# 2022–23 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season

The 2022–23 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season was the 102nd season of play for the program and 33rd in the Big Ten. The Golden Gophers represented the University of Minnesota in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, were coached by Bob Motzko in his fifth season, and played their home games at 3M Arena at Mariucci

## Season
### Talented recruits

Minnesota lost several key players from their Frozen Four team of '22, however, coach Motzko brought in a highly regarded batch of freshmen as replacements. Of the eleven newcomers, six had been selected in the NHL Entry Draft, two were first-round selection with the biggest prospect being #3 overall pick Logan Cooley. Cooley centered a line with fellow first-rounder Jimmy Snuggerud and US Olympian Matthew Knies that turned into one of the top offensive units in the nation. On the defensive side, to a corps that already included top prospects Ryan Johnson, Brock Faber and Jackson LaCombe, Minnesota added a trio of talented blueliners. Coach Motzko would call the collection of seven players the 'Best I’ve ever had and will ever have'. On top of that, Minnesota also retained Justen Close in goal who had finished the year as the team's starter and produced stellar numbers as the most critical juncture of the team's season.

### Sorting out

With all that going for the Gophers, Minnesota was ranked #2 in the preseason polls, only behind defending National Champion Denver. The Gophers began well enough, winning their first three games, but they also went through a gauntlet of teams during the first month and a half of the season. Minnesota was only able to earn a split in three consecutive weekends but, because all of their opponents were ranked, the Gophers were still #3 by the beginning of November. Even after beginning their conference schedule, Minnesota continued to face very stiff opposition. However, by then the team was beginning to grow accustomed to one another and the Gophers won three out of four to start the month.
Just before Thanksgiving, Minnesota was set to face off against Michigan in a battle between top 3 teams. In what could possibly determine the conference champion, the high-anticipated matchup was derailed when an Adenovirus outbreak swept through both locker rooms. While Minnesota was without the services of Aaron Huglen and Justen Close, Michigan was much harder hit as several players, including star forward Adam Fantilli were ruled out while one, Steven Holtz, was so severely affected by the illness that he was placed on a ventilator and nearly died. Unsurprisingly, the Wolverines' hearts were not in the game and Minnesota managed to sweep the series.

### Slow climb to the top

After Thanksgiving, Minnesota took a break from its conference slate and travelled down to Tempe to take on Arizona State. While the team seemed to have recovered from their viral issues, they seemed a bit off in the series and were only able to manage a split. The loss dropped Minnesota down to #4 which, while hardly a bad thing, was not up to par for a team that had pretentions for a National Championship. The team responded with four convincing wins to finish out the first half of the season and sat squarely at the top of the Big Ten standings.
Once the Gophers returned from the winter break, they had one final chance to prove their non-conference mettle against St. Cloud State. Unfortunately, the team's offense still appeared to be on vacation and was only able to score twice in the series. Fortunately, that was enough to earn a split and keep Minnesota at #3. A couple weeks later, the Gophers got their rematch with Michigan, who by then was completely recovered from the health scare. The two teams fought hard in the series and proved to be the equal of the other as both games went into overtime with each earning one win.
Minnesota regained their spot at #1 at the beginning of February after sweeping their season series over Michigan State, however, the Gophers dropped back down to #2 when a down Wisconsin team was able to eke out a 1–3 win. Minnesota was back on top of the polls a week later after taking down a sliding Penn State and finished the regular season as the top team in all three rankings.

### Conference tournament

As the #1 team in the Big Ten, Minnesota received a bye into the semifinals. The team was able to sit at home and practice while they awaited the lowest-seeded survivor of the quarterfinal round. Michigan State ended up arriving in Minneapolis a week later and the time off seemed have negatively affected the Gophers as the team surrendered the first goal to the Spartans on the power play. After that, however, Minnesota took over the game and scored the next 5 markers to skate to a comfortable victory.
Minnesota hosted Michigan for the championship. While both teams were already guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament, Minnesota had already secured the top overall seed regardless of the game's outcome. With both teams playing for pride, the game was a seesaw affair that saw both clubs skating up and down the ice. The Gophers scored first but the two then exchanged leads three times with Michigan finishing out ahead by a narrow 3–4 score.

