2022–23 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs
men's ice hockey season
ConferenceT–5th NCHC
Home iceAMSOIL Arena
Rankings
USCHONR
USA TodayNR
Record
Overall16–20–1
Conference10–14–0
Home10–9–0
Road6–11–1
Coaches and captains
Head coachScott Sandelin
Assistant coachesAdam Krause
Cody Chupp
Brant Nicklin
Captain(s)Tanner Laderoute
Alternate captain(s)Luke Loheit
Quinn Olson
Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs men's ice hockey seasons
« 2021–22 2023–24 »

The 2022–23 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs men's ice hockey season was the 79th season of play for the program and 10th in the NCHC. The Bulldogs represented the University of Minnesota Duluth in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season were coached by Scott Sandelin in his 23rd season and played their home games at AMSOIL Arena.

Season

With great deal of roster turnover, particularly on the defense, the Bulldogs were an enigma coming into the season. Gone were 4 of their 6 regulars on the blue line as was last year's starting goalie (Ryan Fanti) and 4 of their top 6 scorers. Coach Sandelin brought in a large recruiting class led by 1st-round pick Isaac Howard to fill the open positions and, despite the uncertainty, UMD was expected to continue its high level of play.[1]

After a good start, Duluth began encountering problems on both sides of the puck. Minnesota Duluth was hamstrung from the start of the season when Kyler Kleven suffered an injury in training camp and ended up missing the entire season. While he wasn't a high offensive producer, Blake Biondi was. The junior winger had led the Bulldogs in goals the year before but came into the season nursing a shoulder injury. He muddled through the first half of the year, collecting just 3 goals in 17 games before reinjuring his shoulder in early December. Biondi ended up having surgery on both shoulders and missed the remainder of the year.[2] Freshman Ben Steeves filled in admirably and led the team with 21 goals, however, he was the only consistent scoring threat that the Bulldogs had.

While UMD suffered with a weakened offense, the team had made its bread and butter on defense and goaltending in recent years. The newcomers on the blueline played well but not quite up to the same standards to which the Bulldogs had grown accustomed. The goaltending, however, became a glaring weakness for the team. Neither Zach Stejskal nor grad transfer Matthew Thiessen played particularly well and the decline in the crease caused Duluth no small measure of problems.

UMD got swept in the second weekend of the season, however, as that came on the road against last year's national runner-up, Minnesota State, no one was ready to hit the 'panic button'. The team's situation grew dire after the following week when they dropped both games at home to Wisconsin, the worst team in the Big Ten. Duluth suddenly found itself at the bottom of the polls with an underperforming roster. The Bulldogs were able to arrest their slide by taking advantage of Cornell in the Big Red's season debut but that reprieve didn't last. Duluth earned a split in four consecutive weeks, however, they faced Colorado College in two separate weekends. The Tigers were one of the weakest teams in the NCHC but still managed to shutout Duluth twice. By the beginning of December the team was going nowhere and, as they sunk further down the national rankings, the program's 7-year run of NCAA tournament appearance was getting ready to end.

When the Bulldogs began the second half of their season, they showed a renewed vigor against Bemidji State but that level of fight didn't last. The team alternated wins and losses in the second half and, though they had some triumphs over strong teams, they weren't able to get their heads above .500. Entering postseason play, UMD had no chance to make the national tournament without first winning the NCHC tournament. While the team had go on the rod in the quarterfinals, they had some measure of good news by getting to play St. Cloud State. While the Huskies were already tournament bound, UMD had taken three out of four meetings between the two during the year and were hoping for a repeat performance. The first match of the series was a defensive struggle with St. Cloud eking out a win in the end. Zach Stejskal turned in a masterful game, stopping 30 shots in the final two periods to lead the Bulldogs to a win. In the deciding game, it began similar to the first with neither team managing to score in the opening period. Luke Loheit's 8th goal gave UMD a lead early in the second, but the Huskies didn't take that lying down. St. Cloud fired 21 shots in the middle frame and found the back of the net three times. Duluth's weak offense wasn't able to overcome the deficit and the Bulldogs' disappointing season came to a close.[3]

