St. Louis Post Dispatch: Blues prospect Jimmy Snuggerud enters season as one of college hockey's top players

BleedGopher

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Per the Post Dispatch:

Now, Knies and Cooley have turned pro, leaving the sophomore Snuggerud as the leading returning scorer for the Gophers and one of the top players in college hockey.

“We’re going to have the benefit of a stronger, quicker, more confident player who had a great year last year,” Minnesota coach Bob Motzko said. “Obviously, two linemates left, but that’s college sports. The good news is we’ve got some good players to put around him, and he’ll be at a better level, so we’re excited.”

Last season, Snuggerud finished with 21 goals and 29 assists, and his 50 points ranked fifth in the country. Columbus No. 3 pick Adam Fantilli (65 points) and Cooley (60) turned pro, as did Sean Farrell (53) with the Canadiens, meaning only one player returning to college hockey had more points than Snuggerud last season.
Where did Motzko see improvements in Snuggerud’s game last season?

“The obvious is his ability to shoot a puck and how he demands it,” Motzko said. “He just wants to score. It’s in his DNA makeup. But he got comfortable as the year got going knowing there are so many other things he has to contribute to in a game for the team to have success besides just scoring a goal. That’s the next step for him and all players.


Go Gophers!!
 

I expect his point total to decrease a bit after losing two Hobey finalist linemates. If he can hit 20+25 I'd call it a successful season for him.
 

I think Snuggy's production this year will depend a lot on who he plays with. Do they stack the top line, or try to balance the lineup?
 

If he doesn't play with Moore he will have trouble even hitting 40 points. They're going to have to stack. The forwards are not that deep.
 

One positive of a potential down year for 81. You could get a year of Eiserman-Moore-Snuggerud if Eiserman makes it to campus.
 






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