### NCAA tournament

Though the loss in the conference championship was disappointing, Minnesota still had a chance to achieve their ultimate goal; winning the program's first national championship in 20 years. Minnesota began their tournament run in the best possible position. Not only was the team close to home at the Fargo regional, but they were set against Canisius in the first round. While the Golden Griffins were one of the final 16 teams, their national ranking was in the 40s. However, even with all of those advantages, Minnesota got off to a slow start. While the Gophers were able to get the first goal of the game on the power play, sloppy play afterwards enabled Canisius to tie the score less than three minutes later. The subpar performance continued into the second and Nick Bowman gave the Griffins their first lead of the match after just three minutes. While Minnesota was hardly in danger at the time, with more than half of the game left to play, the now-trailing team began to clean its play up and demonstrate that it was the superior club. Minnesota scored twice before the end of the second to regain the lead but Canisius was not going down without a fight. Despite being vastly outgunned, the Griffins were just one shot away from tying the game and had 20 minutes to work with. Luckily for Minnesota, Stefano Bottini got a bit overexcited at the start of the third and took a match penalty just 27 seconds into the period. Minnesota scored twice on the ensuing major penalty and opened the floodgates. With Canisius having to abandon its defensive effort to throw everything at Justen Close, Minnesota had a much easier time scoring and posted seven goals in the third period, turning what had once been a nail-biter into a runaway victory.
With a trip to Tampa on the line, Minnesota had to get past NCHC champion, St. Cloud State. After the slow start in the previous game, Minnesota made sure they didn't have a repeat and outshot the Huskies 14–6 in the first period. While they only managed to score once, the Gophers still held the lead going into the middle frame. St. Cloud tied the score on the power play but Minnesota regained the lead a few minutes later and never relinquished that advantage. Minnesota's fast and physical defensive corps stopped the rest of the Huskies' opportunities and carried the Gophers to a 4–1 win.
In the program's second consecutive trip to the Frozen Four, the Gophers took on Boston University for the fifth meeting between the two in the National Semifinal. With the historical record sitting at 2–2, the Terriers got off to a good start, scoring the first goal around the midway point of the first. After that, however, BU got into penalty trouble and Minnesota made them pay; the Gophers scored twice on the man advantage to take the lead before the start of the second. The Terriers got their own power play goal in the second to tie the game but Luke Mittelstadt scored twice in the first four minutes of the third to put Minnesota ahead for good. A pair of empty netters at the end extended their lead and ensured that Minnesota reached the championship game for the first time in 9 years.

