Gophers freshman Aaron Huglen finds a groove on way to Frozen Four

BOSTON – One of Bob Motzko's goals when he took over as Gophers men's hockey coach four years ago was to put together an older roster by taking advantage of players spending a season or two in junior leagues like the USHL and NAHL.

The premise: A 19- or 20-year-old freshman will be more physically developed and experienced than an 18-year-old straight out of high school.

Upon first glance, Aaron Huglen would fall into that first category. He's a 21-year-old freshman forward for the Gophers who spent parts of three seasons with the Fargo Force of the USHL.

Upon a closer look, however, the former Roseau (Minn.) High School standout is making up for lost time. A disc injury that eventually required surgery caused Huglen to miss the entire 2019-20 USHL season and a big chunk of the 2020-21 campaign.

"It was a lot of adversity,'' Huglen said of a 20-month stretch without playing the sport. "I had hockey my whole life, and I had to take a step back and see what's important in life.''

The 6-0, 170-pound Huglen is making the most of hockey now, and he had a weekend to remember when Minnesota won the NCAA Worcester (Mass.) Regional on March 25 and 27. He set up Ben Meyers' overtime goal in a 4-3 semifinal win that ended defending national champion Massachusetts' reign, then helped send the Gophers to the Frozen Four by scoring a goal in a 3-0 shutout of Western Michigan.

The Gophers (26-12) will play Minnesota State Mankato (37-5) in the second national semifinal at 7:30 p.m. (Central) on Thursday at TD Garden. Huglen is the right winger on a line with Meyers at center and freshman phenom Matthew Knies at left wing. Motzko put Huglen on the line before the game against UMass, and the trio has clicked.

"Hugie has been just getting better; nothing fazes him,'' Motzko said. "We can play him at center. And very quickly we've got him at the wing now. But at center he can play against other team's top players. He's going to be a terrific college player.''

Huglen's playoff success shouldn't come as a complete surprise because he tends to step forward in big moments. He returned from his back injury in January of 2021, scored a goal in his season debut for Fargo and had 35 points in 39 games. In the Clark Cup playoffs, Huglen helped the Force reach the final against the Chicago Steel by scoring three goals and adding five assists.

"Just having that experience. That's a big stage, too,'' said Huglen, a fourth-round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 2019. "The USHL is a great league, and it's helped now at the end of the year.''

Added Motzko, "He came to us ready to go. I mean, he was battle-tested. He was good last year for Fargo down the stretch. And that was critical he got to be an integral part of their playoff run last year.''

Huglen got off to a slow start with the Gophers, collecting two goals and one assist through the season's first 18 games. Since the calendar flipped to January, he's scored five goals and assisted on eight.

"Confidence is huge for me,'' Huglen said, "and my confidence naturally has gotten better as I've had more experience.''

The Gophers are hopeful that continues, starting with the Frozen Four semifinal against the Mavericks. Motzko sees a bright future for a player who hasn't let a detour deter his ambitions.

"He's going to be a terrific college player,'' Motzko said. "And right now, we're getting it in doses and more confidence as he goes. It's been a remarkable recovery for him.''