The 2020–21 Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey season was the 72nd season of play for the program and the 8th in the NCHC conference. The Pioneers represented the University of Denver and were coached by David Carle, in his 3rd season.
| 2020–21 Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey season | |
|---|---|
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| Conference | 5th NCHC |
| Home ice | Magness Arena |
| Rankings | |
| USCHO | NR |
| USA Today | NR |
| Record | |
| Overall | 10–13–1 |
| Conference | 9–12–1–0–2–1 |
| Home | 4–2–0 |
| Road | 2–5–0 |
| Neutral | 4–6–1 |
| Coaches and captains | |
| Head coach | David Carle |
| Assistant coaches | Tavis MacMillan Dallas Ferguson Corey Wogtech |
| Captain(s) | Kohen Olischefski |
| Alternate captain(s) | Ryan Barrow Griffin Mendel |
| Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey seasons « 2019–20 2021–22 » | |
Season edit
As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Denver's players would lose a season of play.[1] However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.[2]
Denver came into the season with high expectations. From the start, however, nothing seemed to go right for the Pioneers. After the season's start was delayed, Denver joined the rest of the NCHC in Omaha, Nebraska for a condensed slate of games in December. The team started slow but looked like they were rounding into form in mid-December. Unfortunately, a theme for the entire season proved to be inconsistency. For most of the year the Pioneers couldn't string together a series of wins, or even strong performances, and they watched as their ranking fell every week until they left the top-20 altogether. By the end of the season Denver sat in the middle of the standings but was 3 games below .500.
While there were some who still included the Pioneers as possible bubble teams, their losing record was a sizable impediment to the team playing in the NCAA Tournament.[3] Denver's only probably road to the tournament was to win the NCHC Championship and the team responded well in the quarterfinals, overcoming a 2-goal deficit to upset tournament-bound Omaha. In the semis they faced #2 North Dakota and took a lead into the third period. The Hawks outplayed Denver in the frame but, as time went along, it appeared that Magnus Chrona might be able to shut out UND. It took North Dakota pulling their goaltender to give them enough firepower to break through and tie the game. In the overtime session, Denver never found their footing and were outshot 9–1 in less than nine minutes. The final goal came from a UND stick and ended the game as well as any chance Denver had to extend their season. This was Denver's first losing season in 21 years.[4]
Departures edit
| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devin Cooley | Goaltender |  United States |
Signed professional contract (Nashville Predators) |
| Mike Corson | Goaltender | United States |
Transferred to Niagara |
| Michael Davies | Defenseman | United States |
Graduation |
| Erich Fear | Defenseman | United States |
Graduation |
| Jay Feiwell | Forward | United States |
Left program |
| Liam Finlay | Forward |  Canada |
Graduation (Signed with KOOVEE) |
| Tyson McLellan | Forward | United States |
Graduation (Signed with Nürnberg Ice Tigers) |
| Ian Mitchell | Defenseman | Canada |
Signed professional contract (Chicago Blackhawks) |
| Mathias Emilio Pettersen | Forward |  Norway |
Signed professional contract (Calgary Flames) |
| Jared Resseguie | Forward | United States |
Left program |
| Tyler Ward | Forward | Canada |
Transferred to New Hampshire |
Recruiting edit
| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Benning | Defenseman | Canada |
18 | St. Albert, AB; selected 95th overall in 2020 |
| Connor Caponi | Forward | United States |
20 | Brookfield, WI |
| Jack Caruso | Goaltender | United States |
21 | St. Louis, MO |
| Bo Hanson | Defenseman | United States |
22 | Boise, ID; transfer from St. Lawrence |
| Reid Irwin | Forward/Defenseman | Canada |
21 | Victoria, BC |
| Steven Jandric | Forward | Canada |
23 | Prince George, BC; transfer from Alaska |
| Corbin Kaczperski | Goaltender | United States |
24 | China Township, MI; graduate transfer from Yale |
| Carter King | Forward | Canada |
19 | Calgary, AB |
| Carter Savoie | Forward | Canada |
18 | St. Albert, AB; selected 100th overall in 2020 |
| Antti Tuomisto | Defenseman |  Finland |
19 | Pori, FIN; selected 35th overall in 2019 |
| McKade Webster | Forward | United States |
20 | St. Louis, MO; selected 213th overall in 2019 |
| Jack Works | Forward | Canada |
19 | Yellowknife, NT |
Roster edit
| No. | S/P/C | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |
|
Antti Tuomisto | Freshman | D | 6' 5" (1.96 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 2001-01-20 | Pori, Finland | Ässät U20 (Nuorten SM-liiga) | DET, 35th overall 2019 |
