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My close buddy Legendary Scott Sandelin doesn’t bother sugarcoating it. He’s been behind the Bulldogs bench for a quarter century, with banners, rings, and NHL alumni as proof of what UMD hockey looks like at its best. But the last few years? They’ve chewed him up a little.
“It sucks,” Sandelin said of the program stacking three consecutive losing seasons, including a 13-20-3 finish a year ago. “And you know what? It’s not what you envision.”
This isn’t some PR spin about “reloading.” Sandelin admits the obvious: the program slipped. Goalies didn’t stop enough pucks, players left early, others fell off the rails. That winning culture — the hard-edged, all-in buy-in that once made Amsoil Arena the nastiest road stop in college hockey — wasn’t always there.
“Obviously, it’s been a little bit harder than I thought,” Sandelin said at the team's first presser of the season Wednesday at Amsoil. “You've got to care about each other and you’ve got to buy into what we’re doing. Maybe that was missing a little bit.”
He’s right. For all the talk about “systems,” Sandelin hasn’t changed much. The Bulldogs still play heavy, defend hard, grind teams down. The roster changed — kids who didn’t always grab the rope and weren’t ready to sacrifice the way past groups did.
“I think some things don’t work as they used to,” said Sandelin, who appeared rested and at personal peace as training camp opens. “Some things don’t work at all. I’ve become much more patient, even though that’s not in my DNA. More flexible. We’re trying to be more transparent with everything. I’ve learned a lot.”
That’s not a coach circling clichés on a whiteboard. That’s a national title guy admitting he had to evolve. He listens more now. The old “my way or the highway” playbook is gone.
“Last year our exit meetings with the freshmen were probably the most honest I’ve ever been involved in,” he said. “It was invaluable. You’ve got to listen to players more. I respect their opinions.”
Still, all the listening in the world won’t matter if pucks keep flying past the goalie’s ear. Sandelin knows it. “Let’s just stop the puck more, seriously,” he said, deadpan. “I don’t care how you do it.”
Adam Gajan returns after a rough first year, flanked by Ethan Dahlmeir and Cole Sheffield. Brant Nicklin is on staff full-time. The expectation is simple: be better.
“Last year was a learning year,” Sandelin said. “Adam had a good summer. He looks to be in a much better spot. And I think the supporting cast will be good for him.”
That’s the starting point, but the deeper repair job is culture. Sandelin hammers on care, love, and accountability — things that sound hokey until you remember the Bulldogs once built a dynasty on them.
“You create that environment and it’s a lot easier for guys to get comfortable and grow,” he said. “You need that from your older players. Maybe we didn’t have quite enough of that.”
You can tell the last few years cut him. Not because of the standings, but because it forced him to confront his blind spots.
“You’re rolling along like we were, and sometimes complacency sets in,” Sandelin said. “You start letting some things go. Those things become bigger things. Every year, every team teaches you new things, whether you’re winning or losing. You're not a good coach if you don’t look at it that way.”
That’s the part Bulldog fans should hear loudest: he’s not hiding from it. He’s not too proud to say the program drifted, that he drifted. And he’s not panicking either.
“I don’t feel we are as far away as it looks,” said Sandelin. “I think we’re in a good spot right now. I think there’s a lot of hungry guys. Even some freshmen are driven to be successful and help us get back there.”
It’s not just about winning games. UMD’s pitch to recruits still hinges on Duluth itself — its community, its conference, its track record of churning out pros and good people.
“I want kids that really want to play here,” Sandelin said. “We’re not in the $700,000 sweepstakes, nor do I want to be. We’ve always had that focus — high-character kids. That’s been our M.O.”
The Bulldogs’ next great challenge is proving the culture still holds. For Sandelin, the banners are already hanging. The test is building another group that wants to put more of them up.
“All I can ask,” he said, “is that our kids work hard toward that. And I know they will.”
