By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
It’s hard to hit rock bottom more than the University of Minnesota did last season. Coming off five consecutive seasons with at least 23 wins and an NCAA Tournament berth, the Golden Gophers faceplanted out of the gate and never recovered, finishing 11-22-3, their worst record since the Nixon administration. The down year ultimately led to head coach Bob Motzko’s departure after eight seasons.
Minnesota tapped into a familiar well during their coaching search, hiring Brett Larson from St. Cloud State, Motzko’s successor with the Huskies, to once again succeed him in Minneapolis. Larson had led St. Cloud for all eight seasons since assuming the head coaching role, compiling a 153-116-23 record and leading them to their first national championship appearance in program history in 2021.
Larson arrives with a clear intent to re-establish a winning culture and emphasize player development, having brought in three-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Cullen to join a staff that already included longtime NHL defenseman Paul Martin, who won two national championships as a Gopher. “Our goal is to put together the best development model of anywhere in the country,” he told Randy Johnson of the Minnesota Star Tribune. His hire has already been felt, with newly-appointed captain Brodie Ziemer noting there’s a new energy within the program.
The Gophers have a few bright spots for Larson to build on, with a handful of young forwards who took steps forward amid their losing season, including Ziemer and Bruins prospect Beckett Hendrickson. Boston’s 4th-round pick from 2023 set career highs across the board in his sophomore year, posting 7-13-20 in 36 games and adding four minutes of ice time a night in a regular middle six wing role, with a handful of games on the top line.
Hendrickson’s sophomore leap came off the back of greater opportunity for playing time, with several veteran forwards moving on after his freshman year, where he totaled just 3-9-12 in 39 games. Now, with the last stragglers of the Gophers’ 2023 national runner-up team having graduated, there are a handful of open spots across the roster, including two openings in the top six for Hendrickson to contend for, but the competition will be steep.
Larson did not come to Minnesota empty-handed, bringing in a few key transfers from St Cloud, including Austin Burnevik, and retaining the commitment of top draft pick Wyatt Cullen. Like Hendrickson, Burnevik is a rising junior wing but has a stronger resume than his former USNTDP housemate; he recorded 33-33-66 in 71 games at St Cloud and won a gold medal with Team USA at the World Juniors in 2025. Cullen, son of their newly appointed coach Matt Cullen, was just drafted 10th overall by the Nashville Predators and has loads of offensive potential of his own.
Regardless of his rivals’ pedigrees, Hendrickson will have his fair shot at a greater role this coming season, but another step forward in his development is crucial. Hendrickson turned 21 over the offseason and remains outside the central focus in discussions of Boston’s pipeline. Significant jumps year-to-year aren’t unheard of, and he proved it last season, but there is opportunity for more ahead, and another year of pinging around the middle six won’t do him any favors.
Whatever role Hendrickson lands in, or however he produces, Larson’s expectations will be the same for the Golden Gophers this year: “We really believe this team is an NCAA Tournament team, and we’re gonna be disappointed if we don’t make it there.” A new era at Minnesota means a new opportunity for Hendrickson, and for a prospect who needs a real step forward, there may not be a better time to seize it.
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