The 2020–21 Michigan Wolverines men's hockey team was the Wolverines' 99th season. They represented the University of Michigan in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season. The team was coached by Mel Pearson, in his fourth year as head coach, and played their home games at Yost Ice Arena. The Wolverines received an at-large bid to the 2021 NCAA Tournament, however, they were removed from the tournament due to positive COVID-19 test results within the program.
During the 2019–20 ice hockey season, Michigan went 18–14–4, including 11–10–3–2 in Big Ten play in a shortened season that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of North Dakota's players would lose a season of play.[2] However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.[3]
| Jacob Hayhurst | Forward | Graduation (signed with Greenville Swamp Rabbits) | ||
| Hayden Lavigne | Goaltender | Graduation (signed with Birmingham Bulls) | ||
| Forward | Graduation (signed with Vancouver Canucks) | |||
| Griffin Luce | Defenseman | Graduation (signed with Rapid City Rush) | ||
| Luke Martin | Defenseman | Graduation (signed with Greenville Swamp Rabbits) | ||
| Emil Öhrvall | Forward | Transferred to Sacred Heart | ||
| Jack Olmstead | Forward | Transferred to Miami | ||
| Nick Pastujov | Forward | Graduation (signed with Kansas City Mavericks) | ||
| Jake Slaker | Forward | Graduation (signed with Greenville Swamp Rabbits) | ||
| Shane Switzer | Defenseman | Graduation (signed with Tulsa Oilers) | ||
| Adam Winborg | Forward | Graduation (signed with Segeltorps IF) |
| Forward | 17 | Hingham, MA | |||
| Forward | 18 | Houston, TX
| |||
| Forward | 18 | Manhattan Beach, CA
| |||
| Josh Groll | Forward | 19 | San Diego, CA | ||
| Steve Holtz | Defenseman | 21 | White Lake, MI | ||
| Forward | 17 | Port Moody, BC | |||
| Philippe Lapointe | Forward | 20 | Hinsdale, IL | ||
| Goaltender | 20 | Göteborg, SWE
| |||
| Defenseman | 17 | Mississauga, ON | |||
| Jacob Truscott | Defenseman | 18 | Fort Gratiot, MI
|
As of September 1, 2020[4]
| 4th | ||||
| Associate head coach | 4th | |||
| Assistant Coach | 2nd | |||
| Volunteer Assistant Coach | 2nd | |||
| Program Assistant | 3rd | |||
| Rick Bancroft | Director of Hockey Operations | 3rd | ||
| Joe Maher | Head Strength and Conditioning Coach | 8th | ||
| Reference:[5] | ||||
|-!colspan=12 style=";" | Regular season|- style="background:#bbbbbb"| March 10| TBA| at Michigan State|| Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI (Rivalry)| colspan=5 rowspan=1 style="text-align:center"|Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[6] |-!colspan=12 style=";" | |-!colspan=12 style=";" | |- style="background:#bbbbbb"| March 26| 4:00 PM| vs. #9 Minnesota Duluth| align=center|#8| Scheels Arena • Fargo, ND (Regional semifinals)| ESPNU| colspan=5 rowspan=1 style="text-align:center"|Cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols[7]
See main article: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey rankings.
| Poll | Week | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 (Final) | ||||
| USCHO.com | 12 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | — | 9 | |||
| USA Today | 12 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | |||
| Thomas Bordeleau | Tim Taylor Award | [9] |
| Cameron York | AHCA West First Team All-American | [10] |
| Cameron York | Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year | [11] |
| Thomas Bordeleau | Big Ten Freshman of the Year | |
| Cameron York | Big Ten First Team | |
| Thomas Bordeleau | Big Ten Second Team | |
| Strauss Mann | ||
| Owen Power | ||
| Matty Beniers | Big Ten Freshman Team | |
| Thomas Bordeleau | ||
| Kent Johnson | ||
| Owen Power | ||
Michigan had four players selected in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Brendan Brisson was drafted in the first-round, becoming the 25th first-round NHL Draft selection for Michigan, which leads all NCAA teams.[12] [13] Michigan had three players drafted in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Owen Power became the first Wolverine to be drafted first overall.[14]
| 1 | 1 | Buffalo Sabres | |||
| 1 | 2 | Seattle Kraken | |||
| 1 | 5 | Columbus Blue Jackets | |||
| 1 | 29 | Vegas Golden Knights | |||
| 2 | 38 | San Jose Sharks | |||
| 4 | 120 | Ethan Edwards | New Jersey Devils | ||
| 5 | 144 | Jacob Truscott | Vancouver Canucks |