As if there was any doubt, Victor Plante will be a Minnesota-Duluth Bulldog.

Just like his NHLer father, two-sport athlete mother and his two older brothers including Red Wings 2024 second round pick Max Plante, Victor will play for Minnesota-Duluth once he makes it to Division I college hockey. He announced his commitment August 2 on Instagram.

The Plante family’s connections to Minnesota-Duluth run deep. Victor’s father, Derek Plante, played four years with the Bulldogs, captaining them in his senior season that saw him put together a 93-point campaign. He also served as an assistant coach for the team from 2009-15 and 2020-22, only interrupted by a stretch as a development coach for Chicago where he’s currently an NHL assistant coach.

Victor’s mother, Kristi Plante, lettered in women’s basketball and softball as an all-conference athlete. Zam and Max Plante, the eldest of the trio of brothers, will be freshmen for the Bulldogs this season. Zam is a 2022 fifth round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Victor is set to play for the U.S. National Team Development Program next season, and he’s expected to join the Bulldogs in 2026. That means he might overlap with Zam and Max, so long as they both stay until their junior seasons. Many second round picks like Max tend to sign with NHL teams before then, but there’s a chance he could play with his younger brother

While Victor’s collegiate affiliation has been decided for now, it won’t be until 2026 that an NHL team can draft him. Perhaps the Red Wings could keep their Plante roots strong and draft another one, or maybe he could end up going elsewhere. Either way, they know where he’ll be playing in college. Then again, was it really any surprise?