the Olympics appeared to be a longshot. At the 2018 games, NHL players did not participate for the first time since 1980. But the NHL was expected to be back at the Olympics in 2022. However, the league and its union agreed last month to not send players to Beijin because of a surge in COVID-19.

“Everything can change tomorrow, next week, so we’ll see where it all shakes out,” Pearson said.

[sunflowerstation]

OF course, because Ann Arbor is a lefty community.

(FORMER Michigan resident, NOT from Ann Arbor)