It's offseason content time and with few current Michigan athletes to talk about, I thought it would be a good idea to check in on some from the past. We did this exercise as a HockeyCast episode last year and this time I decided to do it in written form. We're going to check in on the Michigan Hockey alumni from the past who are competing in the NHL to see how they're doing. I've structured it based on what category of player they fit into and at the end I'll also shoutout a few guys who are still playing in the minor leagues: 

The Studs 

These are the players who are considered high end, All-Star caliber. They are one of the three or so best players on their given teams and are getting paid premium money in the NHL: 

Quinn Hughes, D, Vancouver Canucks: Hughes had a bounceback season, setting career highs in points and assists with an 8-60-68 line. The point total ended up being a franchise record for points in a single season by a defenseman, and he finished the season tied for 6th in points by a defenseman league-wide. Hughes is a premier puckrushing defenseman who sacrifices a good bit of defense to produce an offensive output that few other blueliners can match. He signed a contract extension in the fall that will last for six years and total $47.1 M. At only 22 years old, it feels very likely that he will be worth that deal. Hughes is a building block for a Canucks organization that is looking to re-tool and return to contention. 

Dylan Larkin, C, Detroit Red Wings: Larkin is another player who had a career year, riding the wave of higher offensive outputs across the NHL to score a 31-38-69 line in just 71 games. Though none of those three totals were technically career highs, on a per-game basis, his goals and points clip were career bests. At age 25, this is about Larkin's peak, a very good 1.5C, not the ideal first line center on a championship team, but also a well above average second line center. He is entering the final year of his contract, at $6.1 M per season. The Red Wings, who have made Larkin their captain, have an interesting decision to make about how he fits in with future pieces who are substantially younger like Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider. 

Josh Norris, C, Ottawa Senators: Norris had one of those seasons where you look at his numbers and say "Josh Norris scored 35 goals??!??". In fairness, you could say that about many players in the NHL with the way scoring was up, but regardless, the third season in the league was the charm for Norris. He used his excellent shot to become a power play demon, racking up 16 PPGs, which was good for third-best in the NHL (!), tied with superstar snipers like Auston Matthews and Steven Stamkos (!!). Moreover, Norris did this in just 66 games. Having just turned 23, Norris is an important piece of the Senators' young core as they look to return to the playoff picture. He is a restricted free agent this summer and will be in line for a healthy extension and considerable pay raise. 

[Patrick Barron]

Zach Werenski, D, Columbus Blue Jackets: Werenski didn't have massive totals in the counting stats that some of these other players did, but he is still a high-end puckrushing defenseman that a lot of teams would love to have. Werenski put up 48 points in 68 games on the middling Blue Jackets, the highest scoring defenseman on that team by a country mile. He also has his defensive deficiencies, but he drives play and can create offensively at a superb level that makes it well worth it. Werenski is locked up in Columbus (sounds like Hell to me) for the long-term, as next year begins his monster six-year extension that will pay him $9.58 M per season (!!), making him one of the highest paid defensemen in the NHL. 

Kyle Connor, LW, Winnipeg Jets: Connor had a year a lot like Norris, hitting a goal total that is somewhat shocking when looked at with a bird's eye view. Connor shoveled in 47 goals (!!) and 46 assists for 93 points (!). He finished tied for 5th in the NHL in goals and 13th in points, a staggeringly productive campaign, even on a Winnipeg team that fell far short of expectations. The Jets are likely to make some degree of substantial changes in the offseason but Connor feels like one of the only untouchable pieces on the roster. He continues to do most of his damage off the rush and on the power play, while playing very little defense, but when you score at the level he did, it doesn't really matter. At age 25, this is Connor at his peak. He is signed for four more seasons at a very respectable $7.14 M per year. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: More alums in decreasing order of importance]

[Patrick Barron]

The Complementary Pieces 

Next we have the complementary pieces, guys who also play in the top six or on the top two pairs, but would not be classified as quite the same caliber of player as the ones above. These are players who are not currently in All-Star conversations, but often play with All-Star level players at the forefront of a given team. 

Zach Hyman, LW, Edmonton Oilers: Hyman played his first season this year for the Oilers, who unloaded a dump truck full of money in his driveway last summer to the tune of seven years and $38.5 M in total. Hyman had a strong output, scoring 27 goals and 27 assists for 54 points, which was a career high in all three categories. He got to play on the wings of two of the NHL's top offensive stars in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and Hyman did what he does best, do the digging on the forecheck, and bang around in front of the net. He's a nice piece to have in the top six of a good team and Hyman is now into the second round of the NHL playoffs, where the Oilers will meet the Calgary Flames in the Battle of Alberta. 

