September 6, 2023
GO RED | Simon Fraser University to take on University of Michigan Wolverines this September
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BURNABY – The Simon Fraser University Red Leafs Hockey Program is thrilled to announce the addition of the University of Michigan Wolverines to our 2023.24 non-conference schedule.
The Red Leafs will travel to Ann Arbor to take on the #3 nationally ranked Michigan Wolverines on September 30th, 2023 at the historic Yost Ice Arena on the University of Michigan campus. This will be the first time in each program’s history that the teams will face each other.
“SFU hockey aims to go beyond the club level and compete at the NCAA level,” says forward Nick Wicks, who joined the Red Leafs program from NCAA Div. 1 Clarkson University in 2022. “We’re a determined team that wants to compete at the highest level possible; we believe in our group and the abilities of both the players and staff members.”
The University of Michigan Wolverines hockey program, established in 1922, has consistently been one of the top destinations for elite hockey talent at the NCAA level. Appearing in 40 NCAA tournaments and advancing to the Frozen Four 27 times, the Wolverines hold 9 NCAA titles, winning the very first NCAA Hockey Championship in 1948 and the most of any NCAA D1 Hockey program, with their most recent coming in 1998. The program has graduated 174 NHL draft picks dating back to 1969, including Marty Turco, Jacob Trouba, Tyler Motte, Dylan Larkin, Quinn and Luke Hughes, Kent Johnson, Owen Power, Matty Beniers, and Adam Fantilli.
The 2023.24 Michigan Wolverines will be looking to return to the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year, and the Frozen Four for a third straight year after bowing out in the semi-finals to the eventual champions Denver University in 2022 and Quinnipiac University in 2023. While the team won’t have 2023 NHL Draft third overall pick Adam Fantilli, the current roster (barring any changes) still consists of nine NHL Draft selections, including Rutger McGroarty (Winnipeg Jets, 2022 first round pick), Frank Nazar III (Chicago Blackhawks, 2022 first round pick), and Jacob Truscott (Vancouver Canucks, 2020 fifth round pick).