Departures

Player Position Nationality Cause
Ben AlmquistForward United StatesTransferred to Alaska Anchorage
Matt AndersonDefenseman United StatesGraduation (signed with South Carolina Stingrays)
Koby BenderForward United StatesGraduation (signed with Bridgeport Islanders)
Noah CatesForward United StatesGraduation (signed with Philadelphia Flyers)
Ryan FantiGoaltender CanadaSigned professional contract (Edmonton Oilers)
Casey GillingForward United StatesGraduation (signed with Esbjerg Energy)
Connor KelleyDefenseman United StatesTransferred to Providence
Jarrett LeeForward United StatesGraduate transfer to St. Thomas
Hunter LelligDefenseman United StatesGraduate transfer to Bowling Green
Brady MeyerForward United StatesLeft program (retired)
Ben PattGoaltender CanadaGraduation (retired)
Louie RoehlDefenseman United StatesGraduation (signed with Wheeling Nailers)
Kobe RothForward United StatesGraduation (retired)
Jake RosenbaumDefenseman United StatesGraduate transfer to American International

Recruiting

Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Kyle BettensForward Canada21Winnipeg, MB
Riley BodnarchukDefenseman Canada21Okotoks, AB
Derek DaschkeDefenseman United States24Troy, MI; graduate transfer from Miami
Aiden DubinskyDefenseman United States18Highland Park, IL
Isaac HowardForward United States18Hudson, WI; selected 31st overall in 2022
Luke JohnsonForward United States20St. Cloud, MN
Joseph PierceDefenseman United States19Ely, MN
Zachary SandyGoaltender United States19Fargo, ND
Jack SmithForward United States20St. Cloud, MN; selected 102nd overall in 2020
Cole SpicerForward United States18Grand Forks, ND; selected 117th overall in 2022
Ben SteevesForward United States20Bedford, NH
Matthew ThiessenGoaltender Canada22Steinbach, MB; transfer from Maine; selected 192nd overall in 2018

Roster

As of July 28, 2022.[4]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
2 Minnesota Darian Gotz Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 189 lb (86 kg) 2000-10-19 Hermantown, Minnesota Cedar Rapids (USHL)
3 Wisconsin Isaac Howard Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 182 lb (83 kg) 2004-03-30 Hudson, Wisconsin NTDP (USHL) TBL, 31st overall 2022
5 Minnesota Wyatt Kaiser Junior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2002-07-31 Ham Lake, Minnesota Andover (USHS–MN) CHI, 81st overall 2020
6 New Hampshire Ben Steeves Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 167 lb (76 kg) 2002-05-10 Bedford, New Hampshire Sioux City (USHL)
7 Minnesota Blake Biondi Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2002-04-24 Hermantown, Minnesota Hermantown (USHS–MN) MTL, 109th overall 2020
8 Minnesota Jesse Jacques Graduate F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1998-09-10 Hermantown, Minnesota Green Bay (USHL)
10 Michigan Derek Daschke Graduate D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1998-01-06 Troy, Michigan Miami (NCHC)
11 North Dakota Cole Spicer Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2004-06-13 Grand Forks, North Dakota NTDP (USHL) BOS, 117th overall 2022
12 Minnesota Jack Smith Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2002-07-06 St. Cloud, Minnesota Sioux Falls (USHL) MTL, 102nd overall 2020
13 Alberta Tanner Laderoute (C) Graduate F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-06-04 Edmonton, Alberta Okotoks (AJHL)
15 Alberta Quinn Olson (A) Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-05-09 Calgary, Alberta Okotoks (AJHL) BOS, 92nd overall 2019
16 Minnesota Luke Loheit (A) Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-07-26 Minnetonka, Minnesota Penticton (BCHL) OTT, 194th overall 2018
17 Michigan Dominic James Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2002-07-03 Plymouth, Michigan Lincoln (USHL) CHI, 173rd overall 2022
18 Minnesota Joey Pierce Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 2002-10-02 Ely, Minnesota Lincoln (USHL)
19 Alberta Riley Bodnarchuk Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2001-06-01 Okotoks, Alberta Okotoks (AJHL)
20 Minnesota Owen Gallatin Sophomore D 5' 8" (1.73 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2002-06-17 Hugo, Minnesota Fargo (USHL)
21 Saskatchewan Luke Mylymok Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2001-09-29 Wilcox, Saskatchewan Salmon Arm (BCHL)
22 Minnesota Kyler Kleven Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2000-10-12 Moorhead, Minnesota Waterloo (USHL)
23 Minnesota Will Francis Sophomore D 6' 5" (1.96 m) 207 lb (94 kg) 2000-11-16 St. Paul, Minnesota Cedar Rapids (USHL) ANA, 163rd overall 2019
24 Manitoba Kyle Bettens Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 2001-07-04 Winnipeg, Manitoba Youngstown (USHL)
28 Illinois Aiden Dubinsky Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2004-04-28 Highland Park, Illinois Tri-City (USHL)
31 North Dakota Zach Sandy Freshman G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 177 lb (80 kg) 2002-12-07 Fargo, North Dakota Minot (NAHL)
33 Ohio Carter Loney Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 161 lb (73 kg) 2002-08-02 Columbus, Ohio Sioux City (USHL)
35 Minnesota Zach Stejskal Junior G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1999-12-20 Cohasset, Minnesota Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (NAHL)
36 Manitoba Matthew Thiessen Senior G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 214 lb (97 kg) 2000-06-09 Steinbach, Manitoba Maine (HEA) VAN, 192nd overall 2018
37 Minnesota Luke Johnson Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 167 lb (76 kg) 2001-10-15 St. Cloud, Minnesota Lincoln (USHL)