Max Pacioretty, LW, Vegas Golden Knights: Pacioretty is a player who, if fully healthy, is probably in the "studs" category, but since he had a tough, injury-riddled campaign, I decided to slot him in here. Pacioretty has been one of the NHL's most consistent and underrated goalscorers for years, but he played just 39 games in 2021-22 due to injury. He still scored at a typical pace in those 39 games (19 goals), but at age 33, it is now worth wondering how healthy Pacioretty can be moving forward. His injury issues were one of several crushing ailments that led to the Vegas Golden Knights' shocking miss of the postseason, and they will be looking for a rebound season from him next year. He will be entering the final year of his contract at $7.0 M next season. 

[Patrick Barron]

Andrew Copp, C, Winnipeg Jets/New York Rangers: The Ann Arbor native was one of the players dealt at the trade deadline, sent from the struggling Jets to the playoff contending New York Rangers. Copp had a career best season, with 21 goals and 53 points, which led me to move him up from the role player category to the complementary piece category. He was phenomenal down the stretch after arriving in New York (18 points in 16 games!) and posted 4 goals and 7 points in round one against Pittsburgh, including the primary assist on the game-tying goal in Game 7. Copp's Rangers are moving on to play the Carolina Hurricanes in round two, and Copp's stellar season has unsurprisingly come in a contract year. He is an unrestricted free agent this summer as he turns 28, and as a two-way centerman, he should receive a four or so year deal worth a similar number to Hyman's contract on a per-year basis. 

Jacob Trouba, D, New York Rangers: I wrestled with how to classify Trouba, but given that he was 2nd on the Rangers in ice time per night, "complementary piece" felt more fair than "role player". Trouba is the pillar of New York's second defensive pairing, not a super high scoring player as he doesn't play on PP1, but 11 goals and 39 points is still solid production. He scored 33 of his points at even strength, good for top 25 among NHL defensemen in that category. I've never been a big fan of Trouba defensively in the NHL, but he's a fine player overall and like Copp, he'll get to play in the second round of the playoffs. His contract, paying him $8 M annually, is a sweet deal for Trouba but an albatross for the team. 

[Patrick Barron]

The Role Players 

This category is for players who are bottom six forwards and not big offensive producers, or defensive defensemen playing third pair roles. Many are much older Michigan Hockey alumni, at the tail end of long NHL careers, or those who are younger but just a cut above fringe territory. 

Carl Hagelin, LW, Washington Capitals: Hagelin has managed to put together a long NHL career built off his ability to kill penalties and leverage his speed and forechecking opportunities to create the occasional offensive chance. Hagelin has played for five different teams and just finished up his fourth season with the Capitals, scoring 3 goals and 14 points before his season came to an end due to a freakish eye injury. His analytical metrics dropped off across the board, though, and turning 34, I'm not sure how many years he's got left in the league (players in his mold don't age the best), especially with the injury. Hagelin has one more year on his contract at a decent $2.75 M, and he's vowing to play next season despite medical reports that his vision may never fully recover to 100%. 

Tyler Motte, C, Vancouver Canucks/New York Rangers: Our third Ranger and second player to be dealt at the deadline, Motte went from Quinn Hughes' Canucks to Trouba's Rangers, in a separate deal from the one Andrew Copp was acquired in. Motte is a defense and penalty killing specialist, not unlike Hagelin, though his ability to play center gives him a trait that will help him stick in the NHL. He hasn't really popped since arriving in New York, only playing in two of the seven games in the first round, but there're worse places to be than as the 13th forward in the NHL. Motte is a free agent this summer and will probably be looking for a pay raise in the Hagelin range. 

Jon Merrill, D, Minnesota Wild: Merrill is known as a defensive defenseman, which is why his 20 point output came as a bit of a surprise, setting career highs in goals, assists, and points despite playing no power play time. Playing on the offensively-loaded Wild helped Merrill in that quest, and he also got to make the playoffs, though Minnesota was knocked out in the first round by St. Louis. Merrill played this season at a salary of just $850,000, but the Wild liked him enough to ink him to an extension worth $1.2 M annually for the next three seasons. Expect him to be a fixture of Minnesota's third pair for the next few years. 

