After an offseason of unexpected losses with the departure of Mike Cammalleri and Mike Komisarek, the Michigan hockey team received some good news last week. Forward Andrew Ebbett has decided to join the Wolverines this season instead of next. Ebbett, who played for the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the British Columbia Hockey League last season, graduated from high school this year but had planned to stay another year in the BCHL to develop. With the departure of Cammalleri, Michigan had a hole in the offense and asked Ebbett if he would want to fill it a year early.

"From all my sources, I had been hearing that Mike had been planning to come back to graduate, but I was really excited," Ebbett said.

The 5-foot-10 center was named Rookie of the Year last season for the BCHL Interior Division after scoring 45 goals and tallying 79 points. After such a successful season, Ebbett was expected to contend for the scoring title next season, an award won by another incoming Michigan freshman, Jeff Tambellini. But aside from individual accolades, one other thing tugged on Ebbet's mind, urging him to stay in British Columbia.

"I was ready to go, the only thing that was holding me back was that I had pretty much told my coaches that I was staying," Ebbett said. "If I had stayed we might have had a shot at the national championship."

Ultimately, Ebbett chose to forgo another season with the Silverbacks and make the jump to college hockey.

While Ebbett and Tambellini did not know each other well during the season, the two have spoken on the phone recently and Ebbett plans to join Tambellini for some skating before they fly down to Ann Arbor together the last week of August to join the team.

Ebbett and Tambellini fit the mold of young Canadian forwards with potent scoring ability. Michigan has had success recently with such players. Both Cammalleri and sophomore forward Milan Gajic played in Canadian junior hockey programs before joining the Wolverines.