Hawks ready to reload

BY JAMEY MALCOMB Duluth News Tribune

HERMANTOWN —

When Hermantown smashed its way through the state tournament last year, the scoresheets were littered with familiar names: Zam Plante, Ty Hanson, Max Plante and Beau Janzig, to name a few.

This season, the Hawks’ top line will look very different after each of those four players left the program, representing more than 200 points of offensive production coach Pat Andrews will have to figure out how to replace.

If you add in the departure of second-line forwards Dominic Thomas and Gavin Blomdahl, the number swells to well more than half the total points Hermantown scored in 2021-22. Zam Plante and Hanson are spending the season in the United States Hockey League and Max Plante — Hermantown’s point leader with 72 — left for USA Hockey’s National Development Team

Program.

Janzig, Thomas and Blomdahl all graduated and Janzig is spending this season with the North American Hockey League’s Minnesota Wilderness in Cloquet.

“Obviously, everyone looks at what you lost, you lose X amount of points, X amount of ice time,” Andrews said. “You lose three-fifths of your power play, you lose 85% of your scoring, and that’s part of it, but what you’re really losing there is they’re just tremendous human beings. Beau was an unbelievable captain for us and, obviously, Zam, Ty and Max are phenomenal players, but they’re great human beings that compete so hard and they bring that level up. That’s what you’re losing and you don’t replace that.”

Certainly you don’t replace a group of six players that include three Minnesota Duluth recruits — one of whom was a fifth round draft pick of the Pittsburgh

Penguins — but this is Hermantown.

The cupboard is not bare.

Much like college football titans Georgia and Ohio State, Hermantown’s rebuild more closely resembles a reload.

The Hawks season will depend on their senior captains: Kade Kohanski, Wyatt Carlson and George Peterson. In addition, Dallas Vieau, a junior Penn State recruit, will be part of the Hawks attack as well.

Kohanski is the only player from the top line to return, but he was a significant contributor last season. His 22 goals trailed only Zam Plante and his 62 total points was good enough for third on the team.

“He was not a third wheel on that line — Kade Kohanski made that line go,” Andrews said. “I think what people will see if how darn good Kade is in his own right, because he is going to make that top line go this year.”

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