The University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey program announced its crew of captains Friday after the team voted midweek on who would don the heralded leadership letters.

Junior defenseman Ty Hanson and junior forward Max Plante will wear the "C" after both served as alternates last season, while senior defenseman Aaron Pionk will join them as an alternate for a second-consecutive season. Junior center Zam Plante will round out the three returning captains as an alternate with Pionk.

Hanson had a breakout season as a sophomore both on and off the ice. A 2025-26 CCM/AHCA Second Team All-American, 2025-26 All-NCHC Second Team selection, as well as a 2025-26 NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year Finalist, the Hermantown, Minn. native was also a 2026 NCAA Tournament's Albany Regional All-Tournament Team pick. While the defenseman has never missed a game in his UMD career and played in 76 consecutive skates, in the classroom, he was a 2025-26 CSC Academic All-District Men's At-Large Team member, and now a two-time NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete and NCHC Honor Roll selection. Hanson has recorded 50 points over his first two seasons (14g, 36a) and his 36 points as a sophomore ranked second in the nation among all blueliners. Hanson also had a team-high on ice time average of 25:37 (also the sixth most ice time average in the nation) last season.

Max Plante is coming off one of the biggest individual seasons in recent Bulldog history, and was named the program's seventh Hobey Baker Memorial winner in April. The 2026 USA Hockey's Jim Johannson College Player of the Year, the Hermantown, Minn. product was a 2025-26 CCM/AHCA Hockey West First Team All-American, the College Hockey News Player of the Year, the 2025-26 National Collegiate Hockey Conference Player of the Year and UMD's first NCHC Forward of the Year. Plante also earned an All-NCHC First Team selection and was named to the NCAA Tournament Albany Regional All-Tournament Team.Plante finished the season with 52 points – the most by a Bulldog since 2011-12 – and his 26 goals – the second most in the NCAA to date – is the most since Mike Connolly put up 28 in 2010-11. Plante was also named a 2025-26 Academic All-America® at-large teams selected by the College Sports Communicators and an ACHA Academic All-American. He is also a 2025-26 CSC Academic All-District Men's At-Large Team member, and now a two-time NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete and NCHC Honor Roll selection. 

Plante joins his dad as the first father-son duo in program history to both wear the "C". His dad Derek Plante was also a team captain in 1992-93.

Pionk returns as an alternate captain as a steady blueliner who has never missed a game over his three-year Bulldog career and competed in 113 straight-games. Over that span, the Hermantown, Minn. native has compiled 56 points on seven goals and 49 assists. Pionk is a three-time NCHC Academic Team All-Conference Team selection (last season it was changed to NCHC Honor Roll). As a junior,, he led the team with 61 blocks for a 1.52 block per game average.

Zam Plante joins his brother as the first pair of Bulldog brothers to wear a letter. Plante, a Hermantown, Minn., was a All-NCHC Third Team honoree last season and finished the season as the NCAA's fifth-best scorer with 51 points on 20 goals and 31 assists (the seventh most in the nation). Plante had 10 power play goals (fourth most in the NCAA) for the nation's third best power play and ended the season on a career-long seven-game scoring streak (6g, 6a) with 12 points over that span. Named a 2025-26 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Men's At-Large Team member, he is also a two-time NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete NCHC Honor Roll, as well as NCHC Academic All-Conference Team selection.

The Bulldogs will open up the 2026-27 season against Long Island University on Oct 2-3 at AMSOIL Arena. The Friday-Saturday series will get underway that Friday at 7:07 p.m.