By Bob Miller The Wolverine
University life, both in and out of the classroom, is a fundamental building ground for students to take lessons learned into actual life and work experiences as they make their way into the post-graduate world.
Course work and internships provide theoretical and practical applications of the educational process.
A handful of college students each year experience a unique type of internship in their quest to prepare themselves for a career in professional hockey.
Four Michigan scholarship hockey players, each at a slightly different phase in the process, typify those who seek to take their unique skills at the rink and translate them into a career using those skills. Each player will eventually move on to the development system of the National Hockey League (NHL) team which has drafted him
Junior forward Cristoval 'Boo' Nieves is in his third year in Michigan's hockey program. Nieves, drafted in the second round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Rangers, has this current 2014-2015 season and one more of college eligibility left before he heads out into the world of pro hockey. After a disappointing sophomore campaign, Nieves has moved from playing center to the wing where he has begun to display the talent level which his elite skating and puck handling skills suggest.
Sophomore forward JT Compher is in his second of potentially four seasons with the Wolverines. Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Compher has already shown the leadership skills to have been named an assistant captain for Michigan in only his second year in the program.
Drafted by his home town Detroit Red Wings 15th overall in the first round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, freshman Dylan Larkin already leads the team in assists and is tied for second overall in team scoring.
Seventeen-year-old Zach Werenski skates with Michigan in his freshman season due to his drive to compete at a higher level. Originally slated to spend this year of development with the US National Team Development program, Werenski dedicated himself to finishing his high school degree requirements a year early by spending his summer completing course work.
The early year of experience and exposure at a high level university hockey program like Michigan will enhance Werenski's chances of being drafted highly in next June's 2015 NHL entry Draft where Werenski is a consensus top 10 first round pick, rated as high as number five overall by International Scouting Services (ISS).
Examining why these high level prospects chose college hockey and Michigan (in particular), how they view their on and off ice development, how they approach their selection in the NHL draft and what recommendations they'd give a young hockey player approaching the college stage of development gives insight into the process of the development of a professional hockey career through college hockey.
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Nieves never was in doubt that college hockey and Michigan were the path he wanted to follow.
"Picking Michigan was an easy decision," started Nieves. "You see the guys that come out of here, the (Mike) Cammalleris, the (Max) Paciorettys, the (Kevin) Porters, the (Matt) Hunwicks. It's really easy to come to a program like this. Red (Berenson) has built it from the bottom up. All the way down the line, Billy (Powers, assistant coach) and Wiseman (Brian, assistant coach), all those guys push us to do our best every day. Any college in general, you're playing against bigger, stronger, faster teams, and especially so at Michigan. We're usually a pretty young team, so we're playing against bigger, older guys. It's a challenge. We always get the other team's best games."
After a positional switch, Nieves hope he has found the key to further improvement in his offensive output.
"Confidence has been my number one key," he continued. "Last year was a tough year for me and I didn't have a lot of confidence. This year feels different. I was moved to wing (from center) and I know coach (Berenson) wants me to take the puck to the net aggressively. I have been and it's been working out for me. Playing with guys like JT (Compher) and Shuart (Max) have definitely made my job easier."
Of his draft back in June, 2012, Nieves said, "It was awesome. New York is one of my favorite cities. So, I was really lucky to get drafted by them (the Rangers). I got good vibes from all the meetings. It was definitely a surreal experience."
Nieves summed up the college hockey experience, saying that "going to college means you definitely have to keep everything balanced. When you have days were you just sit around and wait to play hockey, your minds starts to wander and you're just waiting for it, that's when you let hockey define you.
Red definitely tells us not to let hockey define you. You can be a hockey player without it defining you as a person. Going to class every day, having friends outside the team really helps you have a good social life and a good balance of athletics and academics.
------------
Known for his dogged determination, Compher had no doubts about the path he needed to follow to further his career path, both in hockey and beyond.
