Coach Jackson has big expectations for Irish
SOUTH BEND — When Notre Dame hockey opens its 2023-24 season this weekend against visiting Clarkson, it appears youth is going to be served.
Coach Jeff Jackson, the dean of Division I men’s hockey coaches at the youthful age of 68, expects his 19th Fighting Irish could use as many as eight freshmen or newcomers as they try to rebound from a disappointing 1616-5 record which kept them out of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
“We’re going to have seven, potentially eight freshmen in the lineup,” said Jackson, who has taken Notre Dame to four Frozen Fours (with runner-up finishes in 2008 and 2018) after winning a pair of national titles (and finishing runner-up once) in six seasons at Lake Superior State in the early 1990s.
The games against coach Casey Jones’ Golden Knights, who play in the ECAC Hockey Conference and finished 16-17-4 last season, are the first of seven straight non-conference games for the Irish before they open Big Ten Conference play Nov. 4-5 at Penn State. Saturday, the first puck drops at the Lefty Smith Rink in the Compton Family Ice Arena at 6 p.m. The teams then conclude the series Sunday at 5 p.m. Of those seven non-conference games, six will be in South Bend and include an Oct. 20-21 weekend series with preseason No. 1 Boston University.
“We’re going to have our hands full this first month even though we’re at home,” Jackson said. “It’s better to be home especially with a younger group. It’s going to be about those younger guys acclimating.”
Two of the most impressive members of the freshmen class have been
Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson behind the bench during the Michigan State-Notre Dame NCAA hockey game on Oct. 29 at Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend.
centers Cole Knuble and Danny Nelson. The 19-year-old Knuble, a 5-foot-11, 185pounder who was a fourth-round draft choice of the Philadelphia Flyers in last summer’s NHL Draft, is slotted between senior captain and left wing Landon Slaggert and grad-transfer (from Providence) right wing Patrick Moynihan. The 18-year-old Nelson, a 6-foot-3, 203pounder who was taken in the second round of the NHL Draft by the New York Islanders, has been working with senior left wing Grant Silianoff and graduate right wing Trevor Janicke.
“Cole has really good offensive instincts; he’s a smart hockey player and Nelson is as well,” Jackson said. “Danny might not be as much of a goal scorer as Knuble, but he has good instincts, and he can make plays. There are days you can see his pro potential. He’s big, rangy, long, skates well. He has all the
tools to be a great, power-type forward.”
Nelson’s brother Henry, who is two years older, and 18-year-old Paul Fischer are two freshman defenders. The other four freshmen are forwards Brennan Ali, Maddox Fleming, Jayden Davis and Carter Slaggert. Jackson likes what he has seen from all of them.
“Our young guys have given us more speed and energy early on,” Jackson said. “We look better offensively, which is great, but defensively we haven’t looked as good. We’ve been focusing on that.”
The last line of defense for the Irish is a good one – West All-American goalie Ryan Bischel returns for his graduate season, and Jackson made Bischel an alternate captain role along with Trevor Janicke and junior defenseman Jake Boltmann.
“Ryan does things the right way,”
Jackson said. “He’s very diligent in his approach to preparing to play the game. I still think he has a little rust in his system even though he’s coming off the best year in his career. He’s going to have to get back into that mindset. He’s going to be facing some good offensive teams and we’re still trying to figure out things defensively. He’s going to have to be at his very best for us to have success this first month.”
Jackson hopes the rest of his upperclassmen — forwards Hunter Strand, Tyler Carpenter, Nico Jovanovic and Fin Williams and defensemen Drew Bavaro, Michael Mastrodomenico, Ryan Helliwell and Zach Plucinski — will take the next step. Another newcomer, gradtransfer (from Harvard) Ryan Siedem has proven to be a steady defenseman who can handle the puck, carry it out of the defensive zone and get the offense going.
The naming of Landon Slaggert as captain was a no-brainer. Though he struggled a year ago offensively, the son of associate head coach Andy Slaggert (and brother of Carter and Irish graduate Graham) is one of the teams’ best two-way players and special team performers.
“It’s definitely an honor,” Landon Slaggert said. “It’s something you dream about as a kid. Everyone’s excited because it’s been a long offseason (not making the NCAA tournament). A new group of young guys, a couple of transfers gives you a different perspective and some youthful energy. Here at Notre Dame we hold ourselves to a high standard. We come into this year with a chip on our shoulder. At the end of the day, we’d like to win a national championship.”
The possible journey to the Frozen Four in Saint Paul next April begins this weekend.