The Michigan hockey team announced Wednesday afternoon that junior forward JT Compher will serve as the team’s captain for the 2015-16 season.
Senior forwards Justin Selman and Boo Nieves were named alternate captains.
“It’s an honor to be considered by the coaching staff and your teammates for a leadership position,” Compher said. “To wear a letter on a team with such tradition, I think all three of us are excited about the role. We work well together, and I think we have a really good opportunity to make a difference on this team.”
The announcement comes after Compher tallied 24 points in his sophomore campaign. Though it failed to match the 31 points he tallied in his freshman season — which earned him Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors — the forward developed as a leader and motivator, finding success away from the puck while alternating between wing and center on the team’s top two lines.
“He competes more than anybody I’ve ever seen,” Selman said. “When he competes in practice, it kind of fires you up and creates this contagious attitude amongst the team.”
Added Nieves: “He’s fierce, he’s relentless, especially at practice. He gets guys going, he’ll hit you in practice, he doesn’t care who you are, he’ll find a way to get you going and it carries into the games, so it’s really good.”
Compher succeeds former linemate Andrew Copp, who gave up his senior season of eligibility to join the Winnipeg Jets in March.
Selman and Nieves received the honor as two of the remaining three seniors on the team. Nieves was fifth on the team in scoring last season with 28 points, while Selman notched the team’s second-highest +/- with 18 and 23 points in 26 games after tallying just 13 points his first two seasons combined.
Still seeking their first postseason berth after three seasons, the duo know they will need to elevate their game even further.
“As guys have left throughout the years, our class has been pretty strong,” Nieves said. “Now it’s down to us, and I think we have what it takes to lead this group and get us back on track.”
Compher, Nieves and Selman headline a core of 19 Wolverines set to return next fall. Despite the losses of forwards Zach Hyman, Dylan Larkin and Copp, the team’s top-three scorers, high summer participation has the captain confident for his team’s upcoming voyage.
“Obviously the goal is to get back to the postseason, and it starts with the little things,” Compher said. “We have all the guys in town working out right now, and everyone’s really focused on making sure that each day is good, and the main thing for us is the attention to detail in the little things that we do.
“For us, the difference between making the (NCAA) Tournament and not is very small, so anything that you can do to improve yourself and improve the team has to be done if we want to make it back.”