#### National Championship

With just Quinnipiac left in their way, Minnesota was hoping to be the first #1 seed to win the championship since Denver in 2017. The Gophers began with a defensive front and counterpunched. While that may have played into Quinnipiac's hands, as the Bobcats were the top defensive team in the country, a fanned clearing attempt was intercepted by Connor Kurth and, after drawing Yaniv Perets out of position, he slipped the puck in front of the cage where John Mittelstadt knocked in his fourth of the season for the game's first goal less than six minutes into the game. The defensive struggle resumed afterwards and neither team got much in the way of scoring opportunities for the rest of the period.
Early in the second, after a faceoff win in the Bobcat's end, Brock Faber purposefully fired the puck from the blueline wide. The rubber bounced off of the end wall right to Jaxon Nelson who chipped the puck into the top corner of the net for a 2–0 lead. At this point, Minnesota was in full control of the game and it appeared that the Gophers were going to glide to the program's 6th National Championship. However, while Quinnipiac was the #1 defense, they also possessed the #3 offense and the Bobcats began leaning a bit more on the gas and were finally able to solve Justen Close a few minutes later. Minnesota pulled back and played defense for most of the rest of the game, trying to win with their 2–1 lead.
While they were widely outshot in the final half of the game, Minnesota did get several opportunities to extend their lead but bouncing and rolling pucks ended up causing all chances to miss. With about five minutes to play, Logan Cooley got into a scuffle with one of the Bobcats. While one referee signaled that he would give matching minors to both players if they continued, the other had already called Cooley for a high-sticking penalty. The Minnesota faithful were up in arms about the controversial call but the Gophers still had to slow down a strong Quinnipiac power play. The Bobcats ended up getting several good look at the net but Minnesota was able to stop everything, allowing Cooley to return to the ice. Unfortunately, just as he was getting into the play, Collin Graf fired a low shot on goal that sneaked between the legs of Close and bounced into the net. Suddenly, Minnesota found itself having to restart its offense but the Gophers seemed able to get back on their horses. Almost immediately after the ensuing faceoff, Minnesota broke in on the Bobcats' goal and had a chance to regain their lead but a strong defensive effort stopped the Gopher attack. The two teams continued to test one another for the remainder of the period but ended up needing overtime to decide the game.
Jaxon Nelson won the opening draw of the 4th period but did so too strongly and the puck ended up sailing into the Quinnipiac bench. On the ensuing draw, also at center ice, the Bobcats took control of the puck and, using a set play, engineered a quick 2-on-1 that resulted in the winning goal by Jacob Quillan. While the Bobcats celebrated, Minnesota desperately hoped that the play was offsides. When those faint hopes were dashed, the team could only watch as the championship, which had been within their grasp only minutes before, was captured by another team.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Brennan Boynton | Goaltender | United States | Transferred to American International |
| Benjamin Brinkman | Defenseman | United States | Graduate transfer to Notre Dame |
| Tristan Broz | Forward | United States | Transferred to Denver |
| Grant Cruikshank | Forward | United States | Graduate transfer to St. Cloud State |
| Matt Denman | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Chaz Lucius | Forward | United States | Signed professional contract (Winnipeg Jets) |
| Blake McLaughlin | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Anaheim Ducks) |
| Ben Meyers | Forward | United States | Signed professional contract (Colorado Avalanche) |
| Jack Perbix | Forward/Defenseman | United States | Transferred to Western Michigan |
| Sam Rossini | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Jonny Sorenson | Forward | United States | Transferred to Alaska |
| Sammy Walker | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Minnesota Wild) |
| Noah Weber | Forward | United States | Left program (retired) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Ryan Chesley | Defenseman | United States | 18 | Mahtomedi, MN; selected 37th overall in 2022 |
| Logan Cooley | Forward | United States | 18 | Pittsburgh, PA; selected 3rd overall in 2022 |
| Connor Kurth | Forward | United States | 19 | Elk River, MN; selected 192nd overall in 2022 |
| Brody Lamb | Forward | United States | 19 | Rochester, MN; selected 104th overall in 2021 |
| John Mittelstadt | Forward | United States | 20 | Eden Prairie, MN |
| Luke Mittelstadt | Defenseman | United States | 19 | Eden Prairie, MN |
| Garrett Pinoniemi | Forward | United States | 21 | Robbinsdale, MN |
| Jimmy Snuggerud | Forward | United States | 18 | Chaska, MN; selected 23rd overall in 2022 |
| Charlie Strobel | Forward | United States | 21 | Stillwater, MN |
| Cal Thomas | Defenseman | United States | 19 | Maple Grove, MN; selected 171st overall in 2021 |
| Zach Wiese | Goaltender | United States | 20 | Owatonna, MN |

## Roster

As of August 19, 2022.

