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" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/online_dom.HKY_.vsMSU-Big10.3.5.22.238-copy-copy.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/online_dom.HKY_.vsMSU-Big10.3.5.22.238-copy-copy.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" /> After losing two top pairing defensemen this offseason, the Michigan hockey team has found an addition to its blue line.
Marshall Warren, a defenseman and captain of Boston College, announced his commitment to play his fifth year of eligibility at Michigan. The announcement came within hours of senior defenseman Keaton Pehrson transferring to North Dakota, as reported by The Grand Forks Herald.
A left-handed defenseman who played four seasons with the Eagles, Warren brings versatility and top-four depth to the Wolverines’ blue line. Across 130 games with Boston College, he scored 20 goals and assisted on 37 more while collecting two Hockey East championships. In 2019, the Minnesota Wild selected him with a sixth-round pick in the NHL Draft.
That all suggests he could prove an upgrade to the current top-four depth of Michigan’s defense corps. With Pehrson leaving — a top pairing defenseman who played above his skill set this season — a job on the top pairing seemingly opened up. Warren projects to fill that. Alongside rising senior defenseman Jacob Truscott, rising junior defenseman Ethan Edwards and rising sophomore defenseman Seamus Casey, the Wolverines’ blue line projects to be chock full of quality options.
It should also be full of leaders, including Warren. Just seven upperclassmen — three juniors and four seniors — are projected to be on the roster next season barring further changes. Warren adds key fifth-year experience to help lead a young team, not to mention his leadership as a captain for Boston College this past season.
Warren marks Michigan’s first pickup from the transfer portal, while three of its players remain in it. Freshman goaltender Tyler Shea and senior forwards Nick Granowicz and Eric Ciccolini entered the transfer portal since Michigan lost in the Frozen Four. All are still eligible to return to the Wolverines’ program.
While Michigan’s final roster for the 2023-24 season is far from complete, Warren marks a major addition to its strength.