Michigan Hockey’s Book Club Sparks Remarkable Frozen Four Run

The Michigan hockey team faces Denver on April 9 in the Frozen Four semifinals. A spring book club helped turn around a program that missed the NCAA Tournament last season. The Wolverines (31-7-1) credit reading "Legacy" by James Kerr as one reason they'll compete at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena. Kerr's book examines New Zealand's All Blacks rugby team.

Coach Brandon Naurato and director of player personnel Chrissy Powers started the book club last spring. Eleven or twelve returners joined, along with coaches and staffers. They wanted teammates to gather, open up, and connect outside the pressures of competition.

"And it was awesome because I just felt like it was a free environment where guys could speak exactly how they felt in a vulnerable way in the offseason," Naurato said to The Detroit News.

Defenseman Luca Fantilli serves as captain. He pointed to the group's closeness as the biggest difference from last year. The All Blacks have what he considers the best tradition in sports. Discipline. Training. Lessons worth learning.

"I think the biggest difference right here and the changes that we've made is just like the people we have in this room," Fantilli said. "I think every guy's a good guy, and every guy wants to win."

The program jumped from 18-15-3 to 31-7-1 this season. Last year, they finished fourth in the Big Ten. This year? Second in the conference. They spent weeks at No. 1 in the polls, won the Big Ten Tournament, then entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed.

January addition Kason Muscutt had read the book last summer at Sioux City. His GM there, Sean Clark, assigned it to him.

"It's powerful, man," Muscutt said. "I took a lot of those leadership lessons and brought that to Sioux City, and I try to implement it into everyday life."

The roster added star goaltender Jack Ivankovic this season. Freshmen Adam Valentini and Malcolm Spence provided forward depth. T.J. Hughes returned. So did Will Horcoff and Big Ten freshman of the year Michael Hage.

Denver won national championships in 2022 and 2024 under head coach David Carle. The Pioneers beat a star-studded Michigan team 3-2 in overtime at the 2022 Frozen Four in Boston. Naurato was an assistant coach for that game before becoming interim head coach months later.

"I rewatched that game this morning, actually," Naurato said. "It still hurts."

The winner plays North Dakota or Wisconsin in the national championship game. The Wolverines hunt their 10th national championship in program history. They haven't won since 1998.

The semifinal game airs on ESPN2 at 8:30 p.m.