The best time of the year is back once again — college hockey playoffs! The Detroit Red Wings have a handful of promising prospects playing across the NCAA, and it’s time for them to put their best skates forward to compete for a championship title. Whether it be a conference playoff run or a chance at winning the national title, there is a lot on the line for all these prospects.
Collegiate Red Wings prospects sometimes get lost in the prospect discussion since there is so much exciting talent in leagues across the sea. While you might not have heard of them before, they are all young talented players worth giving some attention to as they make playoff runs. With one weekend of the postseason wrapped up and another one just about to begin, here is a recap of what you may have missed in the world of college hockey.
University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin
Kienan Draper and the Michigan Wolverines had an eventful series against the Wisconsin Badgers. Although Draper didn’t see a second of time on the ice, his team came out victorious after just two games. The first game of the series was a nailbiter that ended up being a 6-5 Wolverines victory in overtime. Game number two could not have been more different, as the Wolverines were clearly the dominant team. Both games had a total of 11 goals apiece, but the second was a final of 7-4 in favor of Michigan.
Sam Stange of Wisconsin opened up scoring for the Badgers and also tallied an assist later in the game. The next game of the series was nowhere near as eventful for him as he recorded one shot on goal through three periods in the 7-4 loss. The Wolverines will be advancing to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament this weekend against Ohio State University, and hopefully, Draper can get in on the action.
University of Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish fell in the first round of the Big Ten tournament to the Michigan State Spartans. Heading into the game, Notre Dame was ranked No. 4 as Michigan State was ranked just below them at No. 5. The series went to three games, with Notre Dame taking the first in a 1-0 victory and then losing the final two 4-2. Jack Adams tallied an assist in game one as well as a goal in the second.
Adams was a 2017 sixth-round pick by the Red Wings and just concluded his sophomore season with the Fighting Irish. He had seven goals and six assists through 32 games this season and was a solid member of the team’s offensive core. With 13 total points, he finished 10th in team scoring and is looking to continue his successes in the 2023-24 season.
Boston University
Ethan Phillips and Boston University swept the Providence College Friars in two games. The first game of the series was much more of a challenge for both teams, as the Terriers emerged victorious by a score of 6-4. To finish off the sweep, Phillips and the Terriers dominated Game 2 in a shutout 2-0 victory.
Phillips did not record any points this past weekend, but he still played a substantial part in the series sweep. This season, he recorded two goals and five assists. He was a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and has played four seasons with the Terriers with one year of eligibility remaining. The Terriers prepare to take on the University of Vermont in the Hockey East Quarterfinal this weekend.
Looking Ahead
The action in college hockey playoffs continues tonight with various riveting matchups. Plenty of Red Wings prospects still have their tournament hopes on the line, and this weekend is the start of it all for some.
University of Denver vs. Miami University (Ohio)
Former Team USA teammates Carter Mazur and Red Savage are going head-to-head in the first round of the NCHC Playoffs. These two both donned the red, white, and blue as alternate captains at the 2023 World Junior Championships this past January. Shai Buium didn’t make the final cut for the WJC roster, but he was very close to making the team. All three were drafted by the Red Wings in the 2021 NHL draft and are now in their sophomore seasons at their respective schools.
Related: Red Wings Prospects Shine in Denver Pioneers’ NCAA Championship
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Buium and Mazur are part of the reigning national championship team and are looking to continue the push for another title this year. The Pioneers have a 28-8-0 record, while the Redhawks are 8-22-4, so this series may be heavily slanted in favor of Denver. In the four regular-season matchups between the teams, Denver emerged victorious in all of them with a combined total of 22 goals opposed to Miami’s two.
Harvard University
Kyle Aucoin and his teammates will be kicking off their playoff run this weekend against Princeton University. Harvard beat Princeton in both regular season contests and is looking to continue that pattern in the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals. Ranked second in the ECAC and sixth in the national polls, there is a good chance that Harvard can make a run for the national championship this year.
As a defensive defenseman, Aucoin is not flashy on the score sheet, with just two assists through the regular season. However, he is very solid in his style of game and doesn’t have any glaring flaws while he’s out on the ice. The son of former NHLer Adrian Aucoin, he lacks the shot that his father had but is working to get to that point someday. As a sophomore, he has plenty of time left to develop at the collegiate level, and it’s definitely the right level for him to be playing at.
With all that said, get ready to kick back and enjoy some college hockey these next few weekends. Sometimes taking a break from NHL action isn’t a bad thing, and there are plenty of good reasons to do so at this point in the collegiate season. Whether it be Mazur and the Pioneers or lesser-known prospects such as Philips and the Terriers, there is no shortage of hockey to watch, and I, for one, cannot wait to see how the NCAA season comes to a close.
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