Ann Arbor — This wasn’t what Red Berenson had hoped.
A year in which the Michigan men's hockey coach was considering retirement, his team won its first Big Ten tournament title and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012.
And then ...
The CCM line — freshman Kyle Connor, and juniors JT Compher and Tyler Motte — decided to leave the program early.
So, too, did defensemen Zach Werenski, a sophomore, and Michael Downing, a junior
Connor (Jets) and Werenski (Blue Jackets) were first-round draft picks. Compher (Avalanche) was a second-rounder, and Motte (Blackhawks) and Downing (Panthers) fourth-rounders.