More changes on the way for Big Ten, college hockey
The Minnesota Wild have a playoff spot all but locked up after rolling past the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, but the offseason is here for the State of (college) Hockey.
Minnesota Duluth nearly rode a late-season surge to the Frozen Four, stalling out in a tight loss to Boston College, while No. 2 overall seed St. Cloud State was upended in the first round by Ferris State.
A pair of regular season champions faltered when it mattered most, as WCHA co-winner Minnesota State and Big Ten champ Minnesota failed to advance after missing out on their conference autobids.
North Dakota, Denver, Boston College and Quinnipiac will battle it out in the Frozen Four, before another season of change takes hold in college hockey.
Notre Dame is on the move once more, Arizona State's search for a permanent home continues and one commissioner has a plan to reenergize the three conference tournaments currently dividing Minnesota hockey fans.
With all of that in mind, here are four storylines to monitor this summer.
Irish on the move
Notre Dame's move to the Big Ten (which won't become official until the 2017-18 season) isn't likely to generate the sort of seismic shift that the league's formation caused, but we're likely to see a bit of movement over the next year regardless.
The Irish are the second "affiliate member" to join the Big Ten on a single-sport basis, joining precedent-setting lacrosse power Johns Hopkins, and its admission opens up a wide range of possibilities for the formerly exclusive group.
Adding independent Arizona State as an affiliate makes the most sense logistically, although the NCHC and WCHA are courting the fledgling Sun Devils as well.
The NCHC would likely attempt to poach a rising WCHA team like Minnesota State or Michigan Tech to accommodate ASU and bring the league to an even 10 teams, while the Big Ten could attempt to add another affiliate like Miami or Nebraska-Omaha in order to round things out.
And while the WCHA presents a slightly more favorable competitive scene for a team that won just three games during its inaugural season, saddling the conference of Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Fairbanks and Alabama Huntsville with another big road trip feels less than ideal.
There's always the possibility that the Big Ten opts to expand on its own terms with a geographically sensible team like Nebraska.
Lincoln's Pinnacle Bank Arena has ice-making capabilities, and can be configured to seat 12,700 hockey fans based on the school's own estimates, while Northwestern and Illinois consistently find their way into the conversation based on the state's growing presence as a hockey power.
Tournament troubles
It was a far cry from the crowds that once flooded downtown St. Paul for the Final Five, as images of sparse crowds and unused upper decks polluted the Big Ten tournament's social media presence.
Across town, the NCHC tournament enjoyed more favorable numbers, as North Dakota, SCSU and UMD descended on Minneapolis, but large swaths of empty seats were still the norm when SCSU and UMD squared off in the championship game.
Fortunately, WCHA commissioner Bill Robertson told WCCO that he is pitching the three leagues on a solution.
Robertson's big idea -- appropriately dubbed "The Big Idea" -- proposes a quasi-return to the three leagues' glory days, a unified approach that would bring all three tournaments back to the Twin Cities.
To be clear, Robertson isn't calling for a single tournament, but rather a marketing alliance of sorts, one in which the three leagues would coordinate game times, locations and marketing around a single weekend.
Big Ten deputy commissioner Brad Traviolia has indicated that his organization is exploring such a plan, and while the NCHC hasn't struggled quite as much to drum up interest, commissioner Josh Fenton expressed interest as well.
Bounce-back Gophers
The Gophers bowed out in the Big Ten title game with a loss to Michigan, and must now deal with a trio of high-profile losses heading into next season.
Juniors Hudson Fasching, Michael Brodzinsky and Nick Seeler have already bolted for the pros, leaving Minnesota with vacancies both up front and on the blue line.
Meanwhile, junior Justin Kloos remains a flight risk as an undrafted free agent despite his small frame, and could be an attractive option for an NHL club looking to add speed up front.
Fortunately, help is on the way.
Early signees Ryan Lindgren, Sam Rossini, Ryan Zuhlsdorf, Garrett Wait and Rem Pitlick are expected to join the Gophers in the fall, a group that figures to make an immediate impact for a Minnesota squad that struggled to meet expectations this year.
Rebuilding Bulldogs
Minnesota Duluth's losses were always going to be significant with eight seniors on the roster, but the Bulldogs' defense took a major hit this week, when sophomore goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Kaskisuo was dominant at times in the NCHC, posting a .923 save percentage and five shutouts during this sophomore campaign, and his absence leaves UMD with a significant hole to fill in net and few immediate options for doing so.
Leading scorers Tony Cameranesi and Austin Farley, as well as top defenseman Andy Welinski, are following Kaskisuo out the door, leaving coach Scott Sandelin with a far weaker roster than the one he started with in October.
Third-string freshman Nick Deery is the only returning goaltender on the roster, while 21 year old Hunter Miska is set to join the Bulldogs after spending a few seasons bouncing between the USNTDP, BCJHL and USHL.
