Connor Carrick will not be playing on the Michigan hockey team in the fall. Friday he signed with the Plymouth Whalers losing his college eligibility.

From the Detroit Free Press:

“It doesn’t make me all warm and fuzzy to retract on my word,” Carrick said today by telephone. “I am a guy who puts a lot of value in what I say. Situations change, and a lot has changed in two years.”

Before this decision, Michigan had 8 defeseman to choose from for this season. Four of them were a lock which means four guys would be fighting for 2 spots.

Plymouth has told him he will be a top 4 defenseman this year, guaranteeing him a lot of ice time. There was no guarantee of that at Michigan this season or next season for that matter–Lee Moffie will be the only senior dman on the team this year.

Making this decision, regardless of how difficult it was, felt like the right decision for him. Congratulations to Connor and all the best! I’m looking forward to him showing up all the statistics that say he doesn’t have a shot. With someone like Connor, anything is possible, especially through hard work and determination. This kid has lots of it!

Free Agency Notes

From what I could tell, only one Wolverine changed homes on Sunday.

David Moss signed with the Phoenix Coyotes Sunday to a two year deal. Moss has played the last six years with the Calgary Flames.

The chance of Michigan Man hoisting the Stanley Cup just went down slightly. Last night the wolverines lost Andrew Ebbett, when his team, the Phoenix Coyotes, lost their 4^th straight game to the Detroit Red Wings.

Now I am a huge Detroit Red Wings fan and was hoping for a sweep—what can I say? The wings need the rest and playing playoff hockey in the western conference is incredibly taxing on your body and mind. They have to change up to 3 time zones—and are the only team that has to!

The Michigan fan in me feels really bad about him getting knocked out. Andrew has moved around from team to team over the past couple of years: Going from the Anaheim Ducks to the Chicago Blackhawks only to be traded to the Minnesota Wild. He signed as a free agent with Phoenix last summer.  I am hoping he’s found a home with the coyotes.

Andrew’s stats for this year include 33 games played, 2 goals, 3 assists and 4 penalty minutes.
Michigan has 8 players left in the playoffs–let’s bring home another Stanley Cup, boys!