[Bill Rapai]

JT Compher, LW, Colorado Avalanche: Compher is a middle six winger for the Avalanche, playing 16 minutes per night on one of the best teams in the NHL. He scored a career high 18 goals and 33 points, while getting to feature a tiny bit on the PP, even though he remains more known for the defense than the offense. Every team needs solid role players like Compher, although his $3.5 M annual salary is a little higher than his true value. At age 27, this is Compher at his peak more or less.  

Luke Glendening, C, Dallas Stars: Glendening was in the group of players who played all 82 games this past season, doing it for the Dallas Stars in his first season away from the Red Wings. Glendening is a low event center who provides very little offense but is known for his penalty killing ability and faceoff prowess (58.7% in the dot this season). In that way, he fit the dull and defense-first Stars, who were eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday by Calgary. Glendening will be entering his 10th NHL season this fall at age 33, and has another year remaining on his contract at $1.5 M. 

Andrew Cogliano, LW, San Jose Sharks/Colorado Avalanche: Cogliano's lengthy NHL career rolls along, in the final stages of year #15 (!), and due to his iron man ability to stay consistently healthy, Cogliano has already played 1,140 regular season NHL games. He now ranks 167th on the all-time games played list and can climb further if he gives it one more go next season, turning 35 this June. Cogliano signed with the Sharks in the offseason but was predictably flipped to a contender at the deadline, currently suiting up with the Avs. He hasn't been much of an offensive producer in four years, but he can still hack it as a bottom six forward, which is his role in Colorado. For the Avs, he's typically been the 13th forward and watching playoff games from the press box. 

Jack Johnson, D, Colorado Avalanche: Also on the Avalanche and also in the later stages of a long NHL career is Jack Johnson, who is also finishing up his 15th full season (and 16th total). Johnson has been whatever the opposite of an analytics darling is for awhile now, but he continues to find ways to get into NHL games, logging 74 this year for the Avalanche after dealing with injuries last season. He has been scratched for the playoffs, but if the Avs continue to advance, it feels possible he could get into a game at some point. Johnson was paid the veteran's minimum $750,000 this season and at 35, this is close to the end of the line. That said, I'm willing to guess he gets one more contract with somebody next summer, given that defensemen are always at a premium. 

[JD Scott]

The Fringe Guys 

Here we have players who are half in the NHL and half in the AHL, either young players who are still trying to fully break into the best league in the world, or veterans who have leveled out as what we would call AAAA caliber players. 

Greg Pateryn, D, Anaheim Ducks: Pateryn is in the latter category, a classic AAAA player, stuck between the NHL and the AHL. He logged 35 games for the San Diego Gulls of the AHL and 10 games for the Anaheim Ducks, while spending many more being scratched by the Ducks waiting for his turn. He's played 290 NHL games over nine NHL seasons, and plenty more in the AHL as well. Pateryn is a defensive defenseman who isn't asked to produce much offense no matter which league he's playing in and at 31, he's simply a player who is happy to still have a job playing professional hockey. 

Jack LaFontaine*, G, Carolina Hurricanes: JLF is a sorta Wolverine, also playing for the Minnesota Golden Gophers after leaving Michigan. LaFontaine started the season still in the NCAA but then was signed midseason by the Hurricanes, who were in a sudden goalie crunch. JLF got to play two games and did very poorly, but few could blame him that after being thrown into the fire. He then went down to the AHL and played in 13 for the Chicago Wolves, going 4-3-4 with an .885 SV%. Not exactly what you want to see, but he was just getting his feet wet in pro hockey. Next season's performance in the AHL will be more telling of where the 24-year-old goalie stacks up. 

[JD Scott]

Will Lockwood, RW, Vancouver Canucks: Lockwood got his first real spin in the NHL this season, playing 13 games for the Canucks (after playing two in 2020-21), but he is still in search of his first point. Lockwood was called up to be a replacement for Tyler Motte after his trade, but was not quite ready for that role. He also played 46 games down in the AHL for Abbotsford, scoring 25 points. If he is able to make it in the NHL, it will be because of similar traits to a guy like Hagelin, a speed and penalty killing combination. 

