Minnesota Duluth’s Top Line Powering Bulldogs Resurgence

Story and Photos By Robert Brent, Let’s Play Hockey

From 2022-23 through 2024-25, Minnesota Duluth missed the NCAA tournament three years in a row for the first time since the 2004-2005 through the 2006-2007 season. That slight dip in results has proven to be just a bump in the road this season, as Bulldog hockey is back in full force. Duluth is currently ranked #4 in the nation with an 11-3-0 record..

While the team is loaded with talent, one line in particular has been electric for Duluth and has been paramount in their turnaround. The Bulldogs’ top line of sophomores Zam Plante, Max Plante and Jayson Shaugabay has become the most lethal scoring unit in all of college hockey.

The Plantes, from Hermantown, are first and second in the country in scoring. Max, a 2024 second-round pick for the Detroit Red Wings, leads the way with 10 goals and 13 assists in 14 games. Older brother Zam, a 2022 fifth-round pick, isn’t far behind with seven goals and 15 assists while centering the line.

The duo is joined by Warroad’s Jayson Shaugabay, a skilled winger who is a Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick. Shaugabay is tied for 16th in the nation with five goals and 14 assists.

The trio was supposed to see time together last season, but injuries to both Plantes and the constant shuffling of a young lineup kept them from ever fully clicking. While year one didn’t go quite as planned, the results have been well worth the wait, with the Plantes and Shaugabay scoring 22 of Duluth’s 49 goals this season.

All three have made significant strides this season. That progression hasn’t gone unnoticed by head coach Scott Sandelin, who spoke about the trio in a piece with College Hockey News.

“They have that ability to make a play or two plays, and change a game,” Sandelin said. “I’m not breaking them up, I know that.”

It’s easy to see why the line is so successful, as the three players play highly complementary games. They’re all skilled puck handlers and distributors who are incredibly selfless with the puck. All three can create offense with and without the puck. The result is a free-flowing and balanced attack where each player has the opportunity to shine.

In an article from the Grand Forks Herald, Shaugabay spoke about how the trio’s chemistry has developed. 

“We all think the game very similarly,” Shaugabay said. “We all play somewhat the same way. Max and Zam are very elite hockey players. Max is extremely fast and all these different things, but we complement each other really well. We all think alike and have good chemistry on and off the ice. It’s really fun playing with those two.”

While Plante-Plante-Shaugabay boasts some eye-popping numbers and a high-flying skill set, the line also works so well because they’re all high-motor players. Both the Plante brothers are dedicated defenders who create havoc on the forecheck with their speed and effort level.

Scott Sandelin singled out Max Plante specifically. Coach Sandelin lauded Max for his tenacity and ability to raise his game in the big moment.

“His determination in how he plays the game is some of the best I’ve ever seen,” Sandelin said. “He wants to be in big moments. The guys who are your best players want to be in those moments. They want to make that difference every shift. There are guys that talk about it, and there are guys that do it. He’s a guy that does it. That’s why he’s having the success — because he’s very determined, he’s a very good hockey player. He’s got that fearlessness to him.”

The Plantes and Shaugabay are doing more than just putting up impressive numbers on the scoresheet; they’re leading the Bulldogs to their best season in several years. The Bulldogs are well on their way to returning to the National Tournament, a championship which they’ve won three times, most recently in 2019. 

If the Bulldogs manage another Frozen Four victory, it’d be another national title added to the Plante family’s trophy case. Derek Plante, Max and Zam’s father, played for the Bulldogs in the early 90s and was an assistant on the coaching staff that won the team’s first Frozen Four in 2011. 

Duluth will certainly have aspirations to accomplish that feat again, with the Plantes and Shaugabay set to play a critical role down the stretch this year.