Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson will enjoy a luxury this season that he hasn’t had in 13 years: he returns all of last year's non-seniors. It may seem like a rather simple and uninteresting statistic, but having seniors Carl Hagelin, Louie Caporusso and Matt Rust on the roster bodes well for Berenson, who is one win shy of No. 700.

For a team that has underperformed in the past three years and boasts a talented trio of individuals as leaders, Michigan hopes to claim its first national title since 1998.

“We understand that we’re an NCAA-Championship team,” Caporusso said this week. “We’re capable of doing that. We don’t want to throw that away. We want to maximize that opportunity, and we have talked as a senior class about how powerful this team can actually be.”

Berenson will have the chance to become the sixth member of collegiate hockey's 700-win club tomorrow night. Michigan faces Mercyhurst in the Wolverines’ regular-season home opener, followed by an exhibition contest on Sunday against Western Ontario.

While the Wolverines certainly possess a deep senior class with nine returnees, Michigan has a slew of underclassmen to complement the experienced crop of players, with defenseman Jon Merrill headlining the new Wolverines.

“Merrill has the chance to play in our top four,” Berenson said of the 6-foot-3 freshman, who was selected in the second round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils.

Caporusso added that it’s fairly reassuring to know the coaching staff can call on any number of players — even those who are younger and less experienced, like Merrill.

The coaching staff is restricted to two hours of practice per week until Oct. 2, so Berenson said he would know a lot more about the makeup of his team after this weekend when his younger players could showcase their talent in an actual game setting.

He also said that he expects everyone to receive playing time in the first two games of the season, including both netminders. After practice on Wednesday, it was announced that senior Shawn Hunwick will receive the starting nod over senior Bryan Hogan against Mercyhurst. Based on Hunwick’s finish last season, when he led the Wolverines to a CCHA Tournament title and a trip to the NCAA regional final before losing to Miami (Ohio), the tenured coach said he thought Hunwick “deserved” the start.

“I wouldn’t say week-to-week, but month-to-month, we’ll keep reviewing (the goalie situation) and see where we are,” Berenson said. “We’re trying to win games, and it’s not about being fair, it’s about what’s best for the team.”

NOTES: Senior forward Ben Winnettt was hit in the head with a puck last Thursday and hasn’t been practicing … Berenson said he “probably won’t play Saturday, but maybe Sunday”… Freshman defenseman Jacob Fallon suffered concussion-like symptoms last week after taking a hit in practice. Fallon was taken to the hospital for precautionary measures, and Berenson said he “could play one of the games this weekend.”