According to Michigan Daily reporter Matt Slovin, Michigan head coach Red Berenson said during today's CCHA media teleconference that freshman goalie Jared Rutledge, expected to be Michigan's full-time starter, underwent retinal surgery, and "could definitely" keep him from being Michigan's starting goalie at the beginning of the season.
Rutledge was having problems with his eye which kept him from facing any shots in practice. It was believed to be an issue with his contact lenses, but after further examination, it was determined that he needed retinal surgery. That injury was likely the reason Rutledge was replaced by Evan Cowley for last Saturday's All-American Prospects Game. It's unclear at this point how much time Rutledge will need to recover, or how much time it will take him to be ready to play once he's ready to start seeing shots again.
Rutledge was expected to be a key piece of Michigan's team this year, and Michigan's situation in goal looks pretty weak without him. The battle to back him up was between freshman and junior league journeyman Steve Racine, and walk-on Adam Janecyk, who played very sparingly as a back-up to Shawn Hunwick last season.