Michigan HockeyCast 8.25: Apple, Banana, Caffeine

1 Hour and 37 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1
Which NHL match-up are you most excited for? Ottawa vs Carolina is intriguing. Avs vs Kings will probably be non-competitive and un-watchable. 

Evaluating the offense:

TJ Hughes - Hobey Baker level season. 
Jayden Perron - Dramatically exceeded expectations. Led the team offensively in the post-season. 
Nick Moldenhauer - Previously minimal production, huge breakout season.
Michael Hage - High-end playmaker, season cut short due to injury. 
Malcolm Spence - Up-and-down freshman season, started hot. 
Adam Valentini - Limited in size but played a bigger role as the season progressed.
Cole McKinney - Strong in faceoffs but underwhelming offensive production. 
Will Horkoff - Highly productive, highly streaky. 
Aidan Park - Depth freshman, lacked consistent impact.
Keenan Draper - Praised for role mastery, leadership, and penalty-kill value.
Josh Earnesty - Depth player who improved on offense and defense.
Kayson Musket - Exceeded expectation in limited minutes. 
Teddy Spitznagel - No meaningful playing time before leaving the program.
 

Segment 2
Evaluating the defense and goalies:

Luca Fantilli - Unexpected breakout senior year. Became a reliable leader.
Tyler Duke - High effort and physical despite his size. Took too many penalties.
Ben Robertson - Dependable, steady presence on the blue line.
Garrett Shifsky - Elevated his game late in the season, gets a special shout out.
Drew Schock - Limited as a freshman, grew throughout the season.
Dakota Raemel - Inconsistent with turnovers.
Asher Barnett - Excellent as a freshman.

Everyone else didn't contribute enough to get a fair grade.

Jack Ivankovic - Delivered high-level all season when not hurt.
Steven Peck - Exceeded expectations as a backup.

 
MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "One Thing Leads To Another" -- The Fixx
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme