With a familiar name for Gophers fans, Beckett Hendrickson blossoms as a freshman

The Gophers men’s hockey team lost 55 goals and 109 points from a group of five forwards on the 2023-24 team that either exhausted their eligibility or transferred.

To fill those holes, coach Bob Motzko dipped into the transfer portal to add a first-round NHL draft pick in Matthew Wood and brought in four freshman forwards, led by productive scorers Brodie Ziemer and Erik Pahlsson.

Motzko knew he needed complementary players, too, and in that pursuit, he added a forward with a familiar last name in Gophers hockey.

Beckett Hendrickson — whose father, Darby, is a former Gophers player, U.S. Olympian and longtime Wild player and assistant coach now with the Nashville Predators — has been a fixture in the Gophers lineup this season as a 19-year-old freshman.

Primarily skating on a line with senior Mason Nevers and junior John Mittelstadt, Hendrickson has three goals and six assists in 31 games played. He’s also earned his coach’s praise for his development.

“I don’t even know if he knows how much better he’s getting,” said Motzko, whose Gophers, No. 3 in the PairWise Ratings, face No. 6 Ohio State on Friday and Saturday at 3M Arena at Mariucci. “He’s gaining confidence. He’s got a really strong element of his game down low. For him, it’s just staying consistent mentally and grinding through it.”

At 6-2, Hendrickson has the frame of a power forward, but strength is a work in progress for someone who entered the season listed at 170 pounds. “As his body gets stronger — he’s still got a boy body — he’s gonna be a terrific player," Motzko said.

Hendrickson sees the adjustment to the strength and speed of college hockey as his biggest challenge when compared with previous seasons in the USHL and the U.S. National Team Development Program.

A fourth-round pick of the Boston Bruins in the 2023 NHL draft, Hendrickson believes his work in the weight room is paying off steadily.

“I think I’m getting stronger,” he said. “I put on like five pounds. I know it’s not everything, but it’s something.”

Hendrickson got off to a quick start this season, scoring a goal in the opener against Air Force and contributing an assist two games later against Minnesota Duluth. An 11-game scoreless streak followed before he had a goal and an assist in the series against Alaska. He started strong in January, notching an assist in a win over Ohio State and two assists in a rout of Notre Dame.

“Coming back [after Christmas], I felt like my game was going uphill, and that’s what I wanted,” Hendrickson said. “I just want to keep getting better.”

Darby Hendrickson has seen his son’s progression from Nashville and likes how Beckett has weathered the highs and lows of his season.

“He’s had very good moments, and he’s had moments where you learn,” Darby said. “… I’m impressed by their leadership, their upperclassmen. That’s a big thing when you’re not there and you see how your son is treated. Their culture is really good."

Beckett doesn’t hesitate to seek advice from his father and from his uncle, Dan Hendrickson, also a former Gophers player. Darby stressed that he wanted Beckett to forge his own path and not try to emulate his career.

“I don’t try and micromanage him on every little thing he does. I want him to enjoy the game,” Darby said. “It’s his journey. Do we have fun supporting him and giving him advice? Yeah, but it’s gotta be his thing and his drive.”

Coming from a family heavy with Gophers ties, Beckett knew the Minnesota program well, but he also wanted to explore his options to be sure of his choice. He took visits to St. Cloud State, Minnesota Duluth and Colorado College before deciding on the Gophers.

Part of that was the fact that playing for Minnesota would be a homecoming after two years at the National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Mich., and one in the USHL. He’s certainly pleased with his decision.

“Obviously, it’s home,” Beckett said, “so, you can’t get much better.”

7 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday at 3M Arena at Mariucci

TV: FOX9 both nights * Radio: 103.5-FM, 1130-AM both nights

Minnesota (21-7-4, 12-5-3 Big Ten) is coming off a series at Michigan in which it secured only two of 12 points, falling 3-2 in overtime before securing a 2-2 tie but losing the shootout point. Minnesota and Ohio State split a series in January, with the Buckeyes winning the opener 5-1 and the Gophers taking the finale 6-1. Ohio State (20-8-2, 13-6-1) moved into a second-place tie with the Gophers in the Big Ten standings with a 4-1, 4-2 sweep of Wisconsin last weekend. The Buckeyes have won five of six and have secured 24 of 36 Big Ten points since Jan. 1.