Cam York, D, Philadelphia Flyers: York is in a different classification of sorts from Lockwood and JLF, being a former first round pick and top prospect. He played the first half of the season (34 games) for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL, scoring 12 points, before being called up to the NHL and the Flyers. I can't say I saw much of York in the NHL because the Flyers were abject and I respect my own health, but the analytical impacts were adequate at even strength over an average of 19 minutes per night. York got to play on the PP and scored 10 points total in his 30 game NHL trial. I would expect him to play the full season in the NHL next year. 

[James Coller]

The Newbies 

This is the group that just left the program at the end of the season and dipped their toes in at the end of the season. I will give just a 1-2 sentence summary on how each guy did, as no one played more than ten games: 

- Owen Power: Logged 8 games and a whopping 22 minutes per night for Buffalo, scoring 3 points, and should be in the NHL full time next season. 

- Matty Beniers: Scored an excellent 9 points in 10 games for Seattle and looked ready for the NHL. Beniers should be a rookie of the year contender next season. 

- Thomas Bordeleau: Played 8 games for the Sharks, scoring five assists (no goals), and made several highlight reel plays. I'd expect him to be mostly with the Sharks next year, and he is currently playing in the World Championships for Team USA. 

- Kent Johnson: Scored 3 points in 9 games for Columbus, but also did not score a goal. He will be in the NHL full-time next year, and is currently playing in the World Championships for Team Canada. 

- Nick Blankenburg: Blanks got to score 3 points (including his first goal) in 7 games with Columbus at the end of the season. I would think he splits time between the NHL and AHL next season, and is joining Bordeleau on Team USA at the World Championships right now. 

[James Coller]

Minor Leaguers From The Past 

Here we have guys who, at this point, are never going to be everyday NHLers, but I wanted to shout them out for their minor league achievements. I also included Strauss Mann here, who could become an NHLer, but who didn't fit in any of the other categories as presently established. 

- Cooper Marody: He's settled in as one of the top players in the AHL, scoring nearly a point per game for Bakersfield for the second straight season, while getting the occasional game or two in the NHL with Edmonton. 

- Strauss Mann: Mann played this season over in Sweden in the SHL and had a great year with Skellefteå AIK. He posted a .914 SV% and was in the top five in most goaltending categories in that league. Mann also played at the Olympics for Team USA and his efforts earned him a contract with the Sharks at the end of the season though he didn't make his debut. I presume he will play some in the AHL before he gets a shot in the NHL. He is also on Team USA over in the World Championships right now. 

- Jake Slaker: Slaker is a notch below Marody, a guy who lights up the ECHL but isn't quite able to hack it in the AHL. He scored 41 points in 42 games with the Kalamazoo Wings, but only one point in 13 games in the AHL with Cleveland. 

- Luke Martin: It may surprise some to learn that Martin scored 43 points in the ECHL this season after never being a high-scoring defenseman at Michigan. He has leveled out in the tier with Slaker, a good ECHL player who isn't a true AHLer. 

[Eric Upchurch]

- Nick Pastujov: Also in this group of excellent ECHLers is the eldest Pastujov, who scored 53 points in 48 games for Kansas City, but was not able to get much traction in the AHL with Ontario or Rochester. 

- Joe Cecconi: The former Michigan captain is a solid AHL defenseman, playing the full season with the Texas Stars, getting into 65 games and scoring 16 points. 

- Nick Boka: Boka is now an AHL/ECHL tweener, playing roughly 20 games in both leagues, but unsurprisingly far more offensively productive in the ECHL. Boka has also established himself as a Tough Guy, racking up 122 PIM in 44 games (!) in 2020-21 in the ECHL, and 138 PIM in 44 games (!!) across the two leagues this season. 

- Griffin Luce: Another defenseman from this era of Michigan Hockey who has found a role as a defensive stalwart in the AHL is Luce, who played 45 games for the Springfield Thunderbirds, and in typical Luce fashion, scored just four points. 

- Brendan Warren: Though he was never a big piece at Michigan, Warren has carved out a role as an everyday checking line winger in the AHL with the Rochester Americans, playing 51 games this season and scoring six points. 

- Jacob Hayhurst: He only played one season at Michigan, but Hayhurst has ended up in the tier with Slaker and Pastujov as a stellar ECHL player, scoring 48 points in 65 games, while getting a small taste of AHL action. 

- Alex Kile: The oldest name on this list, Kile is still hanging around as an AHL/ECHL tweener, playing a little bit in both leagues. He lit up the ECHL with Maine in 11 games, but was not terribly productive in 27 games with Lehigh Valley.