After following in his brother’s footsteps to Denver, senior forward Shawn Ostrow has grown with the program and taken up a leadership role for the Pioneer hockey team. Photo by Ryan Lumpkin.

After following in his brother’s footsteps to Denver, senior forward Shawn Ostrow has grown with the program and taken up a leadership role for the Pioneer hockey team.

After maturing with the program, Ostrow now carries the burden of being a leader for the team. He is serving as an associate captain this season and is expected to be a role model for the younger guys on the team, as well as a leader of the team as a whole.

According to Ostrow, however, it is a role he has enjoyed.

“It’s definitely something different, having that role, but it’s nice at the same time having the younger guys that expect you to be a leader out there and perform every night because if you’re not and you take a shift off, then they feel they can do the same,” said Ostrow. “You have to make sure you’re just a little more focused and make sure those guys have something to look up to.”

The Calgary native picked up hockey at just 4 years old before beginning to play year-round for the foreseeable future.
“I played all year round, so I would play with my winter team, and in the summer, I had a team also, so I played with that all the way up,” said Ostrow.

His brother, Kyle, joined the Pioneer ranks before him, putting in time with the team from 2007-2011 and serving as the captain his senior season and associate captain his junior season.

According to Ostrow, his brother played a large role in his decision to become a Pioneer.

“He definitely did [influence me],” said Ostrow. “I came down here on a visit, and I saw how they treated him, got to watch him play Wisconsin and just loved the experience here. It made it a lot easier to have the opportunity to play with him for two years.”

Having the chance to play with his brother was invaluable and one he otherwise would not have been afforded.

“It was a great experience [playing with Kyle],” said Ostrow. “We’d never had that opportunity being two or three years apart, so when I came down here, he was a junior and I was a freshman. We had a couple shifts together, and that was pretty special. We only ended up with one point together, but it was a good experience, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Since beginning with the Pioneers, Ostrow has grown as an athlete. After recording just three points his freshman season, he improved to 21 points last season and 20 points already this season from 10 goals and 10 assists.

“I kind of came into my own last year,” said Ostrow. “Coach moved me to center, which I was more comfortable at. Being a senior this year, there’s more responsibility, and you’re expected to perform more. I started out as a penalty killer, and now I play power-play, which is another step in the development level here.”

Since moving to center, Ostrow’s increased presence on the ice has not gone unnoticed by the coaching staff.

“I think for Shawn, being a center, there’s a lot of responsibility that goes with that, having to play against a lot of our opponents’ best players,” said associate head coach Steve Miller. “He’s a very strong defensive player, tough to play against and very strong in the face-off circle. I think at one point in [the Feb. 2] game he was 15-0 on draws. That’s that senior leadership that Shawn has shown this year. He’s always been a difficult player to play against.”

Ostrow, a finance major, has also been honored numerous time for his academic success. His sophomore year, he shared the Dr. Art Mason Memorial Award as Denver’s top scholar-athlete with Chris Nutini and was named to the All-WCHA Academic Team, in addition to being recognized as a WCHA Scholar Athlete for maintaining a 3.5 GPA or better. He was also named to the All-WCHA Academic Team his junior season.

Ostrow reflected on how quickly a hockey career can change and the importance of academics as a result of that, which he credits for driving his academic endeavors.

“There’s definitely more responsibility being a student athlete; student comes first, and that’s something coach preaches here,” said Ostrow. “You never know when hockey can end, so I put a lot of focus into my academics just in case I have to take that path after hockey.”