"With college, comes education," said Compher. "It's something that's really important to me. I knew that there were different routes, hockey-wise, but education is something I wanted to use. Obviously, Michigan has the great reputation for that.
"I also think that you've seen many players go from college to the pro ranks, especially in recent years. Another benefit is the time you have to develop.
You have four years as opposed to a couple in Major Junior. You have time to develop physically in the weight room and to put on good weight to ready you for professional hockey."
The overall college experience was, and continues to be, a key part in Compher's university life.
"It goes back to education," offered Compher. "You also have the sense of being part of something bigger that you don't get if you're playing in a small town in Canada. Michigan is a huge school. You have over 40,000 people around. At football games, you have over 100,000 people around you. You get the sense of something bigger than just hockey and you can kind of find the time to relax and you can find time to enjoy things that are different than just being on the ice."
------------
Larkin's comments about his concentration points on the ice belies the early offensice prowess he's added to the Wolverine attack.
"You have to get used to the pace of the game, having strength in the corners, staying on your feet and winning battles," said Larkin. "How you play without the puck is important. Everyone coming into college can play with the puck, it's how you play without it that makes the biggest difference."
Playing at Michigan in anticipation of eventually playing in front of Detroit Red Wing fans, Michigan-native Larkin couldn't have had a better draft day experience.
"I could talk all day about that, but it was awesome," Larkin said of last June's NHL Entry Draft. "Leading up to the event, you're pretty nervous. It's a long process and you have all your thoughts from the past year. You think about it a lot. And then, when you get there, it's cool to be there and experience the whole production. It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life."
------------
Like the other three, Werenski had little doubt about where he wanted to play his college hockey.
"I chose Michigan because of the tradition and Coach Berenson," said Werenski. "You come here and see Yost (Arena), how passionate the fans are, all the players before me, the block M. Why not? It's the best pace to be in college hockey to develop as hockey player."
Of accelerating his high school graduation, Werenski said "it was pretty tough. It was a long summer. It was worth it though, so I'm happy about it."
On the ice, Werenski has displayed the offensive skills on the blue line that separate him from others in talent level.
"You're playing against older guys, especially being a freshman," said Werenski of the college game. "Players are stronger and faster. As you get older in hockey, that's what happens. It's good to be exposed to that early. The big crowds are fun as well. It's a pro style of game."
Werenski's path is not the easiest, but has been the right choice for him.
"You have to do whatever is right for you," he said. "I think you have to do what's in your heart. If college isn't your thing, it's not your thing. I love it personally and can only say good things about it. Ultimately, it has to be your decision and you should do what you want to do."
---------
Michigan assistant coach Brian Wiseman knows full well the pressures that a college hockey player faces in trying to advance their careers in professional hockey.o
Of the developmental process, Wiseman said, "Overall, we can talk about the practice to game ratio, the time in the gym which is second to none as far as the developmental experience, for the next level of hockey, pro hockey. I think, more importantly, any of that depends on the maturity process that happens in college for kids 18 to 22 years old. It's a critical time to physically and mentally mature, to get better and grow. With these skill sets that we develop here in practice and games, combining that altogether, there's no other developmental time and place than college hockey to prepare you best for professional hockey."
Himself an NHL draftee and a former Wolverine skater, Wiseman summed up the challenges faced by the players and the coaches who guide their paths through the college experience.
"We have a lot of balance here in our lives as student athletes," said Wiseman. "From academics to what we do here in our athletic arena, to the social life here on campus, you get the overall experience and stresses that all that can create. We have to balance that and we have to manage that so we can be successful and whole as we can. There's no other place that has these stresses, these important things that we have to balance and manage at this point in our lives to prepare us for that next chapter, whether it's in pro hockey or in other professions.
"We recognize that they have lots of demands on them outside of just academics and athletics. There are other demands going on in their lives in this time frame. We recognize that and we respect that. We want to help them develop and be there to help them develop that. That's critical for that next phase in our life, whatever that may be.
"There's no better place than college hockey to develop."
