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MAX PLANTE JUST DIDN'T just show up Saturday night at Amsoil Arena. He arrived.
The University of Minnesota Duluth sophomore forward scored two goals and added two assists as the Bulldogs closed out a nonconference sweep of Lindenwood with an 8–4 victory, a performance that felt less like a hot streak and more like a player rediscovering the version of himself that made him a second-round NHL draft pick.
Plante now has 19 goals and 36 points in 19 games, production that places him among the most dangerous young scorers in college hockey as UMD heads into a two-game NCHC series at St. Cloud State next weekend.
But the numbers only tell part of the story.
For Plante, the weekend was about rhythm — about getting back to playing his game after a jarring detour through the World Junior Championship in Minneapolis, where he battled an upper-body injury and spent two losses fighting the puck, the pace and his own expectations.
On Saturday, the hesitation was gone.
He was quicker on his edges, cleaner through the neutral zone and far more selective about when to take contact along the boards. Instead of trying to survive shifts, he controlled them, using his hands and his vision to pull Lindenwood defenders out of position before making them pay.
One of his goals came on a snap release from the slot. Another came from hunting rebounds and finishing in traffic. Both were the kind of plays that translate — not just to the NCHC, but to the professional game.
That’s the larger context hovering over every Plante shift now.
The Detroit Red Wings selected him 44th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, and by rule, he is eligible for a late-season signing that could give him up to a 12-game look in the NHL once UMD’s season ends. If Detroit pulls that lever, Plante would almost certainly begin next season in the American Hockey League, starting the pro clock that so many young players face earlier than they expect.
Emotionally, it would be easy to imagine Plante wanting to stay — to play another season of college hockey, to line up again with older brother Zam, and perhaps even younger brother Victor starting next season.
But the professional decision is colder than that.
Detroit doesn’t draft players in the second round to leave them idle. The organization will be watching not just Plante’s goals, but how he manages games, how he avoids punishment in tight areas, and how he handles the physical grind that waits beyond college.
Saturday was a glimpse of that evolution.
Plante didn’t throw his body into every corner battle. He didn’t force plays. He played to his strengths — quick hands, constant motion, and the ability to process two steps ahead of the defense — and the result was a four-point night that tilted the ice every time he hopped over the boards.
UMD benefited, too.
The Bulldogs needed a reset after the World Juniors break, and Plante’s resurgence gave them one. His line dictated pace, created space for teammates and kept Lindenwood chasing instead of attacking.
With NCHC play resuming at St. Cloud State next weekend, UMD will face a far more structured opponent. That’s where Plante’s growth will matter most. The Huskies will lean on him, bump him, and test whether he can keep making plays without getting pulled into survival mode again.
Saturday suggested he’s ready for that.
The bigger question — college star or pro prospect — can wait a little longer. For now, Plante is doing exactly what Detroit wants him to do: playing himself into difficult decisions.
And the Bulldogs, happily, get to enjoy the ride a little while longer.