## Standings

2022–23 Big Ten ice hockey Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | 3/SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #2 Minnesota † | 24 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 57 | 106 | 50 | 40 | 29 | 10 | 1 | 168 | 90 |
| #3 Michigan * | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 82 | 79 | 41 | 26 | 12 | 3 | 171 | 128 |
| #7 Ohio State | 24 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 69 | 63 | 40 | 21 | 16 | 3 | 131 | 101 |
| Notre Dame | 24 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 35 | 52 | 60 | 37 | 16 | 16 | 5 | 85 | 97 |
| #19 Michigan State | 24 | 10 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 34 | 65 | 80 | 38 | 18 | 18 | 2 | 107 | 115 |
| #8 Penn State | 24 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 34 | 71 | 75 | 39 | 22 | 16 | 1 | 129 | 106 |
| Wisconsin | 24 | 6 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 54 | 92 | 36 | 13 | 23 | 0 | 94 | 126 |
| Championship: March 18, 2023 † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll |||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 1 | 7:00 PM | Lindenwood* | #2 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN | BSN+ | Close | W 4–0 | 6,867 | 1–0–0 |
| October 2 | 7:00 PM | Lindenwood* | #2 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN | BSN+ | Bartoszkiewicz | W 6–4 | 5,985 | 2–0–0 |
| October 7 | 7:07 PM | #5 Minnesota State* | #2 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN | BSN | Close | W 4–1 | 8,472 | 3–0–0 |
| October 8 | 6:00 PM | at #5 Minnesota State* | #2 | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, MN | FOX 9+ | Close | L 3–2 | 4,911 | 3–1–0 |
| October 21 | 7:00 PM | #7 North Dakota* | #1 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Rivalry) | BSN+ | Close | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 10,418 | 4–1–0 |
| October 22 | 7:00 PM | #7 North Dakota* | #1 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Rivalry) | BSN | Close | L 4–5 $^{OT}$ | 10,193 | 4–2–0 |
| October 28 | 5:30 PM | at #11 Ohio State | #1 | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | BTN | Close | L 4–6 | 3,242 | 4–3–0 (0–1–0) |
| October 29 | 4:00 PM | at #11 Ohio State | #1 | Value City Arena • Columbus, OH | BTN+ | Close | W 4–2 | 3,336 | 5–3–0 (1–1–0) |
| November 4 | 7:00 PM | #12 Notre Dame | #3 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN | BTN+ | Close | W 4–1 | 7,774 | 6–3–0 (2–1–0) |
| November 5 | 7:00 PM | #12 Notre Dame | #3 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN | BTN+ | Close | W 3–0 | 8,291 | 7–3–0 (3–1–0) |
| November 10 | 7:00 PM | #8 Penn State | #1 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN | BTN | Close | L 2–4 | 6,664 | 7–4–0 (3–2–0) |
| November 11 | 7:00 PM | #8 Penn State | #1 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN | BTN+ | Close | W 3–1 | 8,921 | 8–4–0 (4–2–0) |
| November 18 | 5:30 PM | at #3 Michigan | #2 | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI (Rivalry) | BTN | Bartoszkiewicz | W 5–2 | 5,800 | 9–4–0 (5–2–0) |
| November 19 | 5:00 PM | at #3 Michigan | #2 | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI (Rivalry) | BTN | Bartoszkiewicz | W 6–3 | 5,800 | 10–4–0 (6–2–0) |
| November 25 | 8:00 PM | at Arizona State* | #2 | Mullett Arena • Tempe, AZ | Pac-12 Insider | Close | W 3–2 | 5,109 | 11–4–0 |
| November 26 | 8:00 PM | at Arizona State* | #2 | Mullett Arena • Tempe, AZ | Pac-12 Insider | Close | L 5–6 $^{OT}$ | 5,153 | 11–5–0 |
| December 2 | 5:30 PM | at #13 Michigan State | #4 | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI | BTN | Close | W 5–0 | 6,555 | 12–5–0 (7–2–0) |
| December 3 | 5:00 PM | at #13 Michigan State | #4 | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI | BTN | Close | W 6–3 | 6,555 | 13–5–0 (8–2–0) |
| December 9 | 8:00 PM | Wisconsin | #3 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Rivalry) | BTN | Close | W 7–1 | 8,961 | 14–5–0 (9–2–0) |
| December 10 | 6:00 PM | Wisconsin | #3 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Rivalry) | BSN, BSW | Close | W 6–4 | 9,713 | 15–5–0 (10–2–0) |
| December 29 | 3:00 PM | USNTDP* | #3 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Exhibition) | BTN+ | Close | W 3–2 | 8,593 | — |
| December 31 | 5:00 PM | at Bemidji State* | #3 | Sanford Center • Bemidji, MN (Exhibition) | FloHockey, FOX 9+ | Bartoszkiewicz | W 2–1 | 4,373 | — |
| January 7 | 6:00 PM | at #4 St. Cloud State* | #3 | Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, MN (Rivalry) | CBSSN, FOX 9+ | Close | L 0–3 | 6,051 | 15–6–0 |
| January 8 | 3:00 PM | #4 St. Cloud State* | #3 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Rivalry) | BSN | Close | W 2–1 $^{OT}$ | 10,192 | 16–6–0 |
| January 13 | 6:30 PM | at Notre Dame | #2 | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, IN | Peacock | Close | T 2–2 $^{SOL}$ | 4,984 | 16–6–1 (10–2–1) |
| January 14 | 5:00 PM | at Notre Dame | #2 | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, IN | Peacock | Close | W 3–0 | 5,022 | 17–6–1 (11–2–1) |
| January 20 | 7:00 PM | #8 Michigan | #2 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Rivalry) | BSN | Close | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 10,300 | 18–6–1 (12–2–1) |
| January 21 | 7:00 PM | #8 Michigan | #2 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Rivalry) | BSN, BTN | Close | L 4–5 $^{OT}$ | 10,455 | 18–7–1 (12–3–1) |
| January 27 | 7:00 PM | #15 Michigan State | #2 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN | BSN+ | Close | W 8–0 | 10,220 | 19–7–1 (13–3–1) |
| January 28 | 4:00 PM | #15 Michigan State | #2 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN | BSN+ | Close | W 6–3 | 10,253 | 20–7–1 (14–3–1) |
| February 10 | 7:00 PM | at Wisconsin | #1 | Kohl Center • Madison, WI (Rivalry) | BSN+ | Close | W 4–1 | 8,018 | 21–7–1 (15–3–1) |
| February 11 | 5:00 PM | at Wisconsin | #1 | Kohl Center • Madison, MI (Rivalry) | BTN | Close | L 1–3 | 11,075 | 21–8–1 (15–4–1) |
| February 17 | 5:30 PM | at #7 Penn State | #2 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, PA | BTN | Close | W 7–2 | 6,369 | 22–8–1 (16–4–1) |
| February 18 | 5:30 PM | at #7 Penn State | #2 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, PA | BTN | Close | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 6,461 | 23–8–1 (17–4–1) |
| February 24 | 8:00 PM | #8 Ohio State | #1 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN | ESPNU | Close | W 4–0 | 9,968 | 24–8–1 (18–4–1) |
| February 25 | 4:30 PM | #8 Ohio State | #1 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN | BTN | Close | W 5–2 | 10,140 | 25–8–1 (19–4–1) |
| Big Ten Tournament ||||||||||
| March 11 | 9:00 PM | #18 Michigan State* | #1 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Semifinal) | BTN, ESPN+ | Close | W 5–1 | 9,029 | 26–8–1 |
| March 18 | 7:00 PM | #4 Michigan* | #1 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN (Championship) | BTN, ESPN+ | Close | L 3–4 | 10,305 | 26–9–1 |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||||||
| March 23 | 7:00 PM | vs. Canisius* | #1 | Scheels Arena • Fargo, North Dakota (West Regional Semifinal) | ESPN2 | Close | W 9–2 | 5,061 | 27–9–1 |
| March 26 | 6:30 PM | vs. #6 St. Cloud State* | #1 | Scheels Arena • Fargo, North Dakota (West Regional Final) | ESPNU | Close | W 4–1 | 5,326 | 28–9–1 |
| April 6 | 4:00 PM | vs. #5 Boston University* | #1 | Amalie Arena • Tampa, Florida (National Semifinal) | ESPN2 | Close | W 6–2 | 19,119 | 29–9–1 |
| April 8 | 7:00 PM | vs. #3 Quinnipiac* | #1 | Amalie Arena • Tampa, Florida (National Championship) | ESPN2 | Close | L 2–3 $^{OT}$ | 19,444 | 29–10–1 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Central Time. Source: ||||||||||

