1:14DETROIT – His fellow Big Ten coaches delivered a reminder to Don Lucia on Wednesday that there's little to doubt about his Minnesota roster. They picked the Gophers to win another conference title — and highlighted five reasons why — at Big Ten hockey media day.
The first reason is Adam Wilcox, the returning Big Ten Player of the Year and Goaltender of the Year. The junior was one of five Gophers named to the preseason Player to Watch list. Wilcox, forward Kyle Rau and defenseman Mike Reilly were unanimous selections, and defenseman Brady Skjei and forward Sam Warning were honored as well.
A strong group of returning players changes the preseason tone from a year ago for the Gophers. Instead of entering a season hoping for a postseason berth while a young team matures, the Gophers again will be expected to win into April.
"Last year we caught some people by surprise," Lucia said. "That's not going to happen this year.
"Obviously, we had a great year. A big part of it was probably unexpected with the departures we had the previous season. I said when the year began a year ago, that if we're going to have success, we were going to have to do it as a team.
"And as it turned out, I think our leading goal scorer had 16 goals, and you really didn't know who was going to step up on a given night. I think our constant was Adam Wilcox. He gave us a chance to win, and we had a pretty deep lineup."
Rau, the Gophers captain, doesn't mind the high expectations after a national runner-up finish last spring. He returns for his senior season and was one of four players Lucia praised for giving up a pro contract for another year of college hockey.
"We've always had high expectations for ourselves when we came into the program, and coming from last year I think that's the position you want to be in," Rau said. "[The coaches' prediction] is a good honor, but nothing is won in the preseason."
