Bob Motzko finds plenty of reasons for optimism as Gophers men’s hockey season approaches

The college football season kicks off Saturday with a handful of Week Zero games, and do you know what that means? The college hockey season is just around the corner.

With only 6½ weeks until his team opens exhibition play at St. Cloud State, Gophers men’s hockey coach Bob Motzko took stock of his squad Tuesday, and he likes what he sees. A deep and talented group of defensemen, forwards with offensive flair and youngsters with grit have the coach optimistic for the season.

Here are a few story lines to watch:

The defensive trio of Brock Faber, Jackson LaCombe and Ryan Johnson — two second-round NHL picks and a first-rounder — helped the Gophers earn back-to-back NCAA Frozen Four trips and come within a whisker of winning the 2023 national championship before embarking to the pro ranks. Motzko said he believes he might have a better group of defensemen this season.

“I hate to say it, but I don’t think we’re going to miss a beat,” said Motzko, whose team last season advanced to the Sioux Falls Regional final and finished 23-11-5 in their first year since 2000 without Faber, Johnson and LaCombe. “That’s a compliment because of how outstanding that group was. This is the strongest defensive corps in a cycle that I’ve ever been through.”

The group that Motzko praises includes sophomore Sam Rinzel, a first-round Chicago Blackhawks pick; sophomore Luke Mittelstadt, a seventh-round Montreal selection; senior Mike Koster, a fifth-round Toronto pick; and junior Cal Thomas, a sixth-round Arizona pick.

Add in freshmen John Whipple, a fifth-round Detroit pick from the U.S. National Team Development Program, and Leo Gruba, a 6-2, 209-pounder who had 22 goals and 35 assists with Fargo of the USHL last season, and the Gophers will be stacked on the blue line.

“This one’s actually got a little more size, little more nastiness,” Motzko said of his ‘D’ corps.

Motzko hasn’t been one to jump in fully when it comes to using the transfer portal, but the 2024 recruiting cycle provided a couple of opportunities he couldn’t pass up in forward Matthew Wood and goalie Liam Souliere.

Wood, a transfer from Connecticut, brings a 6-4, 200-pound frame and first-round pedigree (Nashville, 2023). An increase from his 16-goal, 12-assist for UConn last season seems likely in Dinkytown. “We’re probably going to get the benefit of him hitting his stride,” Motzko said of the 19-year-old.

Souliere won 31 games over the past two seasons at Penn State and will at least back up Nathan Airey. At 25, Souliere has the experience Motzko sought. “He’s a guy that’s played 100 junior games and 100 college games,” Motzko said.

With the return of Jimmy Snuggerud for his junior season and the addition of Wood, the Gophers could opt for a potent top line centered by Oliver Moore. The wild card up front is the status of Rhett Pitlick, who has one year of eligibility remaining but at 23 might opt for pro hockey. The Montreal Canadiens recently relinquished the rights to Pitlick, who tied for the Gophers’ lead with 36 points last season.

While the Big Ten has yet to announce its 2024-25 schedule, the Gophers revealed their nonconference slate in May. They begin with an Oct. 5 exhibition game at St. Cloud State before opening the season Oct. 11 against Air Force in the Ice Breaker Tournament in Las Vegas. Minnesota will play either Nebraska Omaha or Massachusetts on Oct. 12. After that comes a two-game series at Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 18-19) and home-and-home series against St. Thomas (Oct. 25 at 3M Arena at Mariucci, Oct. 26 at Xcel Energy Center) and Bemidji State (Nov. 14, 16).

“Sometimes, there’s no way to come together quicker than to get on the road and start playing,” Motzko said. “And we’ve got a group that can handle it.”