Coming into this season, Chris Summers knew he would be wearing a letter on his jersey.

He never would have guessed it would be a “C” instead of an “A.”

Captain Mark Mitera suffered a knee injury in the first regular-season game and Summers took over as on-ice captain in the Northern Michigan series a week later. Though Mitera is still technically considered the captain of the team, Summers has taken over many of the senior's duties.

According to the Michigan coaches and players, he has adapted well to the challenge.

“He’s approachable, and he’s not afraid to approach someone else," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. He’s not afraid to challenge them, either. He’s a strong personality.”

The last time Michigan had a junior captain was when forward Jed Ortmeyer led the team in the 2001-2002 season.

Summers has taken the role in stride, offering a different style of leadership than last year's seniors, captain Kevin Porter and assistant captain Chad Kolarik.

“At times, he’s a bit of a clown,” Berenson said. “He’s a likable guy, a sociable guy, but he’s still all business when it comes to hockey and his role as a captain.”

Porter led last year’s Wolverines by example, netting 33 goals en route to winning the Hobey Baker Award for the best player in college hockey. While Kolarik was a bit more vocal in the locker room, he still wasn’t as lighthearted as Summers.

Unlike Porter and Kolarik and the 2007 Wolverines, Summers has faced early challenges this season. Last year’s team had a record of 9-1 through 10 games, compared to a 7-3 this year. The injury-riddled team is still trying to find line combinations that work.

“Last year, our team was very successful," sophomore forward Matt Rust said. "Porter was one of the best captains I played for. It’s a lot easier to lead when you’re having success like that. Our team’s had a couple of hiccups this year.”

Those problems aside, when asked to answer the call, Summers has come through.

During the second intermission of Michigan’s 6-1 win over Ohio State two Saturdays ago, Summers told an elated locker room to calm down and make sure his team was on the top of its game.

Though the Buckeyes tallied a late goal to break the shutout, the Wolverines played well enough to lock up the game.

More importantly, teammates credit his leadership in practice. When the team loses focus, Summers sometimes makes a big hit to try to get energy flowing.

Most of Summers' role on the team is simply to keep the wheels moving and not to change the way he’s played the past two seasons.

“I once had a coach say, ‘You’re an extension of the coaching staff in the sense that you’re doing the right things off the ice and not getting yourself into trouble,' " Summers said. "I want to be the guy that’s going to be doing the right things on and off the ice.”