Tag: Andy Slaggert

Notre Dame Freshman Forwards Hoping for 2020 NHL Draft Selections

Tuesday and Wednesday will mark the achievement of a lifelong dream for many young hockey players. That dream is to be drafted by the NHL.

Tuesday and Wednesday will mark the achievement of a lifelong dream for many young hockey players. That dream is to be drafted by the NHL. This year’s draft could feature two Notre Dame freshman forwards. Landon Slaggert and Ryder Rolston are ranked 88th and 102nd, respectively, in the final North American Prospect Rankings.

Though neither player has appeared in a game for the Irish yet, hockey is rich in both of their families. Slaggert continues a Notre Dame tradition in his family, as his brother, Graham, is entering his junior season with the Irish, and his father, Andy, is an associate head coach who is in his 28th season with the program. Rolston’s father, Brian, began his 17-year NHL career by winning the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 1995, which came after winning the 1992 national championship with Lake Superior State under Jeff Jackson.

Six drafted players currently are on Notre Dame’s roster. The all-time drafted player total for the Irish is 85. At least one current or former Irish player has been selected in the draft every year since 2004.

Four Freshmen Added to Notre Dame Hockey Roster

Four freshmen will join Notre Dame for the 2020-21 season, said coach Jeff Jackson.

Four freshmen will join Notre Dame for the 2020-21 season, said coach Jeff Jackson. The newest players to lace up for the Irish are forwards Grant Silianoff, Landon Slaggert, Ryder Rolston and defenseman Zach Plucinski. Jackson said the following about his new players:

“This year’s freshman class may be small in number but it is talented and diverse in ability. I fully expect each player will contribute to our team this year; they each bring different strengths that will combine to make us a better team.”

All four players come from the USHL. Rolston hails from Birmingham, Michigan, and played last season with the Waterloo Black Hawks. Silianoff, an Edina, Minnesota, native comes from the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Plucinski is from Eagle River, Alaska, and the Omaha Lancers. Slaggert, the brother of current Irish forward Graham and associate head coach Andy, naturally comes from South Bend and is fresh off a tenure with the U.S. National Team Development Program.