Published Oct 11, 2022
Seventeen former Wolverines appear on opening day NHL rosters
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Brock Heilig  •  Maize&BlueReview
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@brockheilig

The NHL began its season on Tuesday, and 17 former Wolverines appeared on an opening day roster.

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Not included in the graphic that the Michigan Hockey team tweeted was Phil Di Giuseppe, who will begin the season on the IR with the Vancouver Canucks.

Headlining the list of names are second-year pros Owen Power, Nick Blankenburg, Kent Johnson and Matty Beniers. Power, Johnson and Beniers were the story of the 2021 NHL Draft, when the three teammates were all selected within the top-five overall picks of the draft.

Other noteworthy names on the list include hometown players Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp. Larkin was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft and has been there ever since.

Copp, however, has bounced around more than Larkin. The Ann Arbor native was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2013 NHL Draft and spent nearly eight full seasons with the Jets before being traded to the New York Rangers where he finished the 2021-22 season. He then signed with the Red Wings as a free agent back on July 13.

Kyle Connor, JT Compher and Tyler Motte, which made up what was formerly known as the CCM line, also appeared on their respective teams.

The trio combined for 83 goals and 190 points during the 2015-16 season. All three started all 38 games for Red Berenson's 2015-16 Wolverines.

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