59 Teams in 59 Days Michigan Tech

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Houghton, Michigan where the Michigan Tech Huskies are featured.

The Huskies were once known as one of the powers in college hockey. Now they have become a laughing stock in the country.

This years version looks like a laughing stock. Jamie Russel's record at Tech is 23-75-15 in three years. I say he is certianly looking for anyone to step up this year to help him out.

The top two leading scorers are gone for Tech in Chris Conner and Brian Schwartz, the only two players who had 10+ goals and 20+ points on the team. Right now I don't think anyone on the team can replace that. Senior defensemen Lars Helminen, Senior forward Taggart Desmet, and Junior forward Tyler Shelast are the top three leading returning scorers. Combined they only scored 18 goals and had 36 assists for 54 points.

Defensivley the Huskies were young last year, so therefore they should improve slightly. Helminen will lead the defense, with Geoff Kinrade, Mark Malekoff, Jake Wilkens, and John Schwarz helping him out. Then the last defensive spot will be fought out between Sophomore Mike VanWagner, and incoming Freshman Drew Dobson. Expect the Huskies to be a little better defesivley.

Sophomore Michael-Lee Teslak will be the number one goaltender again this year. If the Huskies defense improve than his numbers will certianly be better than last year. There is a lot of potential in him the question is can he live up to it the next few years?

Overall look for Michigan Tech to struggle on offense. The defense will be their main focus as well it should be.

The predicted ceiling for Michigan Tech is eighth in the WCHA, while the gutter is 10th.

Tommorrow the Minnesota Golden Gophers will be featured. Many people think this is the best team out west and also the best Freshman class in the country led by the number one draft pick in this years draft in Erik Johnson. Can the Gophers rebound from that upset loss to Holy Cross in last year's tournament? Find out tommorrow as the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour in Minneapolis.