Kason Muscutt revelling in return of hockey season

Kason Muscutt revelling in return of hockey season Joe Sanders/DAILY. Buy this photo. Last season, the Michigan hockey team entered the halfway point sitting atop the NCAA mountain. It seemed like Wolverines coach Brandon Naurato had pieced together the perfect group — one that was seldom on radars prior to initial puck drop.  However powerful the team was, Naurato knew it could be better. The then-No. 1 Michigan needed a little something to complete the puzzle: a guy from Shreveport, La.  Sophomore forward Kason Muscutt ventured to Ann Arbor at a time when perhaps the ground was frozen, but the Wolverines were hot. Big Ten play was in full swing and Michigan had a gauntlet of a schedule to tackle. Muscutt was quickly thrown into the waters once added to the roster, merely hoping he could tread water. And while he swam well — tallying three goals including a key score against then-No. 13 Wisconsin — he’s happy to ease into this season from its start. “It’s honestly been unbelievable,” Muscutt said Saturday of starting the season with the Wolverines. “Being able to have that time before the season actually starts to kind of mesh with the group instead of jumping right in, it’s been amazing and like I said, there literally could not be any better of a group to do it with. It’s an unbelievable group of guys and we have a lot of fun.” Muscutt made his season debut Friday against Alaska Anchorage, centering freshmen forwards Nic Sima and J.P. Hurbert all weekend. And while the line garnered much attention, it wasn’t for point production. Instead, it was the physical presence they brought to the ice.  The No. 2 Wolverines boast a highly skilled squad, with 16 NHL draftees and many highly touted prospects. But in order to be successful, a team needs the tough guys, too. “It’s so much fun going out there,” Muscutt said. “You know that (Sima’s) gonna hit everything that moves, I’ll hit everything that moves and then (Hurlbert) has the skills and he has the touch that can make up for it. So it’s a lot of fun every shift.” At the conclusion of last season, Muscutt led the team in shot percentage with a .273 average — meaning his shot-to-goal ratio was the strongest among Michigan. Muscutt’s line may not skate premier minutes like those on the so-called first line, but his goal is to always make the most of the time he’s got. “Shoot,” Muscutt said of his mindset when he’s on the ice. “Every time, I honestly stay in the middle and then I get the puck there then shoot. Creates a lot of chaos and pucks on net, and it’s one thing that’s part of our identity is creating chaos, but being poised within the chaos, that’s the most important thing. Just get the puck on net.” Muscutt’s run with the Wolverines is only getting started. Despite missing out on earlier parts of last year’s season, he witnessed the hard-hitters: a Big Ten Tournament championship, a Frozen Four berth and, ultimately, a crushing loss to Denver in Las Vegas. Carrying all of that knowledge into this season, Muscutt’s amped to do it all again — this time from the very beginning. Related articles