Neal: Marriage suits Gophers hockey senior Aaron Huglen. Soon, fatherhood will, too.

Aaron Huglen liked the suggestion. A picture of him posing with the Gophers' first NCAA men's hockey national championship trophy in 22 years. It would be validation for a Minnesota team that has ranked among the nation's best for most of the season.

It wouldn't be a shot of just him and the trophy, however. His wife, Maddie, would be part of it. And so would their baby daughter, who is due in mid-March.

Huglen is a center who has scored at least one goal in each of the past three NCAA tournaments. He's married. And Baby Huglen will arrive right before the Gophers take aim at a sixth NCAA title.

Excitement about the Gophers' title chances is trumped by the excitement over experiencing the gift of life. And the family Aaron and Maddie are starting.

Aaron is from Roseau, Minn. Maddie is from Becker. They met at a dance following a rodeo in Clearwater, Minn., in August 2019, while he was hanging out with his brother, Jonah.

"My brother was bringing someone, who wasn't his girlfriend at the time but who now is his wife, to the rodeo," Aaron said. "He was like, 'You have to go find someone to dance with so we can be by ourselves.'"

Maddie, sitting next to Aaron in the alumni room at Mariucci Arena for this interview, added: "Aaron was the third wheel."

Aaron was looking for a dance partner when Maddie walked by.

"I was just really in awe of how cute he was," she said. "A really cute guy walked up to me and asked me to dance."

They danced. They talked. They liked each other. And they left the rodeo with nothing. No phone numbers. But they found each other on Instagram and communicated occasionally.

Then Aaron, who was playing for the Fargo Force of the USHL at the time, headed off for his freshman season with the Gophers. He wanted to focus on hockey.

"Eventually I just left her on read, which was a bad move by me," he said.

"Four months," Maddie interjected. "Just ghosted me."

Right around Christmas, Aaron came to his senses.

"I was like, I think I'm being silly here," he said. "I thought she was beautiful, and she also shared the same faith as me. So I wanted to reach back out."

On Christmas Day 2020, Huglen contacted Maddie Johnson. They both were in Becker with relatives for the holidays. Huglen's uncle lived there, and he happened be Maddie's youth pastor. Aaron and Maddie began dating about a month later.

"I will say that Aaron did say something that was pretty smooth at that time," Maddie said. "He was like, 'If I ever found myself to make another trip down, do you think I can take you on a date?'

"Then the next day he's like, 'I have to take another trip down.'"

In 2021, on the Fourth of July in Fergus Falls, Aaron proposed. A year later, they were married in Osakis, Minn., near Alexandria. About 10 of his teammates attended the ceremony. He became a husband while helping Minnesota get within minutes of an NCAA title.

It was just a few years ago, when the Gophers felt they had all the pieces. Brock Faber, Matthew Knies and Logan Cooley were among players who held off beginning their pro careers to make a run at a trophy. And they nearly pulled it off, losing to Quinnipiac in overtime in the 2023 title game. Huglen had seven goals and 10 assists in 38 games that season.

That team had top-shelf talent, as Wild fans see now with Faber. This edition of the Gophers is considered to be deeper. Jimmy Snuggerud was second in points for the national runners-up in 2023. Snuggerud, Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel are first-round draft picks. A fourth first-rounder, Matthew Wood, transferred in from Connecticut. The defense is just as stacked, led by Rinzel, an excellent offensive defenseman who is maturing physically.

Huglen was a fourth-round draft pick in 2019 by the Buffalo Sabres, and now he's an NHL free agent, which will give him more choices when he turns pro.

For the Gophers, often centering Snuggerud and Brodie Ziemer, Huglen has five goals and seven assists in 19 games. He's often matched up against opponents' best players and is vital to the Gophers penalty kill.

"He's done so many good things for us," Gophers coach Bob Motzko said. "And he's starting to pick up the offense. He's played enough minutes, and he's got the talent. There's some things he's honing in on to be more active and be more involved in the offense. He feels it, and we think it might be coming."

Motzko reminds Huglen that he's about to experience "the greatest thing in the world," as the due date approaches. He checks in with Huglen occasionally to make sure things are going well at home.

"He moved a little further away from campus, and he said he found that relaxing, that he's not in the hoopla of the campus," Motzko said. "And our guys are very comfortable with that situation."

Teammates even threw a baby shower for the Huglens this month. Diapers and formula were stacked high against a wall as the Huglens, teammates and their girlfriends shared stories and laughs. Friends wished the couple best of luck starting their family.

"It's unique that we're married in college and especially with the hockey team," Aaron said. "So, I didn't expect that. But it was pretty special that they went out of their way to do that for us."

Aaron is a graduate student, having earned a degree in business marketing education. He spends mornings and evenings at home, afternoons at practice. It's a schedule that allows him to be with Maddie as they await the gift of life. Family and friends aren't far away. The Gophers are prepared to give Huglen the time he needs when the moment arrives.

A champion and a proud papa in a matter of weeks? From fatherhood to the Frozen Four?

That would be quite a start to 2025 for the Huglens.