With tonight's 7-1 Exhibition win over Lethbridge, the season is truly almost here!
Coming off the best season in school history, the Mavericks open play this weekend against Providence. This is an important season for Minnesota State, as they should be able to build off last year and be even better in the upcoming year. Here's my season preview as game week is finally here!
Key Returners:
#18 Matt Leitner, Jr. Forward: As the nation's fourth highest returning scorer, Leitner has received preseason All American awards, been in the Hobey Baker talk, as well as WCHA First team honors. With 17 goals and 30 assists last year, Leitner was an offensive wizard for the Mavericks. Although he's a small kid, he makes up for his lack of size with a creative hockey sense as well as great playmaking ability. He's a key piece of a PP that was deadly last year, and needs to be lethal again this year.
#30 Stephon Williams, So. Goaltender: When Stephon Williams took over in net last year, the Mavericks started putting things together; it wasn't a mere coincidence. Williams was the WCHA Rookie of the Year last year, the league goaltending champion, and a member of the WCHA's first team. Williams posted a 21-12-2 record, a 1.96 GAA with a .924 save percentage in 35 games. With a swagger in net that fans have come to enjoy, Williams is the backbone of this Mavericks team.
#7 Zach Palmquist, Jr. Defenseman: An offensive minded defenseman, Palmquist loves to join the rush and make things happen on the scoreboard for the Mavericks. Palmquist is effective in his own zone, and does a fantastic job moving the puck up ice. He's a key part of the transition game and helps create chances all over the ice. Like Leitner, he is a key asset to the Power Play.
#22 Johnny McInnis, Sr. Forward: The captain of the Mavericks this year, his leadership on the ice is needed, just as his production will be. McInnis was third on the team with 13 goals last year, and he's poised to bring that number higher playing with Teddy Blueger and Dylan Margonari.
Key Losses:
Forward Eriah Hayes tallied 20 goals, 16 assists, and the biggest loss of the offseason, THIRTEEN power play goals.
Defenseman Tyler Elbrecht only had 1 goal and 7 assists, but he was a leader and ate up a lot of minutes for the Mavericks.
Forward Zach Lehrke had 8 goals and 17 assists, and unfortunately has had to give up his senior season due to health concerns. He's a role player who did everything asked of him; a lunch pail kind of guy.
Poised for a breakout:
#19 Teddy Blueger, So. Forward: Blueger is a second round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and was a true freshman last year. He contributed with 6 goals and 13 assists, but showed flashes of talent and skill. If he has refined his game, as was the indicator in tonight's exhibition game, he could explode offensively for the Mavericks, and could be a key part of the power play as well.
#25 Zach Stepan, Fr. Forward: Stepan decommitted from Ohio State and joined the Mavericks this spring. He is picked as the preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year. It looks like Stepan will start the year on the top line with Matt Leitner and Bryce Gervais. Playing with those two will help him play at a high level right away, and he will benefit from the playmaking abilities of his linemates.
My Thoughts:
Last year's success won't win the Mavericks any games this year, but I do think that the experience gained from consistently playing at a high level will help this team handle the expectations they're face with. The Mavericks won't be a surprise to anyone this season, and teams now understand the type of team Mike Hastings will have in Mankato. I truly believe this Mavericks team can make a push to win as many, if not more games than last season. I do believe they're the deepest, most talented team in the WCHA. This isn't without some concerns, though.
Defensively it will be interesting to see how things shake out. Nelson and Palmquist are definitely the top two guys, and Jutzi played in a lot of games last year. Ideally, the Mavericks will need at least two more guys to play significant minutes. Have Brett Stern and Nick Buchanan made strides in the offseason to fill those rolls? Can Mat Knoll add depth defensively as he returns from a year away? Will any of the freshman defenseman crack the top 6? These are all questions that we will see unfold in the next few weeks. Stephon Williams is a solid backbone in net, but he needs defenseman in front of him to do a good job as well.
Offensively, we've had some good teams at Minnesota State, but this may be as talented and offensive minded as any. In addition to the players mentioned above, the Mavericks return guys such as J.P. LaFontaine(9-26-35), Dylan Margonari(10-9-19), Chase Grant(7-12-19), Brett Knowles(5-9-14) and Bryce Gervais(8-5-13). That's a pretty good core of forwards, and with another offseason under them, depth offensively should be a strength of this team.
I'm excited to see how far this team can go. Can the Mavericks win their first MacNaughton Cup? Final Five? NCAA Tournament game? NCAA regional? It should be a fun ride as we break in the nWCHA, and it should be a great year to be a Maverick Hockey fan.