University life, both in and out of the classroom, is a fundamental building ground for students to take lessons learned into actual life and work experiences as they make their way into the post-graduate world.
Course work and internships provide theoretical and practical applications of the educational process.
A handful of college students each year experience a unique type of internship in their quest to prepare themselves for a career in professional hockey.
Four Michigan scholarship hockey players, each at a slightly different phase in the process, typify those who seek to take their unique skills at the rink and translate them into a career using those skills. Each player will eventually move on to the development system of the National Hockey League (NHL) team which has drafted him
Junior forward Cristoval 'Boo' Nieves is in his third year in Michigan's hockey program. Nieves, drafted in the second round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Rangers, has this current 2014-2015 season and one more of college eligibility left before he heads out into the world of pro hockey. After a disappointing sophomore campaign, Nieves has moved from playing center to the wing where he has begun to display the talent level which his elite skating and puck handling skills suggest.
Sophomore forward JT Compher is in his second of potentially four seasons with the Wolverines. Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Compher has already shown the leadership skills to have been named an assistant captain for Michigan in only his second year in the program.
Drafted by his home town Detroit Red Wings 15th overall in the first round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, freshman Dylan Larkin already leads the team in assists and is tied for second overall in team scoring.
Seventeen-year-old Zach Werenski skates with Michigan in his freshman season due to his drive to compete at a higher level. Originally slated to spend this year of development with the US National Team Development program, Werenski dedicated himself to finishing his high school degree requirements a year early by spending his summer completing course work.
The early year of experience and exposure at a high level university hockey program like Michigan will enhance Werenski's chances of being drafted highly in next June's 2015 NHL entry Draft where Werenski is a consensus top 10 first round pick, rated as high as number five overall by International Scouting Services (ISS).
Examining why these high level prospects chose college hockey and Michigan (in particular), how they view their on and off ice development, how they approach their selection in the NHL draft and what recommendations they'd give a young hockey player approaching the college stage of development gives insight into the process of the development of a professional hockey career through college hockey.
--------------------------------
Nieves never was in doubt that college hockey and Michigan were the path he wanted to follow.
"Picking Michigan was an easy decision," started Nieves. "You see the guys that come out of here, the (Mike) Cammalleris, the (Max) Paciorettys, the (Kevin) Porters, the (Matt) Hunwicks. It's really easy to come to a program like this. Red (Berenson) has built it from the bottom up. All the way down the line, Billy (Powers, assistant coach) and Wiseman (Brian, assistant coach), all those guys push us to do our best every day. Any college in general, you're playing against bigger, stronger, faster teams, and especially so at Michigan. We're usually a pretty young team, so we're playing against bigger, older guys. It's a challenge. We always get the other team's best games."
After a positional switch, Nieves hope he has found the key to further improvement in his offensive output.
"Confidence has been my number one key," he continued. "Last year was a tough year for me and I didn't have a lot of confidence. This year feels different. I was moved to wing (from center) and I know coach (Berenson) wants me to take the puck to the net aggressively. I have been and it's been working out for me. Playing with guys like JT (Compher) and Shuart (Max) have definitely made my job easier."
Of his draft back in June, 2012, Nieves said, "It was awesome. New York is one of my favorite cities. So, I was really lucky to get drafted by them (the Rangers). I got good vibes from all the meetings. It was definitely a surreal experience."
Nieves summed up the college hockey experience, saying that "going to college means you definitely have to keep everything balanced. When you have days were you just sit around and wait to play hockey, your minds starts to wander and you're just waiting for it, that's when you let hockey define you.
Red definitely tells us not to let hockey define you. You can be a hockey player without it defining you as a person. Going to class every day, having friends outside the team really helps you have a good social life and a good balance of athletics and academics.
------------
Known for his dogged determination, Compher had no doubts about the path he needed to follow to further his career path, both in hockey and beyond.
