Phil Di Giuseppe and Alex Guptill won’t be skating at Yost Ice Arena any longer.
The junior forwards officially inked professional contracts this week, marking the end of two memorable careers in Michigan sweaters. Di Giuseppe signed an entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday before Guptill came to a similar agreement with the Dallas Stars on Thursday.
Di Giuseppe and Guptill will follow senior captain Mac Bennett — who signed with the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday — to their respective NHL organizations.
Among the rest of his underclassmen teammates, though, Guptill was the most probable prospect to bolt toward the NHL. At the end of last season, he had already discussed such a possibility with Michigan coach Red Berenson. He’ll finish his career with 44 goals and 50 assists.
The Wolverines’ coaching staff could only do so much to keep Guptill around, though. The Stars would have lost their rights to Guptill on Aug. 15 if he didn’t sign this summer, which would have made him a free agent after graduation.
“We could see it coming,” Berenson said. “It was going to be hard for him to stay another year. He had his foot out the door earlier, just in terms of his mindset.”
Guptill has shared a rocky relationship with Berenson throughout his career. The 6-foot-3, 183-pound forward was suspended in the beginning of the season for being involved in an assault and battery case this September. He had also been benched for his lack of effort in the defensive zone this year.
Meanwhile, the loss of Di Giuseppe comes as more of a surprise. The 20-year old prospect broke the news to Berenson early this week, despite pressing concern from his coach.
“We had a long talk about it,” Berenson said. “I don’t agree with it. I don’t think it’s in his best interest, hockey-wise or school-wise.”
Di Giuseppe’s father felt the same way, standing on Berenson’s side in terms of hoping his son would finish school and cap a four-year collegiate career. But when Di Giuseppe met his coach to discuss his future, his mind was mostly set on moving on to the professional level. He couldn’t be swayed.
Di Giuseppe tallied 38 goals and 44 assists in three years and was an integral part of the Wolverines’ offense. He played his best hockey at the end of the season, too, scoring eight goals in his final nine games. The large hole Di Giuseppe leaves on Michigan’s line chart isn’t the reason Berenson called his decision “disappointing” though.
“To be perfectly honest, I’m not trying to protect our team or our program,” Berenson said.
“I just hate to see a kid give up his senior year to play in the minors. I’ve told kids that if we can agree on your academic progress and the fact that you’re going to come back and graduate from Michigan, I’ll drive you to the airport if you’re ready to play in the NHL, but not the American League, not the East Coast League.”
But that’s exactly where Di Giuseppe and Guptill will continue their hockey careers. Di Giuseppe will likely play for the Charlotte Checkers, while Guptill will suit up for the Texas Stars. Both teams are in the American Hockey League.
Berenson prefers the way in which Bennett handled his path to the NHL, and has always placed an emphasis on finishing school before anything else.
“Mac has been a classic Michigan hockey citizen,” Berenson said. “He’s been a terrific player, he’s been a top student, he’s been a captain and a leader, and he’s doing it right.”
But the way in which Di Giuseppe and Guptill leave the program won’t change how Michigan will have to cope with losing nearly 25 percent of its goal production from this season. There are now two gaping holes in Berenson’s lineup, and he’ll have his work cut out for him this offseason to shuffle options around.