2007-08 Team Preview – Denver

Official Roster
Full Schedule
2006-07 Team Statistics

Top 5 Returning Scorers

1. F – Brock Trotter – Sophomore – 16 G, 24 A – 40 points
2. F – Rhett Rakhshani – Sophomore – 10 G, 26 A – 36 points
3. F – Tyler Ruegsegger – Sophomore – 15 G, 19 A – 34 points
4. D – Chris Butler – Junior – 10 G, 17 A – 27 points
5. F – Patrick Mullen – Junior – 5 G, 12 A – 17 points

Key Losses From Last Season

F – Ryan Dingle – 22 G, 15 A – 37 points
F – Geoff Paukovich – 8 G, 9 A – 17 points
F – Adrian Veideman – 3 G, 10 A – 13 points
D – Keith Seabrook – 2 G, 11 A – 13 points
G – Glenn Fisher – 13-9-2, .919 saves percentage, 2.32 GAA

2006-07 Scoring By Class

Senior 11 10.28%
Junior 33 30.84%
Sophomore 15 14.02%
Freshman 48 44.86%

Non-Conference Schedule

2 vs. Maine – Oct. 12-13
2 at Notre Dame – Oct. 18-19
1 vs. Sacred Heart – Dec. 28 – Wells Fargo Denver Cup, Denver, CO
1 vs. Dartmouth or Northern Michigan – Dec. 29 – Wells Fargo Denver Cup, Denver, CO
1 vs. Air Force – Jan. 18
1 vs. Bemidji State – Jan. 19

Incoming Freshmen

F – Steve Cunningham (Burnaby – BCHL) / 21
F – Dusty Jackson (Southern Minnesota – NAHL) / 21
F- Tyler Bozek (Victoria – BCHL) / 21
F – Jesse Martin (Tri-City – USHL) / 19
F – Kyle Ostrow (Nanaimo – BCHL) / 20
F – Anthony Maiani (Sioux City – USHL) / 18
D – Jon Cook (Camrose – AJHL) / 21
D – Chris Nutini (Wichita Falls – NAHL) / 20
D – John Ryder (Ohio – USHL) / 18
D – Joey Brehm (Edina High School – USHS) / 18
G – Marc Cheverie (Nanaimo – BCHL) / 20
G – Eddie Guinn (Cleveland – CSHL) / 20

Average Freshman Age: 19.75

BCHL: 4
USHL: 3
NAHL: 2
AJHL: 1
CSHL: 1
U.S. High Schools: 1

Breakdown of Current Roster

Freshmen – 12
Sophomores – 7
Juniors – 4
Seniors – 4

NHL Draftees

D – Chris Butler – Junior – BUF
D – Andrew Thomas – Senior – WAS
F – Rhett Rakhshani – Sophomore – NYI
F – Tyler Ruegsegger – Sophomore – TOR
F – Matt Glasser – Sophomore – EDM
F – Brian Gifford – Sophomore – PIT
F – Jesse Martin – Freshmen – ATL
G – Marc Cheverie – Freshmen – FLA

2006 Season Recap

Much like their counterparts to the south, the 2006-07 Denver season – like the CC Tigers’ season – started off with some promise but eventually was derailed prematurely. Through October / November, the Pioneers were 9-4-1 and appeared to be one of the better teams in the WCHA. They were then swept by the Tigers in a home-and-home series, but lost just once in their next 11 games, leaving them at 18-7-2.

They appeared assured of an NCAA tournament birth, which would have meant placement at the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver, home to the West Regional. After defeating Minnesota by a 1-0 score on January 19, DU would win just three games the rest of the way, as their season culminated by being swept at home in the first round of the WCHA playoffs by the defending national champion Wisconsin Badgers.

2007 Season Preview

No WCHA will bring in as many freshmen – 12 – as Denver. However, as you can see from the above stats and info, the average age of these freshmen is nearly 20-years-old, so they should be able to contribute right away. Up front, Denver returns a trio as good as any in the league. Sophomores Brock Trotter, Rhett Rakhshani, and Tyler Ruegsegger combined for 110 points last season, and should build on that number this year.

After those three though, DU doesn’t return a lot of scoring up front. Freshmen such as Tyler Bozek, Jesse Martin, and Anthony Maiani will likely be leaned on to contribute offensively from the get-go.

On the blueline, the mid-summer departure of Keith Seabrook as a big blow. Junior Chris Butler, who had 27 points last season, will be one of the elite defensemen in the WCHA this season. Senior Andrew Thomas will likely continue his steady play, but after that, there are a lot of question marks.

DU returns one of the top goalies in the WCHA with senior Peter Mannino. Last year, he posted a .919 saves percentage and a 2.19 goals against average. However, with a depleted defensive core in front of him, things could prove to come a little tougher this year. Freshmen Marc Cheverie will back up Mannino and will likely see action in 5-10 games.

Key Question

We’ve seen over time that youth is more often that not a recipe for disaster in the WCHA. However, there are expectations to the rule, such as the 2005-06 North Dakota team and the 2006-07 Minnesota team. Both rosters were riddled with freshmen and sophomores but both had successful seasons. However, on paper, those team’s had more talent within those classes, so will DU’s freshmen and sophomores be able to carry the load? The proverbial carrot is out there: a regional in Colorado Springs and the Frozen Four is in Denver. Should the Pios make the NCAA tournament, they might follow Wisconsin’s lead from 2005-06 and not have to leave their home-state.

WCHA Blog Prediction:
Seventh place

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