Dame hockey left wing Landon Slaggert finds 'love of the game' – Notre Dame Insider

SOUTH BEND — When things aren’t going your way athletically, it’s important to have a short memory. 
South Bend native Landon Slaggert is proof of that as he captains coach Jeff Jackson’s No. 20/21 Notre Dame hockey team into an important home Big Ten Conference series Friday and Saturday evenings against No. 12/13 Michigan Wolverines.
The second of three hockey-playing sons of Irish associate head coach Andy Slaggert and wife Tara, senior left wing Landon already has 10 goals and 14 points for the 7-5-2 Irish, including their only goal in last Friday’s 6-1 non-conference loss to No. 1 Boston College.
Considering that Slaggert had just seven goals and 13 points while 16-16-5 Notre Dame missed the NCAA playoffs last season for the first time since 2014-15, there was a lot to forget.
“I’ve found my love of the game again,” the 21-year-old senior said. “Last year was frustrating for the team and for me personally. Obviously, that’s kind of what life is. You have to have the bad times to have the good ones. It definitely was a challenging year. That’s what makes this year all the better.” 
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A season ago, Slaggert was coming off an exhausting summer during which he competed for Team USA in the World Junior Championships and also participated in a development camp for prospects of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, who chose him with the 79^th pick (third round) of the 2020 draft. Coming off a sophomore season (2021-22) during which he totaled career-bests of 12 goals and 26 points as the left wing on the line centered by brother Graham, Landon didn’t score his first goal last season until the team’s 15^thgame.
“This summer, it was nice to have a little more time on my hands where I was able to work on my game and spend some time with friends to recover and regroup,” added Slaggert, who has twice been named the Big Ten’s Third Star of the Week – on Oct. 31 after scoring four goals in Notre Dame’s non-conference sweep of Mercyhurst and Nov. 14 following a one-goal, three-assist weekend sweep of Ohio State.
An important cog on Notre Dame’s power-play and shorthanded units, Slaggert has settled in well with freshman center Danny Nelson and grad-transfer (from Providence) right wing Patrick Moynihan. 
“I don’t think we’ve reached our full potential as a line, which is obviously exciting,” Slaggert said. “Danny is a big body who can get pucks back and make plays. Patrick can finish off plays and dish it around as well.”
Known, too, for his work along the boards, behind the net and in front of the net, the 6-foot, 190-pound Slaggert’s 10 goals have come on just 32 shots, a nifty .313 shooting percentage. 
“Landon has done a great job on the ice, obviously,” Jackson said. “He’s getting a lot of attention from the opposing teams. We needed him to be productive.”
But Jackson is prouder of Slaggert’s work as a captain. “He’s not the biggest rah-rah guy – when he speaks, people listen,” the Irish coach continued. “He has a pretty good pulse of the group.”
This year’s Irish roster features two grad-transfers and eight freshmen, including Slaggert’s younger brother Carter. “It’s awesome to pass along the knowledge of the game which I learned from Graham (now skating professionally for the AHL’s Rochester Americans),” Landon said. “It’s definitely a unique experience having your little brother around, understanding how my brother acted toward me.”
Landon Slaggert feels the best is yet to come for Notre Dame, which had a 5-0-2 streak prior to its losses to powerhouses Minnesota and Boston College.
“I don’t think we can get hung up on a couple of games,” Slaggert said. “In the end our goal is much  greater than that. As long as we focus on getting better every day, this group has a lot in store for them.”

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