With the start of the season rapidly approaching, it’s time for my season preview. I’ll get into the schedule, the roster, and my expectations and predictions for the year.
This should be another exciting year of Michigan hockey. The Wolverines brought in some serious talent with this year’s recruiting class and are returning many of the team’s top scorers from last season. Last year Michigan finished with an NCAA-best record of 31-8-1, and I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that they can match that this year, or even surpass it. Achieving this goal, however, means battling through a tough schedule. Fortunately, I believe the Wolverines have the talent and experience to win.
Schedule Breakdown
The Wolverines enter this season as the No. 2-ranked team in the country in preseason polls, and the highest-ranked team in the Big Ten. There is no shortage of Big Ten teams ranked in the top 20, though. This means Michigan’s schedule this year will be filled with tough matches. Not to mention matchups with non-conference ranked teams like Western Michigan and defending national champion Denver. Altogether, Michigan will play 20 regular-season games against teams that are ranked in the preseason polls. As great as it would be to see Michigan roll through the season sweeping every weekend series, that just won’t be realistic. I see them sweeping a good amount of weekends, splitting a few series, and I don’t think they will be on the receiving end of sweeps very much, if at all. The Wolverines start the season with a home-and-home series against Bowling Green, and get their first real test playing the defending champs in Denver.
Roster Breakdown
The 2026-27 team feels like Michigan’s most complete roster in recent years. While they lost their top scorer in T.J. Hughes, they’ve retained the rest of their top performers and have freshmen coming in who can make an impact. This team is deep in every position.
The Forwards
This team’s forward group is led by new captain Garrett Schifsky, Will Horcoff, Jayden Perron, and the somewhat shocking return of Michael Hage, who many thought might turn pro. Hage may not be the captain, but this is his team now. He is the top forward and will need to produce every game.
Freshman J.P. Hurlbert comes in and will be vying for top-six minutes. He had an impressive season last year with Kamloops of the WHL. I have him penciled in on the second line and getting power-play time.
Others I hope to see making jumps from last year are sophomores Malcolm Spence, Adam Valentini, and Cole McKinney. Spence and Valentini showed flashes of what they can do last season, putting up decent numbers in their freshman campaign. McKinney also fared well in limited minutes. I would love to see one of these players push their way into the top six.
One player I’m curious to see where Coach Naurato will slot in is Jack Nesbitt. He’s been a point-per-game player with Windsor in the OHL, and is a big body with good two-way play. I can see him being the defensively responsible guy on the second line, or helping drive offense and carry the third line. I’d like to see him start the season on the second line. Let’s see what this stallion can do!
The Defense
This year’s defensive corps is highlighted by two freshmen, Cam Reid and Landon DuPont. Reid was a first-round pick in 2025, and many expect DuPont to be the first overall pick in the 2027 NHL draft. Both have had successful CHL careers before joining Michigan, and bring winning pedigrees to Ann Arbor. These two newcomers should bring an element the Wolverines lacked last season: offensive ability from the defense. We’ve grown accustomed to having good puck movers on the blue line with the likes of Zach Werenski, Quinn Hughes, Owen Power, and Luke Hughes, and we are getting that back this season with Reid and DuPont.
The rest of the defense is built with returning players. Ben Robertson and Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen should remain steady presences for Michigan. Asher Barnett and Drew Schock should continue to see minutes and improve.
Lastly, I hope Henry Mews can have a bounce-back season after being injured early last season. Through 10 games last year, he had nine points. If he can pick up where he left off and continue that kind of production, then this defense group could be lethal.
The Goalies
Michigan’s goaltending situation is very straightforward. The net belongs to Jack Ivankovic. He played the majority of games last season, and had he not been injured, he likely would’ve played all of them. Ivankovic is a very reliable goalie and should continue to be a steady presence in net. Some outlets have him being a frontrunner this season to win the Mike Richter Award as the top goalie in the NCAA.
Should something happen to Ivankovic, the backup this year will be Stephen Peck. Peck stepped up last year when Ivankovic was injured and held his own. I feel more than comfortable going into the season with this tandem again.
Season Predictions
- Michigan will win the Big Ten regular season championship.
- The top line of Horcoff – Hage – Perron will be one of the top-scoring lines in the country.
- Hurlbert will step into the power play, filling the void left by Hughes.
- Hage will get Hobey Baker consideration.
- Final record: 33-5-2
Lineup Prediction
Forwards
| Line 1 | Will Horcoff | Michael Hage | Jayden Perron |
| Line 2 | J.P. Hurlbert | Jack Nesbitt | Nick Moldenhauer |
| Line 3 | Malcolm Spence | Garrett Schifsky | Adam Valentini |
| Line 4 | Kieren Dervin | Cole McKinney | Nic Sima |
| Extra | Aiden Park | Kason Muscutt |
Defense
| Line 1 | Ben Robertson | Landon DuPont |
| Line 2 | Cam Reid | Henry Mews |
| Line 3 | Asher Barnett | Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen |
| Extra | Drew Schock | Brandt Harper |
| Josh Orrico | Miles Gust |
Goalies
| Starter | Backup | Extra |
| Jack Ivankovic | Stephen Peck | Julian Molinaro |