| 4 | 
|
Griffin Mendel (A) | Senior | D | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 1999-02-18 | Kelowna, British Columbia | Penticton (BCHL) | — |
| 6 | 
|
McKade Webster | Freshman | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2000-07-28 | St. Louis, Missouri | Green Bay (USHL) | TBL, 213 overall 2019 |
| 7 |
|
Brett Stapley | Junior | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 177 lb (80 kg) | 1999-02-23 | Campbell River, British Columbia | Vernon (BCHL) | MTL, 190th overall 2018 |
| 8 | 
|
Carter Savoie | Freshman | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2002-01-23 | St. Albert, Alberta | Sherwood Park (AJHL) | EDM, 100th overall 2020 |
| 10 |
|
Jaakko Heikkinen | Senior | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 1997-03-17 | Helsinki, Finland | Jokerit U20 (Nuorten SM-liiga) | — |
| 11 |
|
Steven Jandric | Senior | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | 1997-08-18 | Prince George, British Columbia | Alaska (WCHA) | — |
| 12 |
|
Kohen Olischefski (C) | Senior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 1998-02-01 | Abbotsford, British Columbia | Chilliwack (BCHL) | — |
| 14 | 
|
Bo Hanson | Senior | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | 1997-11-13 | Boise, Idaho | St. Lawrence (ECAC) | — |
| 15 |
|
Carter King | Freshman | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | 2001-08-30 | Calgary, Alberta | Surrey (BCHL) | — |
| 16 | 
|
Jake Durflinger | Senior | F | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 1997-10-06 | Walnut Creek, California | Bloomington (USHL) | — |
| 17 |
|
Slava Demin | Junior | D | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 191 lb (87 kg) | 2000-04-04 | Cypress, California | Wenatchee (BCHL) | CHI, 99th overall 2018 |
| 18 |
|
Ryan Barrow (A) | Senior | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 184 lb (83 kg) | 1997-02-15 | Banff, Alberta | Langley (BCHL) | — |
| 19 |
|
Cole Guttman | Junior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 169 lb (77 kg) | 1999-04-06 | Los Angeles, California | Dubuque (USHL) | TBL, 180th overall 2017 |
| 20 |
|
Michael Benning | Freshman | D | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | 2002-01-05 | St. Albert, Alberta | Sherwood Park (AJHL) | FLA, 95th overall 2020 |
| 21 |
|
Reid Irwin | Freshman | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | 1999-03-01 | Victoria, British Columbia | Sherwood Park (AJHL) | — |
| 22 | 
|
Connor Caponi | Freshman | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 186 lb (84 kg) | 2000-03-20 | Nashville, Tennessee | Waterloo (USHL) | — |
| 23 | 
|
Lane Krenzen | Sophomore | D | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | 1998-02-21 | Twig, Minnesota | Austin (NAHL) | — |
| 24 |
|
Bobby Brink | Sophomore | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 164 lb (74 kg) | 2001-07-08 | Minnetonka, Minnesota | Sioux City (USHL) | PHI, 34th overall 2019 |
| 25 | 
|
Jack Works | Freshman | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2001-05-23 | Yellowknife, Northwest Territories | Okotoks (AJHL) | — |
| 26 | 
|
Jack Doremus | Senior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | 1997-04-15 | Aspen, Colorado | Lincoln (USHL) | — |
| 27 |
|
Kyle Mayhew | Junior | D | 5' 7" (1.7 m) | 156 lb (71 kg) | 1997-12-25 | Anaheim Hills, California | Fairbanks (NAHL) | — |
| 28 |
|
Brett Edwards | Sophomore | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 1998-09-10 | Grande Prairie, Alberta | Drumheller (AJHL) | — |
| 30 | 
|
Magnus Chrona | Sophomore | G | 6' 5" (1.96 m) | 207 lb (94 kg) | 2000-08-28 | Skellefteå, Sweden | Skellefteå J20 (J20 SuperElit) | SJS, 152nd overall 2018 |
| 31 |
|
Jack Caruso | Freshman | G | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 1999-06-07 | St. Louis, Missouri | Fairbanks (NAHL) | — |
| 32 | 
|
Justin Lee | Sophomore | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2000-03-14 | Waskada, Manitoba | Fargo (USHL) | — |
| 33 | 
|
Corbin Kaczperski | Senior | G | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 1996-03-02 | China Township, Michigan | Yale (ECAC) | — |
| 37 | 
|
Hank Crone | Junior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 151 lb (68 kg) | 1998-02-19 | Dallas, Texas | Fargo (USHL) | — |
Standings edit
| Conference record | Overall record | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | 3/SW | PTS | PT% | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | ||
| #5 North Dakota †* | 24 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 54 | .750 | 94 | 47 | 29 | 22 | 6 | 1 | 114 | 57 | |
| #2 St. Cloud State | 24 | 15 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 45 | .625 | 78 | 64 | 31 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 101 | 84 | |
| #3 Minnesota Duluth | 24 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 43 | .597 | 72 | 54 | 28 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 84 | 66 | |
| #13 Omaha | 24 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 40 | .556 | 79 | 69 | 26 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 85 | 81 | |
| Denver | 22 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 31 | .470 | 61 | 60 | 24 | 11 | 13 | 1 | 67 | 66 | |
| Western Michigan | 24 | 10 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 33 | .458 | 73 | 84 | 25 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 77 | 89 | |
| Colorado College | 22 | 4 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 18 | .273 | 35 | 77 | 23 | 4 | 17 | 2 | 36 | 79 | |
| Miami | 24 | 5 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | .250 | 46 | 83 | 25 | 5 | 18 | 2 | 48 | 89 | |
| Championship: March 16, 2021 † indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Frozen Faceoff Championship Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll | ||||||||||||||||||
Schedule and Results edit
| Date | Time | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | |||||||||||
| December 2 | 6:35 PM | vs. #3 Minnesota Duluth | #4 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Altitude | Chrona | L 1–2 | 0 | 0–1–0 (0–1–0) | ||
| December 4 | 6:35 PM | vs. #1 North Dakota | #4 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Altitude | Chrona | L 3–4 OT | 0 | 0–2–0 (0–2–0) | ||
| December 5 | 7:05 PM | vs. St. Cloud State | #4 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Altitude | Chrona | L 3–4 | 0 | 0–3–0 (0–3–0) | ||
| December 8 | 2:35 PM | vs. #1 North Dakota | #9 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Altitude | Chrona | W 3–2 | 0 | 1–3–0 (1–3–0) | ||
| December 10 | 2:35 PM | vs. Miami | #9 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Altitude | Chrona | W 5–1 | 0 | 2–3–0 (2–3–0) | ||
| December 12 | 11:05 AM | vs. #3 Minnesota Duluth | #9 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Altitude | Chrona | L 1–4 | 0 | 2–4–0 (2–4–0) | ||
| December 15 | 2:35 PM | vs. Western Michigan | #8 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Altitude | Kaczperski | W 3–2 | 0 | 3–4–0 (3–4–0) | ||
| December 17 | 6:35 PM | vs. Miami | #8 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Altitude | Kaczperski | L 0–3 | 0 | 3–5–0 (3–5–0) | ||
| December 19 | 3:05 PM | vs. Western Michigan | #8 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Altitude | Kaczperski | T 3–3 SOW | 0 | 3–5–1 (3–5–1) | ||
| December 20 | 3:05 PM | vs. #9 St. Cloud State | #8 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Altitude | Chrona | L 1–3 | 0 | 3–6–1 (3–6–1) | ||
| January 1 | 7:06 PM | at Colorado College | #16 | Broadmoor World Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | CBSSN | Chrona | L 3–4 | 0 | 3–7–1 (3–7–1) | ||
| January 2 | 7:07 PM | vs. Colorado College | #16 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Kaczperski | W 6–1 | 0 | 4–7–1 (4–7–1) | |||
| January 17 | 7:05 PM | vs. #2 North Dakota | #18 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Chrona | W 4–1 | 0 | 5–7–1 (5–7–1) | |||
| January 18 | 7:05 PM | vs. #3 North Dakota | #19 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | CBSSN | Chrona | L 1–5 | 0 | 5–8–1 (5–8–1) | ||
| January 23 | 5:07 PM | at #11 Omaha | #19 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Kaczperski | W 4–1 | 1,322 | 6–8–1 (6–8–1) | |||
| January 24 | 5:00 PM | at #11 Omaha | #19 | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | Kaczperski | L 2–5 | 611 | 6–9–1 (6–9–1) | |||
| February 5 | 7:07 PM | vs. #9 Omaha | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Chrona | W 3–1 | 0 | 7–9–1 (7–9–1) | ||||
| February 6 | 6:07 PM | vs. #9 Omaha | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | CBSSN | Kaczperski | L 4–5 OT | 0 | 7–10–1 (7–10–1) | |||
| February 12 | 6:37 PM | at #2 North Dakota | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota | Chrona | L 0–3 | 2,286 | 7–11–1 (7–11–1) | ||||
| February 13 | 5:07 PM | at #2 North Dakota | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota | Chrona | L 2–5 | 2,466 | 7–12–1 (7–12–1) | ||||
| February 25 | 7:07 PM | at Colorado College | Broadmoor World Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | Chrona | W 5–1 | 0 | 8–12–1 (8–12–1) | ||||
| February 27 | 7:05 PM | vs. Colorado College | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Chrona | W 4–0 | 0 | 9–12–1 (9–12–1) | ||||
| NCHC Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 13 | 1:30 PM | vs. #11 Omaha | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota (NCHC Quarterfinals) | Chrona | W 5–4 | 1,864 | 10–12–1 | ||||
| March 15 | 7:00 PM | at #2 North Dakota | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota (NCHC Semifinals) | Chrona | L 1–2 OT | 2,509 | 10–13–1 | ||||
| *Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Mountain Time. | |||||||||||
Scoring statistics edit
| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Guttman | C | 23 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 12 |
| Carter Savoie | LW | 24 | 13 | 7 | 20 | 23 |
| Kohen Olischefski | RW | 23 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 21 |
| Michael Benning | D | 21 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 8 |
| Bobby Brink | RW | 15 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 4 |
| Antti Tuomisto | D | 24 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 23 |
| Hank Crone | LW | 13 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 |
| Ryan Barrow | F | 24 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 10 |
| McKade Webster | LW | 22 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 16 |
| Slava Demin | D | 21 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 22 |
| Jaakko Heikkinen | F | 24 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 6 |
| Brett Stapley | C | 13 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
| Justin Lee | D | 24 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Steven Jandric | LW | 20 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Brett Edwards | F | 20 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
| Jake Durflinger | RW | 22 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 14 |
| Connor Caponi | F | 24 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 25 |
| Bo Hanson | D | 12 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Kyle Mayhew | D | 20 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 17 |
| Reid Irwin | C/D | 12 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Jack Doremus | F | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Magnus Chrona | G | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Griffin Mendel | D | 24 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| Lane Krenzen | D | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Carter King | F | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Jack Works | F | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Corbin Kaczperski | G | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Jack Caruso | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bench | - | - | - | - | - | 8 |
| Total | 67 | 117 | 184 | 273 |
Goaltending statistics edit
| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Caruso | 1 | 3:05 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| Magnus Chrona | 18 | 1043 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 43 | 421 | 1 | .907 | 2.47 |
| Corbin Kaczperski | 9 | 392 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 112 | 0 | .868 | 2.60 |
| Empty Net | - | 17 | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 24 | 1456 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 66 | 534 | 1 | .890 | 2.72 |
Rankings edit
| Poll | Week | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 (Final) | ||||
| USCHO.com | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | - | NR | |||
| USA Today | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 14 | NR | NR | 15 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | |||
USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.[10]
Awards and honors edit
| Player | Award | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Carter Savoie | NCHC Rookie Team | [11] |
Players drafted into the NHL edit
2021 NHL Entry Draft edit
| Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 36 | Shai Buium† | Detroit Red Wings |
| 2 | 61 | Sean Behrens† | Colorado Avalanche |
| 3 | 70 | Carter Mazur† | Detroit Red Wings |
† incoming freshman [12]
References edit
- ^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ "Bracketology: With Selection Sunday around the corner, taking one last stab at how the NCAA hockey tournament field will look". USCHO. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ "Denver Men's Hockey Team History". USCHO. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ "2019–20 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Denver University. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
- ^ "Kohen Olischefski Named Captain for 2020-21 Season". Denver University. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ^ "Ian Mitchell Signs with Chicago Blackhawks". Denver University. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ^ "Denver Pioneers (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ "Denver Univ. 2020-2021 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- ^ "Five Teams Represented on 2020-21 NCHC All-Rookie Team". nchchockey.com. March 8, 2021. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
- ^ "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2021 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 24, 2021.