Standings

Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#6 Denver241950210569453403010015086
#11 Western Michigan2415812004486603923151148102
#20 Omaha241392221427164371915310997
#5 St. Cloud State *241293213418568412513313395
Minnesota Duluth2410140140336581371620195114
#17 North Dakota24101043023375703918156127110
Colorado College24615302225376038132237999
Miami24318302014399636824473137
Championship: March 18, 2023
† indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup)
* indicates conference tournament champion (Frozen Faceoff Championship Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and results

DateTimeOpponent#Rank#SiteTVDecisionResultAttendanceRecord
Regular Season
October 1 6:00 PM Arizona State* #5 AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaMY9 Stejskal W 3–2 OT 5,910 1–0–0
October 2 4:00 PM Arizona State* #5 AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaMY9 Thiessen W 4–1  5,153 2–0–0
October 14 7:07 PM at #5 Minnesota State* #4 Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, MinnesotaKEYC Stejskal L 0–6  4,612 2–1–0
October 15 6:07 PM at #5 Minnesota State* #4 Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, MinnesotaKEYC Stejskal L 1–2  5,039 2–2–0
October 21 7:00 PM Wisconsin* #10 AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaMY9 Stejskal L 2–5  6,573 2–3–0
October 22 6:00 PM Wisconsin* #10 AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaMY9 Thiessen L 0–3  7,038 2–4–0
October 28 7:00 PM #20 Cornell* #19 AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaMY9 Stejskal W 3–2  4,158 3–4–0
October 29 7:00 PM #20 Cornell* #19 AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaMY9 Stejskal W 4–2  4,395 4–4–0
November 4 8:30 PM at Colorado College #19 Ed Robson ArenaColorado Springs, ColoradoATTRM Stejskal L 0–5  3,411 4–5–0 (0–1–0)
November 5 7:00 PM at Colorado College #19 Ed Robson ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado  Thiessen W 3–1  3,412 5–5–0 (1–1–0)
November 11 7:00 PM Omaha #20 AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaMY9 Thiessen L 2–3  5,941 5–6–0 (1–2–0)
November 12 6:00 PM Omaha #20 AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaMY9 Thiessen W 3–2 OT 6,103 6–6–0 (2–2–0)
November 18 6:00 PM at #14 Western Michigan Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan  Thiessen W 5–4  2,753 7–6–0 (3–2–0)
November 19 5:00 PM at #14 Western Michigan Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan  Thiessen L 3–5  3,294 7–7–0 (3–3–0)
December 2 7:00 PM Colorado College AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaATTRM, MY9 Thiessen L 0–3  6,184 7–8–0 (3–4–0)
December 3 7:00 PM Colorado College AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaMY9 Thiessen W 4–0  5,794 8–8–0 (4–4–0)
December 9 7:00 PM #1 Denver AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaMY9 Thiessen L 2–3  6,487 8–9–0 (4–5–0)
December 10 7:00 PM #1 Denver AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaMY9 Thiessen L 3–4 OT 6,354 8–10–0 (4–6–0)
December 31 2:00 PM St. Thomas* AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, Minnesota (Exhibition)MY9 Thiessen W 2–1  5,746
January 6 7:07 PM at Bemidji State* Sanford CenterBemidji, MinnesotaFloHockey Stejskal T 1–1 OT 2,136 8–10–1
January 7 6:07 PM Bemidji State* AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaMY9 Stejskal W 5–2  5,821 9–10–1
January 13 7:07 PM at Omaha Baxter ArenaOmaha, NebraskaCBSSN Stejskal L 2–3  6,398 9–11–1 (4–7–0)
January 14 7:07 PM at Omaha Baxter ArenaOmaha, Nebraska  Stejskal L 1–6  6,451 9–12–1 (4–8–0)
January 20 7:07 PM at North Dakota Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North DakotaMidco Thiessen L 2–4  11,643 9–13–1 (4–9–0)
January 21 6:07 PM at North Dakota Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North DakotaMidco Stejskal W 2–1  11,773 10–13–1 (5–9–0)
January 27 7:00 PM #1 St. Cloud State AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaMY9 Thiessen W 3–5  6,579 11–13–1 (6–9–0)
January 28 7:00 PM #1 St. Cloud State AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaMY9, FOX 9+ Stejskal W 3–6  7,205 12–13–1 (7–9–0)
February 3 7:00 PM #10 Western Michigan AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaMY9 Stejskal L 2–3 OT 6,316 12–14–1 (7–10–0)
February 4 6:00 PM #10 Western Michigan AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaMY9 Thiessen L 1–4  6,391 12–15–1 (7–11–0)
February 17 8:00 PM at #3 Denver Magness ArenaDenver, Colorado  Stejskal L 2–6  6,218 12–16–1 (7–12–0)
February 18 7:00 PM at #3 Denver Magness ArenaDenver, ColoradoAltitude 2, TSN2 Thiessen W 6–5  6,361 13–16–1 (8–12–0)
February 24 7:00 PM Miami AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaMY9 Thiessen W 3–2  5,903 14–16–1 (9–12–0)
February 25 8:30 PM Miami AMSOIL ArenaDuluth, MinnesotaMY9 Thiessen L 1–4  5,590 14–17–1 (9–13–0)
March 3 7:30 PM at #6 St. Cloud State Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFOX 9+ Stejskal W 4–3  - 15–17–1 (10–13–0)
March 4 6:00 PM at #6 St. Cloud State Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, MinnesotaFOX 9+ Stejskal L 3–4 OT 5,636 15–18–1 (10–14–0)
NCHC Tournament
March 10 6:30 PM at #8 St. Cloud State* Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, Minnesota (Quarterfinal Game 1)FOX 9+ Stejskal L 1–3  2,620 15–19–1
March 11 5:00 PM at #8 St. Cloud State* Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, Minnesota (Quarterfinal Game 2)FOX 9+ Stejskal W 5–1  - 16–19–1
March 12 5:00 PM at #8 St. Cloud State* Herb Brooks National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, Minnesota (Quarterfinal Game 3)FOX 9+ Stejskal L 1–3  - 16–20–1
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Central Time.
Source:[5]

