No. 14 UMD loses junior center to season-ending injury

DULUTH, MN. (Northern News Now) - The University of Minnesota Duluth men’s hockey Head Coach Scott Sandelin announced on Wednesday that the team will be without top center and alternate captain Dominic James due to a season-ending injury.

During Friday’s game, James left against Northern Michigan following a hit and never returned.

James was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2022 NHL Draft as the 12th pick in the sixth round and now will be undergoing surgery.

Not only will the Bulldogs feel the loss of his physical presence on the ice, but as an alternate captain, they will be looking for other players to step up into a leadership role.

“It’s really tough to lose him, he’s one of our top players. It’s now an opportunity for other guys to step up. It’s a hard thing for any player to go through. It seems like we’ve gone through that every year here for the last three years where we’re losing a player every year,” said Sandelin. “Aside from that in the locker room, he’s a fun guy to be around, and like I said he’s always got a smile on his face and plays with a lot of passion.”

“Losing Dom sucks but it’s a good opportunity for me. Hopefully, I can rise up and take his spot. I think we have the right guys to step up, younger guys and older guys kinda getting some more opportunities so I think it’ll be good to see what guys are really made of,” said sophomore forward.

The Bulldogs will be back in action on Friday night for their first game without James since before his freshman year in 2021-22.

Bemidji State will meet UMD at Amsoil Arena at 6 p.m. with a broadcast of the game on the MY9 Sports Network.

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