Some things I have thoughts about
There are only 18 more days until Big Ten hockey starts. 18! Hockey season is just around the corner. I’ve got one more big project coming before then, and I’m also planning a preview series for all of the Big Ten teams, including Arizona State.
But right now, as I work to finish up the aforementioned big project (those of you who follow me on Twitter may have a hint as to what it’s about) I’ve been thinking about a whole bunch of things, none of which really warrant their own post.
In no particular order of importance, here are some things I have thoughts about.
Johnny Beecher: superstar?
No one asked me to expand on this take when I tweeted it. I’m going to expand on it anyway.
Above is a clip from Beecher’s second goal of the game at Penn State in January — and what you can’t tell from this angle is that he put the puck in the upper right corner of the net.
Yes, it’s a 5v3, but the skill still jumps out. By the offensive blueline, he’s got two defenders coming at him and he just goes right past them. It feels like Beecher pulled off a move like that almost once a game — and he scored at least one or two more goals like that, too. I simply haven’t seen that many 6-foot-3 players who can skate like Beecher can.
It’s dramatic to say it’s McDavid-esque, but I’m not going to say there aren’t some similarities. How many times have we seen Connor McDavid get the puck in his own end, gain speed on the outside and then cut hard to the net?
Beecher finished second on the team with 9 goals and tied for fourth in total points with 16. Only two goals and one assist came on the power play, and Beecher largely played on the second power play unit. He also played through two injuries that I know of — an upper-body injury in late November and a broken right thumb in mid-February.
There are a bunch of numbers I could pull out or intelligent commentary I could make about how Beecher grew into a larger role at Michigan than he’d had at the NTDP, but I’ll keep this simple. Every time I watched him, he did something — or multiple somethings — that blew me away.
He’s big, he skates at a very high level, he plays with an edge, and he’s got incredible upside offensively. At worst, he’s a very good bottom six forward in the NHL. At best? You already know what I think.
Preseason polls
As a general concept, I find preseason polls pretty meaningless. It’s hard to project how a team will perform in a given year, and I find most of these polls base their projections on how a team performed the previous year. Regardless, they give us something to talk about, which is always fun.
USCHO’s preseason poll came out Monday. Michigan ranks 12th, which is third among Big Ten teams. Penn State leads Big Ten teams at ninth, and Ohio State is next at 10th. Minnesota is 14th, Arizona State is 15th, Notre Dame is 20th, Wisconsin received the fifth-most points in the “others receiving votes” category and Michigan State received no votes.
There’s already some discussion that 12th, and by extension third in the Big Ten, is too low for Michigan given the amount of talent it added to the roster. I haven’t yet done a deep dive into the other Big Ten teams, but I feel confident stating that Michigan added the most talent across the roster. However, that doesn’t always translate into success, as we saw with Wisconsin last year. I don’t think that same issue will happen with these Wolverines, which is perhaps a topic for a deeper dive later on.
At this point, I think 12th for a team that finished 18-14-4 last year and only really got good starting in January is a very fair placement and may even be a little generous. Michigan may have the most talent of anyone in the Big Ten, but it’s also probably the most unproven. It’s going to be a fun year.
Covering sports during a pandemic
I have a lot of conflicting thoughts about sports being played right now, particularly by amateur collegiate athletes. On one hand, I love sports and I also need them to be happening so that I have a job. On the other hand, ethically, I have questions about unpaid athletes assuming even greater risks to their health than they already do.
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how I want to handle covering this hockey season. What I’ve settled on is this: I dearly hope that everyone involved stays safe and there aren’t positive tests, from the players and coaches down to the support staff on each team and the staff at each rink. I, as a rule, will not be naming anyone who may test positive. I may reconsider that rule in specific situations, but as a blanket statement, I don’t feel it’s necessary.
As far as the actual games go, I plan to have weekly coverage of Michigan and the rest of the Big Ten as the season gets going — and I hope to touch on other teams throughout college hockey as much as I can. If that sounds like something you’re interested in, please subscribe!
A serious note
The news about the Arizona Coyotes’ fourth-round draft pick and his horrific history of abuse toward his developmentally disabled, Black classmate, Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, is incredibly disturbing. I want to make one thing clear: Saying “hockey is for everyone” is meaningless when teams are willing to draft players with this kind of history. It’s unacceptable, disgusting and disappointing.
Black Girl Hockey Club is an excellent organization working to disrupt racism in hockey. Their work is difficult — and it is essential. I donated what I could, and I’ve also taken their Get Uncomfortable pledge. I encourage you all to join me. Let’s make hockey a better, more welcoming place — and make it for everyone, for real.