Scoring statistics

Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Ben SteevesF352172836
Dominic JamesC/LW3510182820
Quinn OlsonC/LW377172432
Wyatt KaiserD355182348
Luke LoheitRW358111953
Isaac HowardLW356111725
Owen GallatinD376111727
Derek DaschkeC/LW37214166
Carter LoneyC37491327
Jesse JacquesF3745916
Kyle BettensC/RW3353812
Darian GotzD3753816
Luke MylymokC/W3135817
Tanner LaderouteF372576
Blake BiondiC173364
Cole SpicerC323362
Jack SmithC/RW2405510
Aiden DubinskyD290558
Luke JohnsonC/W2512311
Joey PierceD260338
Matthew ThiessenG190110
Will FrancisD2801122
Riley BodnarchukD190008
Zach StejskalG220000
Total95160255414

[6]

Goaltending statistics

Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Matthew Thiessen19999:01890444191.9052.64
Zach Stejskal221217:478111605440.9012.96
Empty Net-24:06---10----
Total372240:54162011149631.8943.05

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 22 23 24 25 26 27 (Final)
USCHO.com 5 - 4 4 10 19 19 20 NR NR NR NR NR - NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR - NR
USA Today 5 5 4 4 10 19 19 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26.[7]

Awards and honors

Player Award Ref
Wyatt Kaiser NCHC Second Team [8]
Ben Steeves NCHC Rookie Team [8]

Players drafted into the NHL

2023 NHL Entry Draft

Round Pick Player NHL team
235Adam Gajan Chicago Blackhawks
4115Jayson Shaugabay Tampa Bay Lightning
4119Matthew Perkins Vancouver Canucks
4124Beckett Hendrickson Boston Bruins
5149Aaron Pionk Minnesota Wild

† incoming freshman [9]

References

  1. "2022-23 NCAA Hockey Rankings – USCHO – Preseason". USCHO.com. September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  2. "8 Thoughts: Bulldogs Return, Need to Heat Up". KDAL. January 6, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  3. "SUNDAY, MARCH 12, 2023". College Hockey Inc. March 12, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  4. "2022–23 Men's Hockey Roster". University of Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  5. "2022-23 Men's Hockey Schedule". Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  6. "Univ. of Minnesota-Duluth 2022-2023 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  7. "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  8. 1 2 "NCHC Reveals 2022-23 All-Conference Teams". NCHC. March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  9. "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2023 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
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