Through his three seasons of playing hockey in North America, Utah prospect Michael Hrabal has learned a lot both on and off the ice.
“The biggest improvement is in consistency, which is one of the most important things for a goalie,” Hrabal shared. “That connects to the mental aspect of the game. I think I improved a lot in that. On the ice, everything – tracking, skating – just trying to get better every day, but there’s still a lot of space to improve. If I want to be in the NHL, I still (have) a lot to do.”
Some of Hrabal’s development and hard work came this season during his second year at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Hrabal faced adversity early in the year; however, he found his game and bounced back.
“The first couple of months weren’t the best but I think the coaches, they squeezed me well,” Hrabal shared. “They showed me what they need for me and I think I gave the team what they needed. Overall, the season was good. Now I’m focused on the next year and trying to win something.”
The season was good for the netminder. Hrabal was named a Hockey East Third Team All-Star, finished the year with a 2.39 goals-against average, and had a .924 save percentage through 36 games. His 1,028 saves over the 2024-25 season are second highest in program history for a single season, while his 19 wins are tied for third all-time in a single season.
Playing for the Minutemen has provided Hrabal with the practice time, resources, and game reps he needs to develop. Utah's Director of Player Development Lee Stempniak is happy with where Hrabal is at this point of his career.
“Goalies typically take a while to develop, and they need to play games, so he needs to be in a spot where he can play games,” said Stempniak. “At UMass, he’s the man. He’s a huge part of that team and they’re going to go as far as he takes them in a sense. It’s a great spot for him.”
Other players in Hockey East have seen how important Hrabal is to UMass, and how strong of a goaltender he is. One of those players is fellow Utah prospect Will Skahan, who plays for Boston College.
“He’s one of the best goalies in Hockey East,” Skahan explained. “We (Boston College) split with them (UMass) back in February. One of the games he was just (standing) on his head. He comes to play. He’s really good, he’s a big frame, he’s an awesome goalie.”
That’s high praise coming considering Hockey East is one of the best college hockey conferences in North America. The challenge of facing top players every game is something that Hrabal is drawn to.
“It’s a great league, hard hockey,” said Hrabal. “Every game is very important, which I think is probably the best thing. Just playing a good game every week, getting a lot of shots. I would say that Hockey East is probably the best conference for a goalie and I’m very happy I chose UMass.”
It’s easy to look ahead and project when Hrabal could go pro and play his first NHL games; however, Hrabal is in no rush to make the jump to the league. He’s focused on the present and improving even more.
“As a goalie I don’t think there’s a rush (to play in the NHL),” Hrabal explained. “I’m still young. Playing less games, having more time to practice, I think I can still get stronger, improve overall on and off the ice. I think that’s going to help my game a lot.”
