Gophers’ experiment leads to big line: Jimmy Clark, Connor Kurth, Matthew Wood

Gophers men’s hockey coach Bob Motzko has praised his team’s frontline depth so far this young season, citing the balance from one forward line to another.

Exhibit A: A preseason experiment in which he put junior transfer Matthew Wood on the same line with sophomore Jimmy Clark and junior Connor Kurth.

“There was not really a rhyme or reason to it, but we did it early in the year to spread the depth,” Motzko said, “and all of a sudden it works.”

Kurth scored a hat trick – and one goal in each period, at that – and had an assist in a season-opening 7-1 victory over Air Force in Las Vegas two weeks ago.

Last week, Clark delivered a goal and four assists in a two-game sweep at Minnesota-Duluth.

Each was named in consecutive weeks the Big Ten Conference’s second Star of the week for the first time in his collegiate career.

“It just had some showtime to it and they did it two weeks in a row,” Motzko said about the chemistry between the three. “So you stay with it.”

Expect more of the same when the Gophers play their home opener at 3M Arena at Mariucci on Friday at 5:30 p.m., against St. Thomas. The teams will conclude their series Saturday with an 8 p.m., game at Xcel Energy Center.

The Tommies were picked in a preseason coaches poll to win the CCHA and have started non-conference play 1-1-1 with a 1-0 loss to St. Cloud State, followed by a tie (5-5) and win (3-1) against Vermont.

“They’re picked to win their league, so you know they’re a pretty good hockey team,” Motzko said, “and you know they want a piece of your rear ends.”

Kurth leads the Gophers with eight points – those four goals and four assists – while Clark and Wood each are next with seven points.

“Me and Connor for sure had some chemistry last year,” said Clark, drafted by the Wild in the 2023 NHL draft’s seventh round. “Woods is a great player. Putting him with us, he’s a big body. He’s super smart. We count him as a puzzle piece. We all have different attributes and we all just fit together pretty well.”

Eight other forwards have scored at least a goal in the first four regular-season games, all on the road.

“All the lines had some chemistry going,” Motzko said. “The truth is we could probably do that a lot of different ways. The most important thing is we spread the offense. That’s just so big for young people when you start your season and get it going in the right direction.”

Kurth is a 6-foot junior from Lindstrom, Minn., by way of Dubuque in the USHL. He and Motzko both attribute his development to a summer he spent training with teammates in the morning and bonding on the lake and golf course in the afternoon.

“Bigger, faster, stronger, knowing it’s time to take a step in my game and my role on this team,” said Kurth, whom Tampa Bay picked in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. “I had to get better this summer and come in with a mindset that I need to take that next step and take a bigger role with this team.”

Wood’s father, Jamie, is a former Gophers women’s hockey assistant coach. Matthew led Connecticut in scoring the last two years. He’s 6-4, played for Team Canada in the World Juniors and was drafted in the first round (15th overall) by Nashville in 2023.

Motzko likens Wood to former Gophers and Wild forward Thomas Vanek, an NCAA champion who played 14 NHL seasons with eight different teams.

“He’s got a bit of a different look about him,” Motzko said. “He’s big, strong and knows what to do with the puck. He’s got just a great demeanor and is fitting right in.”

Wood is part of a junior group growing up before Motzko’s eyes.

“I’ll say it again, you could see this summer that our group was different,” Motzko said. “They’re committed in their work. That sophomore class are now juniors. Those freshmen are sophomores and it’s an older group of freshmen. They’re being rewarded now for a commitment they made in the offseason.”