• Blog Post by: Roman Augustoviz
• August 1, 2012 - 3:04 PM

The Gophers hockey team named junior winger Zach Budish team captain for the coming season. 

Senior defenseman Seth Helgeson and junior center Nick Bjugstad will wear the As.

Budish is in his fourth year with the Gophers, but was a medical redshirt as a sophomore after suffering a knee injury in a moped accident.

Here is the University of Minnesota release:

Redshirt junior Zach Budish has been named captain of the University of Minnesota men's hockey team for the upcoming 2012-13 season. Budish succeeds now-graduated Taylor Matson in leading the Gophers.

“It is exciting,” said Budish, who served as an alternate captain last season as Minnesota advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four. “I grew up watching the Gophers and looked up to all the players, so it is just an honor to be named captain. You look back at some of the past captains and it is pretty humbling to be in the same group with those guys. I am excited for the leadership role, but it is not just me. We have a good group of six or seven guys that will be looked upon to lead.”

Senior Seth Helgeson and junior Nick Bjugstad will serve as the team’s alternate captains.

“I am excited about all three of our captains,” said head coach Don Lucia. “They are not only outstanding students, but they represent Gopher Hockey the right way on the ice and in the community. All three of them will be key players on our team in the upcoming season, and they are also some of the hardest workers we have.”

Budish, Helgeson and Bjugstad carry on a Gopher tradition of captains that dates to the first season of Gopher hockey in 1921-22. They will be the 153rd, 154th and 155th players to assume the role of either captain or assistant captain for Minnesota.