Kent Anderson is a finance major at the Daniels College of Business.
He is one of the best in academics and athletics and was awarded one of the most prestigious academic awards in the country. Anderson won the NCAA Elite 90 award, which recognized him as an athlete with the highest GPA out of the last four participating teams at the NCAA Hockey Championships. Anderson carries an impressive 3.975 culminative GPA.
Anderson also won an AHCA All-American Scholar award last summer and has been named to the NCHC Academic All-Conference Team (2022-23, 2023-24) and the NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Award (2022-23). Anderson attributes his academic award success to the academic support system around him.
“It’s the people we have around us to help us out, such as academic advisors and professors. We communicate with them when traveling, and they’re very helpful and want to help us work around [missing quizzes and tests], such as working ahead and doing it on the road, which makes it easy,” said Anderson.
Anderson wants to set himself up academically because it’s as important as playing the sport he loves. Most professional players retire in their thirties and want to do more after their careers.
“Being able to play hockey at such a high level and work towards a degree is special because hockey doesn’t last forever, and there is life outside of hockey, and when hockey is all over, the degree allows you to do a lot more options,” said Anderson.
His love for hockey and finance is not just a hobby but a driving force that has shaped him into the player he is today. His unwavering dedication to these passions is a testament to his character and his desire to excel. Anderson is confident in the work the team puts in to play in games, and he is always striving to add more to his already impressive resume.
“It puts a smile on my face every day, and I look forward to going to bed. I enjoy it that much, and being in Denver, where they want me to win, is even better,” said Anderson.
The tradition of success has been with Anderson his whole life. Anderson is the son of Ron Anderson and Bonnie Vogeli who, according to Anderson, pushed him in the best way.
“My parents never pushed me and didn’t have crazy expectations but wanted me to do well. My mom was a really smart girl and a lawyer. Other people in my family were all older than me and going to college, and they were role models for me, which pushed me to be my best in all aspects of hockey and school,” said Anderson.
His parents were a great outlet to him growing up and gave him the tools he needed to flourish daily in his academic life, which he respects and owes so much to.
“I was the only child, so I got all the attention. They didn’t push hockey and wanted me to play all sorts of sports, and the biggest thing was to enjoy it as much as I could and continue playing what I had fun doing, and that was hockey for me,” said Anderson.
Growing up, athletes do many things to prepare themselves and get addicted to good habits. Anderson was exponentially successful because of his good habits, such as getting up in the morning.
“Creating a good routine is not something that happens overnight. With your nutrition, sleep and, how you are doing your work on the ice, and how you recover, its all about having a good routine, ” said Anderson.
Anderson’s hockey career started in Calgary, Canada. Where he grew up, there was an outdoor rink just two minutes from his house. As a kid, Anderson said the rink was used by many older kids which inspired him to play the sport. Now as a 20-year-old, Anderson has taken on a new role of being the inspiration for younger players of the game.
“That’s what inspires me as a kid, going back there every Christmas and going to play with the kids to hopefully inspire them and put a smile on their face and enjoy hockey as much as we do here,” said Anderson.
Prior to his tenure in Denver, Anderson honed his skills with the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League in 2021-22. His performance was stellar, recording 28 points (2g/26a) and earning a place on the USHL All-Rookie second team.
“I was super lucky to go there. Great coaching staff and great roommates, so being really comfortable in Green Bay allowed me to play hockey stress-free, and I had some pretty good teammates to play with over there,” said Anderson.
The Crimson and Gold won their 10th championship in April 2024, making them the first college hockey team to make history with ten titles. Denver’s hockey team has a long history of winning, and Anderson wants to keep the tradition alive with the great alumni who have come before them, on and off the ice.
“It’s special to win national championships and be part of this program. It has a great history, and it’s really fun to do that. You can look back at the multiple championships when your hockey career is over. It’s a really special thing,” said Anderson.
Anderson wants to continue the DU tradition by winning another national championship next year.
When Anderson is locked in for a game, he is only in a specific type of mood, similar to setting a thermostat. Anderson also understands that with his mentality, the people around him can affect his productivity in life.
“Being in Denver, we have some great hockey players here and some motivated individuals, and surrounding yourself with those people pushes you to get better every day and can increase the good temperature to be the best of yourself you can be,” said Anderson.
When Anderson is at university and playing hockey, he is focused on winning and his teammates winning, which takes a lot of determination and hard work. It’s always going to be a battle, and it’s not going to be easy. But teammates push each other to improve, which makes the game easier.
“It is someone that pushes themselves every day and makes their teammates around them better, and that’s the winning culture, and that’s what we have at Denver, which makes it a special place,” said Anderson.
Off the rink, Anderson watches the film to improve his game and to reach the eventual goal of playing pro hockey.
“Every game we clip out, and we have the best coaches in college hockey, so going and watching video with them through the video while going through all your shifts and adjusting to how we wanna play as a team and what we can do individually. Watching videos, you can learn so much from what other guys are doing and improve your game,” said Anderson.
When Anderson leaves it all on the table, he wants to play pro hockey as long as he can when he is done with DU. After that, it’s a whole new world, and his hard work ethic and academic excellence will lead him to more success.
