marshall warren

As the college hockey season comes to an end, we bid adieu to a number of key players on the Michigan team. Some players are moving on to occupations that they got a degree in college for, while many others will be giving professional hockey a shot. Some of these are players exhausting eligibility and were forgone conclusions to depart, including goaltender Jacob Barczewski, defenseman Marshall Warren, forward Chase Pletzke, and practice goalie Andrew Albano, all of whom completed their 5th year of eligibility. 

But there's also the bucket of star players who are signing prematurely with the NHL teams who hold their draft rights. Michigan is no stranger to these sorts of losses and this year we've got three of them to cover. Like Alex did in past years, lumping them together in one combined the post is the best way to break it down and that's what we will be doing today. Three impact forwards recently signed NHL Entry level contracts and have moved on to the organizations who drafted them, with a rundown of each below: 

Exit: Frank Nazar III

Sophomore Frank Nazar III was a 1st round draft pick (13th overall) in 2022 by the Chicago Blackhawks. The Mount Clemens native came to the Wolverines via the US NTDP Program in Plymouth as part of the 2022 recruiting class. Nazar's profile was built around the promise of his speed, skill, and offensive aptitude, but it took a while for us to see it unleashed due to injury. His freshman season last year was hampered by offseason surgery, as Nazar was unable to play his first game of the season until February 10th. He finished that season with only 13 games played and didn't feel like we ever got a true glimpse of what Nazar could be. 

This season, as a sophomore, Nazar was finally healthy and able to play in all 41 games for the Wolverines. He centered the 2nd line, where it was not uncommon for him to be lined up against the opposition’s top line on a nightly basis. Nazar was one of the best in the nation in the faceoff circle, winning 54.7% of faceoffs he took, leading to heavy deployment. Night in and night out he was the most consistent 200 foot forward for Michigan as he notched 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points in 41 games. Of those 41 points, one towered above the rest, his sensational between-the-legs pass to Gavin Brindley for his goal 12 seconds after the Wolverines took the lead in the Regional Final against MSU: 

His Pro Hockey Potential: Frank Nazar III has already begun his NHL career, signing with the Blackhawks on April 14th and scoring his first NHL goal 10:05 into the first period on a breakaway. As sensational as this was for him, don’t expect him to start putting up superstar offensive numbers. What the Blackhawks are getting more of a two-way player than an offensive dynamo, one who has a high hockey IQ, quick feet, and a strong stick which will allow him to be in good defensive position and the ability to use those assets to transition the puck up ice into scoring opportunities. As he develops, look for Nazar III to be the Blackhawks shutdown center who will face the opposition’s top line every night, a contrast to Connor Bedard's offensive prowess. He should also be slotted on the top PK unit and also get time on the 2nd PP unit.

[AFTER THE JUMP: Brindley, Duke, and bigger picture thoughts]

CLICK HERE for Game Recap from Kristy McNeil and other pertinent information.

In college sports, the clock is constantly ticking away on the time you have to win a National Championship. As a freshman, you’re adjusting to a school, teammates, and coaches. As a sophomore, the expectations (set by you and your team) increases. By the time you hit your senior year (and your 5th year in this Covid era), you realize if your team is going to win big, you need to be a difference maker to make it happen. Sometimes that realization happens at the end of the previous season, sometimes it happens at the start of the season.

For Michigan Hockey defenseman Marshall Warren, that moment seemed to hit during the weekend of February 9th & 10th against the Michigan State Spartans. The outcome of both games didn’t favor Michigan, as they dropped the first game at Yost 5-1 and fell just short the next night at Little Caesar’s Arena in the Duel in the D 3-2. It was a disappointing weekend at the time, but everything that has followed from Warren has been significantly better than what came before it, an uptick in his play across the board. As a result, Michigan Hockey has produced better results and played better hockey, with Warren helping to lead the charge all the way to the Frozen Four. Today we will be breaking down a primary reason for Warren's improvement and then examining statistics and a little bit of video to explain how the 5th year senior has suddenly hit his stride late in the year. 

[Bill Rapai]

New Partner

That very weekend mentioned in the opening saw a major personnel change that affected Warren, when the coaching staff paired Warren with Ethan Edwards. Edwards had missed the first half of the season and didn’t return to the lineup until mid-January after healing from a wrist injury. Skating in practice and light drills does not prepare you for actual game action and it understandably took Edwards some time to get adjusted to the speed and physicality of actual competition.

During the later period of Edwards' injury, Warren had been slotted into the 3rd defensive pair, with his partners rotating primarily between Steven Holtz and Luca Fantilli along with occasional shifts with Brendan Miles and Josh Orrico when they had to be inserted into the lineup because of injuries. It was evident during this time that Warren’s job was to be the security blanket and focus primarily on defending. At times this was a huge challenge, especially on the road where the home team gets the last change. On a faceoff in Michigan’s end, they were able to bring out their top line when Warren and his partner were on the ice, leaving the Wolverines exposed with a weaker defenseman on the ice.

When Warren switched to partner with Edwards, the shackles figuratively fell off of Warren and we started to see the defenseman Michigan thought they were getting last summer when Warren transferred to Michigan from Boston College. You could visibly see the increase in confidence in him and the overall improvement in his play. He was able to handle the tough matchups better and had a more confident, experienced partner in Edwards who could handle more responsibilities. Warren no longer had to do most of the work himself and could take a larger role in his team's play. This allowed Warren to open up and surge in various ways covered in the next sections. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: stats and some clips]