Offense Sells Tickets; Defense Wins Championships

 

Monday I gave my prediction of the line combinations we’ll see up front for the University of North Dakota this winter.  Now it’s time for the defense!  This is an exciting time for the hockey team.  Brad Berry has returned to the coaching staff after being a defense coach in the NHL the last few years.  Fans are expecting big things out of the defenders with Berry behind the bench.  Let’s take a look…

Returners

Andrew MacWilliam (SR)
Derek Forbort  (JR)
Nick Mattson  (SO)
Dan Senkbeil  (SO)
Joe Gleason  (SR)
Andrew Panzarella  (SO)
Dillon Simpson (JR)

 

Incoming

Jordan Schmaltz (FR)

 

This is shaping up to be one of the toughest bluelines in the league.  They are returning six defensemen that logged plenty of minutes last season (Senkbeil logged minutes as well, but played forward).  They only have to get one freshman adjusted and he is a 1^st round draft pick and arguably the top incoming defenseman in the WCHA (Schmaltz).  He is a highly touted offensive-defenseman who looks to add depth to an already very good defense.  Throw in the addition of Brad Berry’s expertise and this is not going to be a fun group for opposing forwards to play against. 

First Pairing:  MacWilliam/Mattson

Mac is going to be logging a lot of minutes this year.  He’s one of the best shut-down defensemen in the league and he’s the type of big, bruising defenseman that Brad Berry loves.  Pair him with Mattson who had an impressive freshman campaign and this is a solid top pairing.

Second Pairing:  Forbort/Schmaltz

This is the 1^st round pair.  It’s tough to call two first round draft picks your second pairing, but Schmaltz will have to adjust to the WCHA tempo.  With that in mind, he won’t be going up against other teams top lines to start the season.  Forbort is one player that will benefit immensely from Berry joining the staff and he should have a fantastic year.

Third Pairing:  Gleason/Simpson

Listing these two guys as a third pairing shows just how deep this group is.  Gleason has played a ton of minutes at both defense and forward, but I assume as a senior they’ll be using him at his natural position.  Dillon Simpson had a solid sophomore year last season after getting stronger and more experience.  He’s another one that could greatly benefit from Berry’s coaching.

 

Extras:  Dan Senkbeil and Andrew Panzarella

Panzarella got a ton of experience last year in the injury-plagued line-up, but I don’t see him cracking the top 6 when the rest are healthy.  That being said, he showed great improvement last season and the coaching staff will feel perfectly comfortable with him in the line-up if an illness or injury happens.  Senkbeil played forward last season so we could see him playing forward or defense depending on injuries.  He’s a heart and soul type of guy that’s going to give his all in whatever position he’s put in.

 

Friday’s post will deal with the most important position on the ice, the goaltenders.  They lost Aaron Dell to the ECHL, but we’ll take a look at the two promising tenders that will be competing for the top spot this season.  Whichever one it is, he will have the benefit of having one of the deepest defensive corps in the league.