A day after Jaxon Nelson announced he will return for his super senior season, goalie Justen Close committed to playing a fifth season for the Gophers men's hockey team.
Gophers men's hockey goalie Justen Close announces he will return for fifth season
Thrust into the starting lineup in January of 2022 when Jack LaFontaine abruptly left the program to sign with Carolina, the former third-stringer didn't disappoint.
May 18, 2023 at 3:49AM
Close, who's helped the Gophers reach back-to-back NCAA Frozen Fours, including a national championship game appearance this year, will return for his third season as Minnesota's starter.
The Kindersley, Saskatchewan, native went 26-10-1 in 2022-23 with a 2.02 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage and six shutouts as the Gophers repeated as Big Ten regular-season champions. Those statistics led the Big Ten and ranked in the top four nationally. He was named second-team all-conference.
Close, 24, was thrust into the starting lineup in January of 2022 when Jack LaFontaine abruptly left the program to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes organization. The former third-stringer behind LaFontaine and Jared Moe didn't disappoint, posting a 14-5-0 record with a 1.95 GAA and .925 save percentage as the Gophers made their first Frozen Four since 2014.
The Gophers have two other seniors who saw regular action in 2022-23 and could come back for a fifth year — made available when the NCAA granted a waiver because of the COVID-19-shortened 2020-21 season. Forward Bryce Brodzinski, a seventh-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2019, hasn't announced his intentions. Considered less likely to return is defenseman Ryan Johnson, a Sabres first-round draft pick in 2019 who could sign with Buffalo or wait until mid-August to become a free agent.
The biggest decision belongs to All-America center Logan Cooley, who was a Hobey Baker Award finalist as a freshman and was the No. 3 overall pick by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2022 NHL draft. Cooley, ranked second nationally with 60 points on 22 goals and 38 assists, hasn't announced his plans. Of interest in Cooley's situation is the lack of long-term stability of the Coyotes franchise in wake of Tuesday's developments. Tempe, Ariz., voters rejected a proposal to build an entertainment district that would have included an NHL-size arena for the Coyotes.
Sam Rinzel had two of the Gophers’ three power play goals against the Irish.