Coming off the best season in school history, the Mavericks open play this weekend against Providence. This is an important season for Minnesota State, as they should be able to build off last year and be even better in the upcoming year. Here's my season preview as game week is finally here!
Key Returners:
#18 Matt Leitner, Jr. Forward: As the nation's fourth highest returning scorer, Leitner has received preseason All American awards, been in the Hobey Baker talk, as well as WCHA First team honors. With 17 goals and 30 assists last year, Leitner was an offensive wizard for the Mavericks. Although he's a small kid, he makes up for his lack of size with a creative hockey sense as well as great playmaking ability. He's a key piece of a PP that was deadly last year, and needs to be lethal again this year.
#30 Stephon Williams, So. Goaltender: When Stephon Williams took over in net last year, the Mavericks started putting things together; it wasn't a mere coincidence. Williams was the WCHA Rookie of the Year last year, the league goaltending champion, and a member of the WCHA's first team. Williams posted a 21-12-2 record, a 1.96 GAA with a .924 save percentage in 35 games. With a swagger in net that fans have come to enjoy, Williams is the backbone of this Mavericks team.
#7 Zach Palmquist, Jr. Defenseman: An offensive minded defenseman, Palmquist loves to join the rush and make things happen on the scoreboard for the Mavericks. Palmquist is effective in his own zone, and does a fantastic job moving the puck up ice. He's a key part of the transition game and helps create chances all over the ice. Like Leitner, he is a key asset to the Power Play.
#22 Johnny McInnis, Sr. Forward: The captain of the Mavericks this year, his leadership on the ice is needed, just as his production will be. McInnis was third on the team with 13 goals last year, and he's poised to bring that number higher playing with Teddy Blueger and Dylan Margonari.
Key Losses:
Forward Eriah Hayes tallied 20 goals, 16 assists, and the biggest loss of the offseason, THIRTEEN power play goals.
Defenseman Tyler Elbrecht only had 1 goal and 7 assists, but he was a leader and ate up a lot of minutes for the Mavericks.
Forward Zach Lehrke had 8 goals and 17 assists, and unfortunately has had to give up his senior season due to health concerns. He's a role player who did everything asked of him; a lunch pail kind of guy.
Poised for a breakout:
#19 Teddy Blueger, So. Forward: Blueger is a second round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and was a true freshman last year. He contributed with 6 goals and 13 assists, but showed flashes of talent and skill. If he has refined his game, as was the indicator in tonight's exhibition game, he could explode offensively for the Mavericks, and could be a key part of the power play as well.
#25 Zach Stepan, Fr. Forward: Stepan decommitted from Ohio State and joined the Mavericks this spring. He is picked as the preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year. It looks like Stepan will start the year on the top line with Matt Leitner and Bryce Gervais. Playing with those two will help him play at a high level right away, and he will benefit from the playmaking abilities of his linemates.
My Thoughts:
Last year's success won't win the Mavericks any games this year, but I do think that the experience gained from consistently playing at a high level will help this team handle the expectations they're face with. The Mavericks won't be a surprise to anyone this season, and teams now understand the type of team Mike Hastings will have in Mankato. I truly believe this Mavericks team can make a push to win as many, if not more games than last season. I do believe they're the deepest, most talented team in the WCHA. This isn't without some concerns, though.
Defensively it will be interesting to see how things shake out. Nelson and Palmquist are definitely the top two guys, and Jutzi played in a lot of games last year. Ideally, the Mavericks will need at least two more guys to play significant minutes. Have Brett Stern and Nick Buchanan made strides in the offseason to fill those rolls? Can Mat Knoll add depth defensively as he returns from a year away? Will any of the freshman defenseman crack the top 6? These are all questions that we will see unfold in the next few weeks. Stephon Williams is a solid backbone in net, but he needs defenseman in front of him to do a good job as well.
Offensively, we've had some good teams at Minnesota State, but this may be as talented and offensive minded as any. In addition to the players mentioned above, the Mavericks return guys such as J.P. LaFontaine(9-26-35), Dylan Margonari(10-9-19), Chase Grant(7-12-19), Brett Knowles(5-9-14) and Bryce Gervais(8-5-13). That's a pretty good core of forwards, and with another offseason under them, depth offensively should be a strength of this team.
I'm excited to see how far this team can go. Can the Mavericks win their first MacNaughton Cup? Final Five? NCAA Tournament game? NCAA regional? It should be a fun ride as we break in the nWCHA, and it should be a great year to be a Maverick Hockey fan.
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