Michigan hockey will begin its 2024-25 season on Friday night with a two-game home series against Minnesota State. The Mavericks have been no stranger to the NCAA Tournament, having appeared in three of the four brackets since the 2020 season, when there was no tournament held.

The Wolverines, however, are well acquainted with the NCAA Tournament themselves. Brandon Naurato's team has been to three straight Frozen Fours, but it has failed to qualify for the National Championship Game in each of the three seasons.

According to Naurato, who met with members of the media prior to the start of the season, Michigan is focused on playing as challenging a schedule as possible. Naurato doesn't believe in beating up on inferior opponents to boost the PairWise ranking, but instead, he says, the team learns through the failures and successes of facing tough opponents.

"We want to play the best competition that we can as much as we can," Naurato said. "I'm not trying to build a schedule to find a way to win this game or have a chance to win this game to make the tournament. I think if you want to be the best team in the country, you've got to play the best, and you've got to learn and grow through some failure and learn and grow through some success. So we want to play the best competition we can all the time."

The challenging schedules the past three seasons have proven extremely beneficial for Michigan late in the season. When it mattered most, the Wolverines won the games that mattered most in their season. Of course, Naurato and many players would agree the team needs to break through and win a national championship, but the tribulations that the tough schedule presents clearly bode well for the team in the end.

In order to not only appear in a fourth consecutive Frozen Four but make it to the National Championship Game, Naurato says he'll be calling upon new names to step into increased roles.

"We need guys to step up with all the turnover year after year," Naurato said. "Seventeen NHL contracts and guys that have graduated in the last three years, it feels like every year when you're at this point, you're like, 'Who's that gonna be?'"

"The cool thing is there was a lot of injuries last year. [This year], guys are healthy. Guys have something to prove. Guys are looking for elevated roles. New guys are in; they've got something to prove. It's been awesome. The team's clicking; they've been working really hard. We aren't expecting to be perfect for day one, but just really excited to see where we're at."

As for the returning players, Naurato is counting on them to keep everyone accountable, knowing that after three straight trips to the national semifinal, a fourth appearance is anything but a given.

"I think they know how hard it is, especially the returners. It's not a given. We can talk about taking that next step and getting over the hump, but we've got to find a way to do what we did to earn the opportunity to get back to that spot. ... We're just trying to get together as a group and find our identity as much as we can before we're at the first game, and then we'll just kind of see where we're at and constantly make adjustments."

Michigan opens the season ranked No. 7 in the national poll, and it was picked to finish third in the Big Ten, behind Michigan State and Minnesota. Naurato touched on the turnover from last season to now, so below is a comprehensive update of where the roster stands heading into the season opener.

The 2024-25 season will commence at 7 p.m. at Yost Ice Arena against Minnesota State. B1G+ will air the game.

F Frank Nazar III

Just two days after Michigan's season ended in St. Paul, Minnesota, in the Frozen Four, Nazar III signed with the Chicago Blackhawks. The signing officially ended his tenure at Michigan.

F Gavin Brindley

Brindley wasn't as quick to sign his NHL contract (with the Columbus Blue Jackets), but the Big Ten Player of the Year ultimately ended up forgoing his remaining two seasons of eligibility in favor of the professional route.

D Dylan Duke

Duke signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning after three years in Ann Arbor.

D Seamus Casey

Casey waited longer than almost any other Michigan player to announce an official decision, but he's off to the NHL as the New Jersey Devils welcomed Casey to the professional ranks via a social media post.

In his two years at Michigan, Casey tallied 74 points (15 goals, 59 assists). He appeared in two Frozen Fours with the Wolverines. He is now playing alongside former Michigan teammate Luke Hughes in New Jersey.

F Rutger McGroarty

It appeared as if McGroarty would return to Michigan for his junior season, but the 6-foot-2, 200-pound forward was traded from the Winnipeg Jets to the Pittsburgh Penguins, which allowed him to sign a three-year entry-level deal.

The late August signing was a major blow to Michigan, which was under the impression McGroarty would be one of the biggest contributors for the 2024-25 season.

D Jacob Truscott

Michigan hockey announced on Wednesday, April 17, that Jacob Truscott will return to Michigan for his fifth season. The captain's return to the program is a huge addition for the Wolverines heading into 2024-25.

F T.J. Hughes

On Thursday, April 18, Michigan also announced the return of junior forward T.J. Hughes. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward has totaled 84 points (32 goals, 52 assists) in his two seasons at Michigan.

Hughes will be a big piece for Michigan this season.

F Philippe Lapointe

The Michigan Hockey program has announced that senior forward Philippe Lapointe is returning to school for his fifth and final year of his collegiate career. The 24-year-old totaled seven points (one goal, six assists) last season as a senior.

In his time at Michigan, he's tallied 18 points. He served as an alternate captain in 2023-24, and he will bring a high level of experience back to Ann Arbor.

G Logan Stein

Ferris State's Logan Stein has committed to Michigan. The fifth-year senior had a .910 save percentage and a 2.90 goals allowed average last season with the Bulldogs. Ferris State finished 63rd in the PairWise rankings out of 64 teams.

With the departures of Jake Barczewski and Noah West (who transferred to Ferris State, ironically), Stein will compete with freshman Cameron Korpi for goaltending duties this season.

D Tim Lovell

Lovell arrives in Ann Arbor after three seasons at Arizona State. He began his career at Boston College, but he will now play his fifth season of college hockey at Michigan.

He was a Hobey Baker Award nominee in 2023-24 with 37 total points (five goals, 32 assists).

F William Whitelaw

Whitelaw, a sophomore, hails from Rosemount, Minnesota, and he will arrive in Ann Arbor after one season at Wisconsin. He was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

In his one season with the Badgers, Whitelaw helped the team earn the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Wisconsin was upset by Ohio State in the first round of the conference tournament and the Badgers were then bested by Quinnipiac in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Whitelaw, a 19-year-old, tallied 17 points (10 goals, seven assists) last season for the Badgers.

F Evan Werner

Werner made his pledge to Michigan on Tuesday, May 7. The Flower Mound, Texas, native played his freshman season at Colorado College, where he tallied 19 points (six goals, 13 assists).

He helped the Tigers to a 21-13-3 overall record and an end-of-season ranking of No. 13 in the PairWise rankings. At 21 years of age, Werner brings in more experience than normal for a typical sophomore player.

D Hunter Hady

D Will Felicio

D Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen

F Michael Hage

D Miles Gust

F Christian Humphreys

G Cameron Korpi

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