Jerseys!

Michigan has unveiled their jerseys for the 2012-13 season. In the middle are the home whites, which are unchanged from a year ago. Then, starting in the top left and working clockwise: Road jersey, blue for the GLI, maize for the GLI, alternate jersey.

You'll recognize the road jersey as a blue version of the pseudo-throwback that they've been wearing at home for a couple of seasons. I absolutely love it. The block M is as unnecessary on that jersey as it is on the home white, but I think it works better. Maybe it's because I'm used to seeing a solid maize block M. Maybe it's because it doesn't have a stupid outline around it. Either way, I think that's one damn fine looking jersey.

The GLI jerseys are a throwback to the 70s and are a Michigan version of the jerseys that some NHL teams wore back in the day as well. My initial impression was to hate both of them. Upon further examination, I think I actually really like the blue one. I think the maize one looks like something you'd get from Steve and Barry's, but I'm willing to see how it looks on the players before I completely judge.

You're all aware of my affinity for the Big Chill jerseys that are coming back as the alternates for this upcoming season. Those jerseys definitely look better on the players than they do on the computer screen, and they also work better with a more dark-yellow maize, as opposed to the highlighter-yellow that Adidas uses on the replica version.

All in all, I'm pretty happy. The GLI jerseys aren't nearly as bad as the ones that Nike came up with a few years back. I love the new road jersey. The blue GLI jersey is growing on me more and more as I look at it. If they got rid of the stupid block M on the home and road jersey both of those would be absolutely perfect. The script maize is still going to be the best Michigan jersey ever, but I'm okay with the Big Chill jersey being a change of pace for a year or two. I get that the Wolverine on the front looks like it was designed in MS Paint, but there's a goofy charm about it. 

Having a Seat Over There: Andrew Copp

Red Berenson isn't done adding players to the incoming class of 2012. Andrew Copp, an Ann Arbor native who has played with the NTDP the past couple of years, announced that he has committed to join the Wolverines next season.

Copp had 1-5--6 in 23 games for the Under 18s this year. He also spent nine games with the U17s and put up 5-6--11 in that span. Technically that was good for first on the team in points per game, though clearly that's a very small sample size and he was an older player. He missed a good chunk of the season with a broken collarbone suffered while quarterbacking Ann Arbor Skyline.

In 2010-11, he split time between the U17s (1-4--5 in 25 games), U18 (1-0--1 in 6 games), and Detroit Compuware (2-7--9 in 17 games). 

Copp is listed as 6'0", 185 on the NTDP website.

Copp was also a part of the USA team that just brought home the gold medal at the U-18 World Championships. He had an assist on the game-winning goal in the gold medal game.

The obvious comparison (based on the situation moreso than style of play, as I've never seen Copp) is with Danny Fardig, another Ann Arbor native who split time between the U17s and U18s before becoming a very solid 3rd/4th liner for the Wolverines. Fardig wore 26 with the Wolverines, Copp wore 26 with the NTDP. There ya go.

The NTDP had a nice feature on him back in February. He was planning on playing a year in the USHL, but the chance to join the Wolverines is hard to pass up!