Christian Humphreys settling into freshman year at Michigan

Christian Humphreys isn’t used to taking a backseat.

From his teenage years playing with Bishop Kearney through his two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP), Humphreys was a star, filling up stat sheets en route to a seventh-round NHL Draft selection in May.

But now in his first year with the No. 11 Michigan hockey team, the freshman forward has had to wait his turn. The consistent playing time and shot opportunities he was accustomed to have now become more scarce with the Wolverines. On a team full of newcomers, though, Humphreys isn’t alone in the sea of change. The first few weeks of the season have been an adjustment period for everyone — especially their seven freshmen — but the veterans have been there to offer wisdom.

“I think, obviously, it’s different at first, and that’s what the older guys are here for,” freshman forward Michael Hage said Oct. 8. “They help you out and give you little tips and little things that helped them in their freshman year.”

In Humphreys’ case, he played in Michigan’s season opener against Minnesota State and even got off three shots, but he was then benched for the series’ second game. In the following weeks, he has seen his playing time continue to fluctuate. Against St. Cloud State, Humphreys carved out a larger role, seeing time as an extra skater Friday and as the right winger on the fourth line Saturday.

Although Humphreys still hasn’t recorded any points on the season, he’s proved to be a playable forward option on a Wolverines team still looking for answers among their new faces.

“Learning new systems, it’s tough as a freshman,” Humphreys said Oct. 22. “You kind of think and think, and then finally starting against St. Cloud (State), it all sunk in a little more.”

A week later, Humphreys continued to make an impression. Early on in Michigan’s exhibition victory over NTDP, he found a connection with junior forward T.J. Hughes. 

With just under three minutes remaining, Hughes found a wide open Humphreys in the slot, who paused for a moment before firing the puck past the goaltender and into the right side of the net. For Humphreys, it wasn’t just his first goal in a Wolverines sweater, it was also a goal against his former team.

Humphreys wasn’t done yet. Mere seconds into the second period, Humphreys found himself in an awkward position, skating into the right corner of the wall to retrieve the puck in the offensive zone. But once he got to the puck, he had the instincts to quickly fire it across the ice to Hughes, who needed just a moment to score his first goal of the season.

Even though Humphreys’ goal and assist from the exhibition game won’t count toward his season point total, he took the opportunity to put his skills on display.

Whether from Hughes or other upperclassmen, Humphreys has learned lessons from Michigan’s veterans early on. Graduate and fellow forward Philippe Lapointe, in particular, has been a mentor for Humphreys and other Wolverines youngsters.

“The first month, month and a half, two months (of a freshman year), is a lot of new systems, different styles of playing, and a lot of times it can be overwhelming,” Lapointe said Oct. 22. “So just getting feedback from them and moving forward and just trying to have it click for them is really cool to see. It just continues to get better every single day and every single week.”

Humphreys isn’t the only Michigan freshman who has needed some time to adjust early on. But as the Wolverines play more and more games, Humphreys is carving out a role for himself — one that could prove key later on this season.

The post Christian Humphreys settling into freshman year at Michigan appeared first on The Michigan Daily.