In a year of changeover for the No. 15 Massachusetts hockey team, there are still a couple of constants. One of those is junior goaltender Michael Hrabal, who is returning for his third season between the pipes under head coach Greg Carvel.
Last season, the Utah Mammoth prospect posted a .924 save percentage over 36 games, ranking No. 5 overall in Hockey East. He led the conference in saves with 1028, and proved his worth in the national picture, ranking No. 3 in the category.
However, the team he helped lead to the NCAA quarterfinals looked much different than the current roster. Hobey Baker nominees Cole O’Hara and Aydar Suniev signed NHL contracts, while former captain Linden Alger, Lucas Mercuri and others also moved on from the team.
According to Hrabal, his return was about prioritizing strength and having more time to work on his game before taking the leap to the NHL.
“I’m still young and playing less games, having more time to practice,” Hrabal said via The Salt Lake City Tribune. “I think I can still get stronger and improve overall on and off the ice. I think that will help my game a lot.”
Hrabal has the chance to do that with an offseason of practice and some of his key defensive pieces returning to the lineup along with him. He also has the advantage of experience with a third consecutive year starting in Hockey East.
Hrabal has earned all sorts of accolades across the last two seasons. In each of the last two campaigns, he earned Hockey East All-Star honors. In his freshman year, Hrabal made the Hockey East Second Team, and was the first UMass goaltender to accomplish that feat.
Last season, he earned Hockey East Third Team honors, and his win total was tied for No. 3 all-time in a single season in program history.
He started off last season struggling with three atypical performances in the month of October against Omaha, Sacred Heart and UConn. Hrabal posted 21 or less saves in each of those games, including a 16-save performance in a tournament loss against Omaha. In those three games, the Minutemen lost two and won one in a shootout.
His season picked up around the halfway point, and he simply never looked back for the remainder of the year.
His presence helped the team when they needed it most. He totaled 25 saves in the first round of the NCAA tournament against No. 5 Minnesota.
In a game UMass needed down the stretch against No. 3 Maine, Hrabal put up 38 saves in a 5-1 victory. Hrabal also registered over 22 saves in eight of his last 10 games to conclude the 2024-25 season. When Carvel needed his goaltender late in the year, Hrabal delivered.
It will be interesting to see how Hrabal deals with the early season jitters in the 2025-26 season, considering all the experience he now has under his belt.
The Czechia native was also strong for his country during the World Juniors. He helped Czechia earn a bronze medal as the mainstay in net. This included a 14-round shootout victory in the Bronze Medal game to defeat Sweden 3-2. He started six of seven games in the tournament and ended up with 169 saves. He was big in a quarterfinal victory against Canada with 29 saves on 32 shots.
The 6-foot-7, 215-pounder proved his commitment to the program by remaining in Amherst this offseason.
Just like many of his teammates did, Hrabal had a chance to leave for the NHL after his sophomore season, but the big goaltender decided to stay and fight another year for Carvel’s group.
“It takes courage for a kid, especially when an NHL team is asking you to go, but that goes to his confidence,” UMass goaltending coach Steve Mastalerz said. “He brings a lot more to our team, program and university than just on the ice. He’s a great kid and he’s well respected in the community and locker room.”
Based on the statistics and past experience, a young and hungry UMass team can go as far as Hrabal takes them.
Ezekiel Altman can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @EzekielAltman.
