Michigan HockeyCast 8.25: Apple, Banana, Caffeine

1 Hour and 37 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1 Which NHL match-up are you most excited for? Ottawa vs Carolina is intriguing. Avs vs Kings will probably be non-competitive and un-watchable.  Evaluating the offense: TJ Hughes - Hobey Baker level season.  Jayden Perron - Dramatically exceeded expectations. Led the team offensively in the post-season.  Nick Moldenhauer - Previously minimal production, huge breakout season. Michael Hage - High-end playmaker, season cut short due to injury.  Malcolm Spence - Up-and-down freshman season, started hot.  Adam Valentini - Limited in size but played a bigger role as the season progressed. Cole McKinney - Strong in faceoffs but underwhelming offensive production.  Will Horkoff - Highly productive, highly streaky.  Aidan Park - Depth freshman, lacked consistent impact. Keenan Draper - Praised for role mastery, leadership, and penalty-kill value. Josh Earnesty - Depth player who improved on offense and defense. Kayson Musket - Exceeded expectation in limited minutes.  Teddy Spitznagel - No meaningful playing time before leaving the program.   Segment 2 Evaluating the defense and goalies: Luca Fantilli - Unexpected breakout senior year. Became a reliable leader. Tyler Duke - High effort and physical despite his size. Took too many penalties. Ben Robertson - Dependable, steady presence on the blue line. Garrett Shifsky - Elevated his game late in the season, gets a special shout out. Drew Schock - Limited as a freshman, grew throughout the season. Dakota Raemel - Inconsistent with turnovers. Asher Barnett - Excellent as a freshman. Everyone else didn't contribute enough to get a fair grade. Jack Ivankovic - Delivered high-level all season when not hurt. Steven Peck - Exceeded expectations as a backup.   MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "One Thing Leads To Another" -- The Fixx
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme