Throughout his playing career, A.J. Treais has been known as a playmaker. These days, though, he doesn’t always get to show that side of his game.

The transition of moving from dependable goal scorer with the USA Hockey National Development Program to being more of a maturing role player with the Michigan hockey team has required patience.

It has also provided the sophomore forward with a valuable lesson: With hard work and a bit of luck, good things tend to happen.

In two seasons with the Ann Arbor-based development team, Treais was a point-producing machine. He followed a 29-point season by scored 20 goals and had 29 assists with the Under 18-team in 2009.

But making the jump to Michigan wasn’t easy.

Last year as a freshman, Treais scored seven goals and registered five assists, making his mark as a secondary scorer for the Wolverines. But his first season with the Wolverines also placed him in a more competitive environment than he had been playing with Team USA.

"When I came in, I was a little bit lazy," Treais said. "Coach (Red Berenson) has really motivated me to be a lot harder worker. I mean, if you're not working hard, he's not going to put you in."

At times, Berenson sat Treais for not working hard. When Treais was in the lineup, he focused on being a sounder defender, understanding his scoring chances would be limited. Although he found ways to score, especially in the second half of the season, he didn't produce the season-long body of work Berenson hoped for.

This year, Treais began to pick things up in Alaska when Berenson paired him with sophomore Chris Brown and freshman Luke Moffatt. The three combined for an effective third line, providing some offensive insulation for Michigan's top two lines. Over the first 21 games, Berenson has noticed a different player.

"He's working so much harder, he's skating, playing harder, he's competing, he's playing better defensively," Berenson said. "As a result, his puck touches are better, he's playing more in the offensive zone. Wait 'til he's a senior - he'll be even a better player.

"But right now, at least he is moving in the right direction."

Still, Treais had to wait for the chances to come around. Knowing he wouldn't see the puck much, Treais focused on making the most of his opportunities. In last week's Great Lakes Invitational, he sparked the Wolverines with a pair of game-winning goals. His second capped a come-from-behind win over Colorado College in the title game, dropping a shot on net from the boards and deflecting it off a defender's skate.

Afterward, he called it a lucky shot. Regardless, it has provided a dose of confidence heading into this weekend's home and home series against Michigan State (7:35 p.m. Friday in East Lansing, Big Ten Network; 7:05 p.m. at Yost Ice Arena, Fox Sports Detroit Plus).

"You can tell when a guy's got confidence - he's got a little more of a swagger to him," senior forward Louie Caporusso said. "I can see that with Treais. He's happy, and when you're happy, you start playing better. I think that's huge."

Even with the two game-winners, Treais understands that every weekend won't be that productive.

"It's been a while since I've been able to put back-to-back games together and start producing - so that's huge for my confidence," Treais said. "I just want to see how far I can go with this.

"But you know you're not going to get much - maybe two, three chances if that. So it's what you do with those chances that will decide how productive I am."

Jeff Arnold covers Michigan hockey for AnnArbor.com and can be reached at (734) 623-2554 or by e-mail at jeffarnold@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeffreyparnold.