Jimmy Snuggerud stayed with Gophers to win a title; Bob Motzko thinks this group can do it

Gophers men’s hockey coach Bob Motzko isn’t much for preseason hype, but he’s making an exception this year.

This time, he has a group evocative of the 2022-23 team that reached the NCAA title game but lost 10 seconds into overtime.

This year’s team that opens its regular season in Las Vegas starting Friday has cleared what he calls the first hurdle of a new season.

“The first test I like is the eyeball test, you can just see it,” Motzko said. “You always have the new-year excitement, but there’s more to it this year, too.

“Normally I don’t like to get too excited, but I’ve got to get it out there with this group. There’s an enormous amount of talent and depth. We start putting the pieces to the puzzle now. It’s a long season, but we’re off to a really good start.”

NHL first-round pick Jimmy Snuggerud is back for his junior season, keeping the St. Louis Blues waiting after they took him 23rd overall in the 2022 draft. He returned for the chance to win the national championship that eluded him and his teammates when they lost 3-2 in overtime to Quinnipiac.

The Gophers haven’t won an NCAA title since 2003.

“It was a tough decision,” Snuggerud said. “What it came down to for me was the leadership aspect, the team aspect and the winning aspect. Everyone in that locker room’s goal is to win a national championship. It’s something we all pride ourselves by. That was one of the biggest reasons to come back.”

Defenseman Mike Koster, forwards Mason Nevers, Nick Michel and Penn State transfer goaltender Liam Souliere all return for their graduate fifth season.

Then there’s a class of 10 juniors, including Connecticut transfer Matthew Wood, who is getting rave reviews from teammates. These are no longer young players, like the six incoming freshmen.

And the best of it all might be a defensive blue line mentioned among a Brock Faber-Jackson LaCombe-Ryan Johnson group from two years ago. Faber and LaCombe now play in the NHL, where 11 former Gophers made 13 opening-night rosters this week.

Snuggerud announced his decision to return in July, in the middle of a summer when he lived on campus with some of his teammates. They worked out mornings and played golf in the afternoons.

He was asked about this season’s Frozen Four, which will be played at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, home of the Blues.

“I have noticed that,” he said. “That would be pretty cool. It’s obviously pretty far in the window, but that’s a goal.”

Snuggerud returned and became a unanimous selection on the preseason All-Big Ten first team, as did sophomore defenseman and Chicago draft pick Sam Rinzel. Koster and Wood made the preseason All-Big Ten second team.

Rinzel provides youth and offense to an acclaimed defense that includes juniors Cal Thomas, Luke Mittelstadt and Ryan Chesley.

“It’s almost amazing two years ago that D core then was one of the best I’d ever seen in college hockey, and I’m not too sure this group couldn’t keep up with them,” Motzko said. “It’s a testament to their character and their work and the pieces we’ve added. It’s definitely a strength and we’ve got some depth and presence there.”

And there’s a lot scoring there in that defense. The Gophers’ top six defensemen combined for 80 points last season.

“It’s crazy how much offense we have back there,” Koster said. “The biggest thing is how many guys are buying into the defensive side of the puck right now. I think the depth back there is awesome.”

Longtime starting goaltender Justen Close is gone. Motzko says he has “a ton of faith” in sophomore Nathan Airey. Souliere is 25 and made 85 starts at Penn State.

“We just added an old, wily veteran quarterback who’s excited to be here,” Motzko said.

The Gophers open their regular season on Friday in Las Vegas at the Icebreaker tournament. They open with Air Force, then on Saturday play either Massachusetts or Nebraska-Omaha in a season that starts with five of their first six games away from Mariucci Arena.

“It will be fine for this team, great team bonding,” Motzko said. “I like how it plays out, I really do.”