Denver Hockey: 2009-10 Season Preview

The Denver Pioneers celebrate 60 years of varsity hockey in 2009-10 with one of the most talented teams in college hockey. DU has made two consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament and returns 21 letterwinners from last year's team that finished second in the WCHA with a 23-12-5 overall record.

Senior forwards Rhett Rakhshani (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Tyler Ruegsegger (Lakewood, Colo.), and junior goaltender Marc Cheverie (Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia) will lead the Pioneers in 2009-10. Rakhshani bypassed a chance to sign with the NHL's New York Islanders to return as team captain for his final collegiate season. Rakhshani is a dynamic forward who surpassed the coveted 100-point barrier as a junior last season and will be the first forward to captain the Pioneers since Mark Rycroft in 1999-2000. Ruegsegger led the WCHA with 12 power-play goals and has 40-42=82 in 106 career games.

"Rhett and Tyler are two of the most talented forwards in collegiate hockey," DU head coach George Gwozdecky said. "More importantly, they each have three years of playing experience in the WCHA. Rhett and Tyler are model student-athletes and we're excited to have them lead our team this season."

Cheverie answered the call as DU's No. 1 goaltender last season by starting all 40 games, while posting a 23-12-5 record, 2.34 goals-against average and .921 saves percentage. Cheverie earned All-WCHA Second Team accolades and was college hockey's player of the month for December.

"Marc has worked tremendously hard on his game since his freshman season and it really showed last year," Gwozdecky said. "He was our most valuable player, and we expect him to improve and take on a leadership role with goaltenders Adam Murray and Lars Paulgaard."

Also returning for their sophomore seasons are 2008-09 All-WCHA Rookie Team members Patrick Wiercioch (Maple Ridge, British Columbia) and Joe Colborne (Calgary, Alberta). Colborne netted 10-21-31 and provided several clutch goals, while Wiercioch is one of the top offensive defensemen in college hockey. Wiercioch (12-23-35) earned All-WCHA second-team honors after leading all WCHA rookie blueliners in points, goals and assists.

DU welcomes arguably the nation's top recruiting class, led by forward Drew Shore (Denver, Colo.) and defensemen Matt Donovan (Edmond, Okla.) and William Wrenn (Anchorage, Alaska). Shore and Wrenn were standout members of the United States National Developmental Team Program in Ann Arbor, Mich., while Donovan was the top scoring defenseman in the United States Hockey League.

Two-time National Coach of the Year Gwozdecky and the Pioneers' goals are to become a team, secure home ice for the WCHA Playoffs, advance to the WCHA Final Five and make their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. DU will also gun to reclaim the Gold Pan Trophy from in-state rival Colorado College. The Tigers have held possession of the coveted trophy for three consecutive seasons.

"We are certainly looking forward to this season," Gwozdecky said. "Our players and staff have worked extremely hard to prepare for the many challenges this season. Our first goal is to become a team, since we have seven newcomers joining our program. We also want to gain home ice for the WCHA playoffs, advance to the WCHA Final Five and make a run in the NCAA Tournament."

Forwards
DU will have plenty of depth, talent and experience at forward this season. In addition to Rakhshani and Ruegsegger, DU returns leading scorer Anthony Maiani (Shelby Township, Mich.), alternate captain Kyle Ostrow (Calgary, Alberta), sophomore Luke Salazar (Thornton, Colo.) and junior Jesse Martin (Edmonton, Alberta).

Maiani led DU with 11-30-41 and was named to the All-WCHA Third Team, while Ostrow had 14-14-28 with four game-winning goals. Salazer netted 15 goals, including five game-winners, and Martin added a career-best 10-13-23.

"Maiani, Ostrow, Salazar and Martin will all play important two-way roles for us this season," Gwozdecky said. "All four have tasted success in college hockey, so it will be important for them to raise their individual games to the next level. We are counting on their contributions in all situations."

Seniors Matt Glasser (Calgary, Alberta), Brian Gifford (Moorhead, Minn.) and Brandon Vossberg (St. Paul, Minn.) are veteran forwards who compete on every shift, while sophomore Nate Dewhurst (Johnston, Iowa) looks for increased ice time. Junior Dustin Jackson (Omaha, Neb.) will miss the 2009-10 season after breaking his leg Sept. 17.

Shore headlines the list of freshman forwards. The Denver native was selected by Florida in the second round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Shore tallied 17-32-49 for the U.S. Under-18 Team and, along with rookies Wrenn and goaltender Adam Murray (Anchorage, Alaska), helped Team USA to gold medals at the IIHF Under-18 World Championships, Five Nations Cup and Four Nations Cup.

"Shore is a perfect example of how youth hockey has developed in the Mile High City," Gwozdecky said. "He is a highly-skilled, two-way forward who will contribute immediately."

Newcomers Shawn Ostrow (Calgary, Alberta) and Chris Knowlton (Colorado Springs, Colo.) will battle for immediate playing time. Ostrow netted 31-42-73 for the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League in 2007-08 before a knee injury sidelined him for most of last season. Knowlton tallied 11-13-24 for Des Moines of the USHL in 2008-09.

"Although we lost Dustin Jackson for the season with a broken leg, we are confident that we have the depth, skill and competitiveness in our forward positions," Gwozdecky said.

Defenseman
The blueline will be the most competitive position for Denver. The playing experience of upperclassmen Cody Brookwell (Calgary, Alberta), Chris Nutini (Centennial, Colo.), John Ryder (Colorado Springs, Colo.), John Lee (Moorhead, Minn.) and Wiercioch will be a factor early in the season.

Rookies Donovan, Wrenn and Paul Phillips (Darien, Ill.) will command ice time with their skill and talent. Donovan was named to the USHL All-Star Team in 2008-09 after netting 19-32-51 for Cedar Rapids and Wrenn captained Team USA to three gold medals in international competition last season. Phillips recorded 8-25-33 with Donovan in Cedar Rapids last season.

Jon Cook (Denver, Colo.) and Joey Brehm (Edina, Minn.) will provide depth and experience as juniors.

"Our depth and skill on the blueline will once again be one of our strengths," Gwozdecky said. "The competition for playing time will be exciting to watch on a day-to-day basis in practice and games."

Goaltenders
Cheverie will begin the season as DU's No. 1 goaltender, but Gwozdecky plans to platoon the junior with rookie Adam Murray (Anchorage, Alaska) early in the season in hopes of developing a two-man goaltender rotation that proved to be successful during the national championship seasons of 2004 and 2005. Murray posted a 22-10-1 mark with a 2.94 goals-against average and .902 saves percentage with two shutouts for the Under-18 Team in 2008-09. Lars Paulgaard (Vettre, Norway) will be the No. 3 goaltender after serving as Cheverie's backup last season.

"We are improved at the goaltending position, which became one of our strengths last season," Gwozdecky said. "Marc will start the season as our No. 1 goaltender, but he will be pushed by Adam daily in practice. We will evaluate Marc and Adam in game situations early in the season."

Schedule
Seven-time NCAA champion Denver opens its 2009-10 season by hosting 2009 NCAA Frozen Four participant Vermont during the 60th Anniversary celebration of its storied program on Oct. 9-10. DU will play 11 games against 2009 NCAA Tournament participants and four games each against NCAA heavyweights North Dakota, Minnesota and Colorado College.

"We are looking forward to another highly-competitive schedule in 2009-10," Gwozdecky said. "Vermont will present a big challenge to start the season during the most anticipated hockey reunion in the 60-year history of our program. We play six of our first 10 games on the road and we will certainly be challenged every game this season."