"With college, comes education," said Compher. "It's something that's really important to me. I knew that there were different routes, hockey-wise, but education is something I wanted to use. Obviously, Michigan has the great reputation for that.
"I also think that you've seen many players go from college to the pro ranks, especially in recent years. Another benefit is the time you have to develop.
You have four years as opposed to a couple in Major Junior. You have time to develop physically in the weight room and to put on good weight to ready you for professional hockey."
The overall college experience was, and continues to be, a key part in Compher's university life.
"It goes back to education," offered Compher. "You also have the sense of being part of something bigger that you don't get if you're playing in a small town in Canada. Michigan is a huge school. You have over 40,000 people around. At football games, you have over 100,000 people around you. You get the sense of something bigger than just hockey and you can kind of find the time to relax and you can find time to enjoy things that are different than just being on the ice."
------------
Larkin's comments about his concentration points on the ice belies the early offensice prowess he's added to the Wolverine attack.
"You have to get used to the pace of the game, having strength in the corners, staying on your feet and winning battles," said Larkin. "How you play without the puck is important. Everyone coming into college can play with the puck, it's how you play without it that makes the biggest difference."
Playing at Michigan in anticipation of eventually playing in front of Detroit Red Wing fans, Michigan-native Larkin couldn't have had a better draft day experience.
"I could talk all day about that, but it was awesome," Larkin said of last June's NHL Entry Draft. "Leading up to the event, you're pretty nervous. It's a long process and you have all your thoughts from the past year. You think about it a lot. And then, when you get there, it's cool to be there and experience the whole production. It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life."
------------
Like the other three, Werenski had little doubt about where he wanted to play his college hockey.
"I chose Michigan because of the tradition and Coach Berenson," said Werenski. "You come here and see Yost (Arena), how passionate the fans are, all the players before me, the block M. Why not? It's the best pace to be in college hockey to develop as hockey player."
Of accelerating his high school graduation, Werenski said "it was pretty tough. It was a long summer. It was worth it though, so I'm happy about it."
On the ice, Werenski has displayed the offensive skills on the blue line that separate him from others in talent level.
"You're playing against older guys, especially being a freshman," said Werenski of the college game. "Players are stronger and faster. As you get older in hockey, that's what happens. It's good to be exposed to that early. The big crowds are fun as well. It's a pro style of game."
Werenski's path is not the easiest, but has been the right choice for him.
"You have to do whatever is right for you," he said. "I think you have to do what's in your heart. If college isn't your thing, it's not your thing. I love it personally and can only say good things about it. Ultimately, it has to be your decision and you should do what you want to do."
---------
Michigan assistant coach Brian Wiseman knows full well the pressures that a college hockey player faces in trying to advance their careers in professional hockey.o
Of the developmental process, Wiseman said, "Overall, we can talk about the practice to game ratio, the time in the gym which is second to none as far as the developmental experience, for the next level of hockey, pro hockey. I think, more importantly, any of that depends on the maturity process that happens in college for kids 18 to 22 years old. It's a critical time to physically and mentally mature, to get better and grow. With these skill sets that we develop here in practice and games, combining that altogether, there's no other developmental time and place than college hockey to prepare you best for professional hockey."
Himself an NHL draftee and a former Wolverine skater, Wiseman summed up the challenges faced by the players and the coaches who guide their paths through the college experience.
"We have a lot of balance here in our lives as student athletes," said Wiseman. "From academics to what we do here in our athletic arena, to the social life here on campus, you get the overall experience and stresses that all that can create. We have to balance that and we have to manage that so we can be successful and whole as we can. There's no other place that has these stresses, these important things that we have to balance and manage at this point in our lives to prepare us for that next chapter, whether it's in pro hockey or in other professions.
"We recognize that they have lots of demands on them outside of just academics and athletics. There are other demands going on in their lives in this time frame. We recognize that and we respect that. We want to help them develop and be there to help them develop that. That's critical for that next phase in our life, whatever that may be.
"There's no better place than college hockey to develop."
