Wow So Cool: A linebacker on skates:’ Michigan transfer’s size, speed an asset for Wolverine
ANN ARBOR – Michigan’s hockey team had holes to fill after losing five forwards from last season’s team that reached the Frozen Four, including Hobey Baker award winner Adam Fantilli.
With just one forward returning taller than 6-foot-1, sophomore Josh Eernisse, a transfer from St. Thomas, has added some much-needed size and physicality to the group.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder power forward also has scored some timely goals offensively and has been a key contributor on the penalty kill for the 14th-ranked Wolverines (14-11-3). “He’s like a linebacker on skates,” head coach Brandon Naurato said of Eernisse, who has seven goals and four assists in 28 games. “He’s so fast and so strong. I think he holds up on guys a lot because he could hurt people. He is a big boy. Very powerful.”
Ironically, football was one of the few sports Eernisse didn’t play growing up in Minnesota. But the attributes of a linebacker are also what makes Eernisse a nuisance to play against on the ice. With his size and speed, Eernisse isn’t shy about driving the net or being the first forward in on the forecheck. There might be a price to pay physically, but Eernisse is always willing to ante up.
“It’s just hard when you’re a defenseman on the other team and he’s constantly finishing his checks, especially going into like the second night or the second or third period of the first night (of a two-game series),” Naurato said. “That’s when you start creating turnovers and start getting chances.”
Because of several injuries to Michigan forwards this season, Naurato frequently had to shuffle his lines during the first half of the season. Despite the team losing its top three scorers from last season, it still returned a skilled group headlined by top top-35 picks Rutger McGroarty, Frank Nazar, and Gavin Brindley. Eernisse has moved up and down the lineup and has played with a bevy of different linemates this season.