## National Championship game

Scoring summary :
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | MIN | John Mittelstadt (4) | Kurth | 05:35 | 1–0 MIN |
| 2nd | MIN | Jaxon Nelson (10) | Faber | 25:24 | 2–0 MIN |
| 2nd | QU | Cristophe Tellier (8) | Metsa | 27:41 | 2–1 MIN |
| 3rd | QU | Collin Graf (21) – EA | Metsa, Lipkin | 57:13 | 2–2 |
| 1st Overtime | QU | Jacob Quillan (19) – GW | Lipkin, Metsa | 60:10 | 3–2 QU |
| Penalty summary ||||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | QU | Skyler Brind'Amour | Contact to the Head | 00:21 | 2:00 |
| 2nd | MIN | Jimmy Snuggerud | Tripping | 32:32 | 2:00 |
| 3rd | QU | Skyler Brind'Amour | Hooking | 43:17 | 2:00 |
| 3rd | MIN | Logan Cooley | High-sticking | 55:08 | 2:00 |
Shots by period :
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | T |
| Quinnipiac | 4 | 11 | 14 | 1 | 30 |
| Minnesota | 7 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 15 |
Goaltenders :
| Team | Name | Saves | Goals against | Time on ice |
| QU | Yaniv Perets | 13 | 2 | 59:29 |
| MIN | Justen Close | 27 | 3 | 60:10 |

