After bringing in 11 freshmen this year, securing a trio of new ones for next season must have seemed like a walk in the park for Michigan hockey coaches Mel Pearson and Billy Powers, who spend every free second combing North America for the next Wolverines. Wednesday, they announced that Brian Lebler, Steven Kampfer and Chris Summers are those three new players.

Lebler - a forward from Penticton, British Columbia - fills a hole that will be created by the loss of senior forwards Brandon Kaleniecki and Andrew Ebbett .

Although Lebler is bigger than Kaleniecki, Powers said that their play is similar.

"We're trying to replace Kaleniecki, and I see (Lebler) as a bigger version of Kaleniecki," Powers said. "(Lebler is) a power forward. But, he has a touch around the net. He's known to be a guy who can score goals and create room and space for his linemates."

Kampfer and Summers are defensemen who will bolster an already strong returning class at the position. They are Michigan natives, so it was an easy sell to keep them around home.

"The two defensemen were both Michigan kids, and we were at the top of their list from the start," Powers said. "(Kampfer and Summers) committed a year or a year and a half ago. Both of them, in their age groups, are top-type defensemen in the U.S. in their age group."

Powers believes that their best asset is their skating ability, which he compares to current juniors Matt Hunwick and Jason Dest.

"(Kampfer and Summers) are different, but also similar," Powers said. "They both have good mobility, and there are really good feet on both players. Offensively, they are doing fine, but they aren't putting up dramatic numbers."

Powers compares Kampfer, a smaller defenseman, to Eric Werner - a recent graduate known best for his hard work and offensive contributions.

"He's got a lot of Eric Werner in him," Powers said. "He's that 5-foot-10, rock solid guy that plays a lot bigger than he is. And, he does have some really nice offensive instincts."

Summers, however, reminds Powers of a more recent addition.

"I think Summers is a lot like (freshman defenseman Mark) Mitera," Powers said. "They come in here with not great numbers, but Mark has some great instincts and has made an impact on the power play right off the bat. I see Summers being like that, and we'd love to have another guy like Mark."

These two extra defensemen on the roster could potentially leave the Wolverines with 10 defensemen next season. Ideally, the team would like to have just seven, six to play and one to jump into the lineup in the event of an injury.

One possibility to remedy this overstocking of defenders would be to move junior David Rohlfs back to forward, where he played for two years before permanently switching to the blue line this season.

"Rohlfs has adapted really well to the position," Powers said. "But that tells you where we were at, when we had to move a two-year forward to defense. It would be hard to say that he'd go back on forward next year because he's playing so well."

Powers also joked that the team's leading NHL defensive prospects could jump to the front lines.

"We could always put Hunwick and Johnson at forward," Powers said.

Wherever the coaching staff decides to fit these recruits in, Powers is most pleased with having the depth to create intrasquad competition.