While UConn men’s hockey is dealing with significant turnover at forward, it returns a veteran group of defensemen on the blue line.
Departures
UConn lost three blue-liners from last season. Ryan Wheeler and Jarrod Gourley both graduated and turned pro while Carter Berger transferred to Western Michigan. All three saw significant action — Wheeler played in every game while Gourley and Berger each missed one apiece — and contributed to varying degrees.
Wheeler capped off his career with a stellar senior season. He and Harrison Rees formed the Huskies’ steadiest defensive pairing as they were first and second on the team in blocked shots (Rees had 49, Wheeler had 42) and Wheeler had the fewest penalty minutes of any defenseman, with six.