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Logan Cooley | C | 39 | 22 | 38 | 60 | 42 |
| Jimmy Snuggerud | RW | 40 | 21 | 29 | 50 | 42 |
| Matthew Knies | LW | 40 | 21 | 21 | 42 | 29 |
| Jackson LaCombe | D | 37 | 9 | 26 | 35 | 13 |
| Bryce Brodzinski | RW | 40 | 19 | 12 | 31 | 12 |
| Michael Koster | D | 40 | 6 | 23 | 29 | 8 |
| Jaxon Nelson | C | 40 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 10 |
| Brock Faber | D | 38 | 4 | 23 | 27 | 12 |
| Rhett Pitlick | LW | 40 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 18 |
| Mason Nevers | C | 40 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 2 |
| Luke Mittelstadt | D | 38 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 6 |
| Ryan Johnson | D | 40 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 8 |
| Aaron Huglen | C/W | 38 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 18 |
| Connor Kurth | F | 38 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 35 |
| Ryan Chesley | D | 36 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 13 |
| Brody Lamb | RW | 39 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 |
| Cal Thomas | D | 40 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| John Mittelstadt | F | 30 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| Garrett Pinoniemi | C | 29 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Charlie Strobel | C | 20 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Carl Fish | D | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Justen Close | G | 37 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Owen Bartoszkiewicz | G | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Colin Schmidt | C | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | | | 168 | 285 | 453 | 296 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Justen Close | 37 | 2170:22 | 26 | 10 | 1 | 73 | 930 | 6 | .930 | 2.02 |
| Owen Bartoszkiewicz | 6 | 242:12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 113 | 0 | .883 | 3.72 |
| Empty Net | - | 11:38 | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 40 | 2424:12 | 29 | 10 | 1 | 90 | 1043 | 6 | .921 | 2.23 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | 2 (8) | - | 2 (6) | 2 (1) | 1 (31) | 1 (21) | 3 (5) | 1 (32) | 2 (5) | 2 (7) | 4 (3) | 3 (6) | 3 (9) | - | 3 (11) | 2 (5) | 2 (6) | 2 (13) | 1 (38) | 1 (36) | 2 (16) | 1 (25) | 1 (37) | 1 (38) | 1 (38) | 1 (34) | - | 2 |
| USA Today | 2 (7) | 2 (7) | 2 (4) | 2 (1) | 1 (21) | 1 (14) | 3 (3) | 1 (24) | 2 (3) | 2 (9) | 1 (11) | 2 (16) | 2 (13) | 1 (15) | 1 (15) | 2 (9) | 2 (4) | 2 (12) | 1 (27) | 1 (31) | 2 (12) | 1 (17) | 1 (27) | 1 (29) | 1 (28) | 1 (27) | 1 (30) | 2 |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award |
| Bob Motzko | Spencer Penrose Award |
| Brock Faber | AHCA West All-American First Team |
| Logan Cooley | AHCA West All-American First Team |
| Matthew Knies | AHCA West All-American First Team |
| Matthew Knies | Big Ten Player of the Year |
| Brock Faber | Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year |
| Logan Cooley | Big Ten Scoring Champion |
| Jimmy Snuggerud | Big Ten Scoring Champion |
| Bob Motzko | Big Ten Coach of the Year |
| Brock Faber | Big Ten First Team |
| Logan Cooley | Big Ten First Team |
| Matthew Knies | Big Ten First Team |
| Justen Close | Big Ten Second Team |
| Jackson LaCombe | Big Ten Second Team |
| Jimmy Snuggerud | Big Ten Second Team |
| Luke Mittelstadt | Big Ten Freshman Team |
| Logan Cooley | Big Ten Freshman Team |
| Jimmy Snuggerud | Big Ten Freshman Team |
| Justen Close | Big Ten All-Tournament Team |
| Logan Cooley | Big Ten All-Tournament Team |
| Luke Mittelstadt | NCAA All-Tournament team |
| Logan Cooley | NCAA All-Tournament team |

## Players drafted into the NHL
### 2023 NHL Entry Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
| 1 | 19 | Oliver Moore $^†$ | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 7 | 197 | Luke Mittelstadt | Montreal Canadiens |
| 7 | 213 | James Clark $^†$ | Minnesota Wild |
† incoming freshman