DULUTH — Everyone wants to know whether the Plante brothers — Zam, Max and Victor — will be teammates next season at Minnesota Duluth.
But could the three brothers have all been on the ice at the same time this season, as opponents?
are sophomores this season for the Bulldogs while
their youngest brother, Victor,
is in his final season with the
USA Hockey National Team Development Program.
Victor’s Under-18 team is playing 15 games against NCAA Division I schools in 2025-26.
Did
lobby UMD coach Scott Sandelin to play the NTDP this season?
“Oh, we did. We did try,” Zam Plante said. “We reached out and talked to him, but it just didn’t fit in how our schedule is already set up.”
Zam Plante, the oldest of the Plante brothers, joined News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider of My 9 Sports on
this week ahead of the series at Minnesota to talk about a variety of topics, from hunting to hockey to the competitive nature of his family.
Zam Plante is currently tied for seventh in the nation in scoring with six goals and four assists in six games. He and his linemates, Max Plante and fellow sophomore forward Jayson Shaugabay, are tied for second with 12 points each and the line is the second-highest scoring line in the country with 34 points,
including 19 last weekend in the sweep of Bemidji State.
Here is an edited excerpt from this week’s episode:
Matt Wellens: Your line is off to a real hot start. You guys had a really good weekend against Bemidji. What’s allowed the three of you to click so well?
Zam Plante: We all think alike, trying to make plays all the time. It helped we got to play together a lot last year, too, towards the end of the year. We were a little bit mad with how the season ended. We’re bringing that fire to the start of the year.
Wellens: Do you guys feel like you’re at a different level?
Zam Plante: I wouldn’t say we feel like we’re at a different level, but we all are confident that we can make high-level plays together. We trust each other to make that play to each other and often jumping in holes that you maybe wouldn’t, but you know they can make that play.
Zach Schneider: Something we talked about in the buildup to Bemidji State — and it was centering mostly around the penalty kill with you last week — was the defensive side of it, and wanting the three of you to play in all situations. You and Max are on the penalty kill, maybe more than you were last year.
Obviously the headlines are going to be the points, but how important are the other aspects of the game? It feels like you guys are out there a lot more than you were last year in all situations. How much pride are you taking in the other end?
Zam Plante: You don’t get scored on, you get to play more, right? So even if we’re not scoring, at least we’re contributing, like not getting scored on and trying to go out there and do our best and not do that and play in the O-zone most of the night.
Wellens: I think some programs, they’d still let you keep going out there if you were scoring. Not Scott Sandelin. If you’re getting scored on, you’re not going back out there.
Max was named an alternate captain this year. As the older brother, you’ve known him longer than anyone. What makes him a strong leader out there?
Zam Plante: He’s just got drive to him. He’s always going. He’s playing hard. He’s a leader on and off the ice. He’s always got the energy, so great to see for him.
Wellens: We had a couple people ask, they wanted a Victor update on the podcast. He’s off to a strong start this year, leading the Under-18 team in scoring with three goals and five assists in 11 games, last check over the weekend.
Do you guys get to watch Victor?
Zam Plante: We got to watch the first couple games because we weren’t playing yet, but now we play at the same time as them. That kind of sucks, but he’s fun to see. He’s doing well. He had a really good summer. It’s fun to watch. Glad, happy for him.
Wellens: Who’s going to have more points at the end of the year? You, Max or Victor?
Zam Plante: Victor gets to play twice as many games, so I’ll go with Victor.
Schneider: Well, about points per game?
Zam Plante: Right now, Max is in the lead. … Max has probably got it right now.
Schneider: Judd Medak and I talked about this on Saturday against Bemidji State, how friendly is the competition between you, Max and Shaugs about who’s got more goals, who’s got more points?
Zam Plante: I don’t think we talk about it because we all know that if one guy’s getting points, it’s because the other guys are doing a lot of the work to get him the points, right? Everybody’s helping each other out.
Minnesota Duluth forward Zam Plante (27) wins the faceoff against Augustana forward Jacob Jastrzebski (20) on Saturday, Oct. 11 at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.
Clint Austin / File / Duluth Media Group
Schneider: So that’s the one area where you’re not all that competitive?
Zam Plante: We’re competitive, obviously, but it’s not like, I’m not going to be mad if he’s got more. Max is getting points, because Shaugs and I do something and I’m getting points because Max and Shaugs do something.
Check out the full episode for more from Zam Plante. You can find the Bulldog Insider Podcast at
DuluthNewsTribune.com/BulldogInsider
, and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop Thursdays throughout the UMD men’s and women’s hockey seasons.