The University of Denver hockey team returns to the ice for the start of the 2024-25 season this week, holding not only the title of 2024 NCAA National Champions but also that of being the winningest program of all time, with ten championships.
“Being defending champions, we’re going to have a target on our back,” senior forward Jack Devine said.
The team holds all the bragging rights now, but with that comes added pressure, as every other team is now chasing them. That target also comes with other expectations, ones made clear through the USCHO and USA Today preseason polls which both have DU ranked No. 1 in the country.
In preparation for the 75th season of DU Hockey, students went out Friday and early Saturday morning to guarantee their “golden ticket” and their ability to see their champions play at Magness Arena this year.
In the popular student event rebranded as “Hockey Night Lights,” students were able to participate in many different activities including carnival games, an intramural soccer game, ice skating, movie night and more.
The goal? To try to win themselves a “golden ticket:” the coveted, free, student season ticket for the 2024-25 hockey season. Just over 300 people attended the event this year and everyone who stayed the duration of the event received a “golden ticket.”
Last week, it was announced that senior forward Carter King will be the captain for the 2024-25 edition of the Denver icers. He will be joined by graduate student forward Connor Caponi and junior forward Aidan Thompson as the leadership team for this upcoming season. Both King, who had 15 goals in 2023-24, and Caponi, with five goals in last year’s campaign, held leadership positions on the team last year as assistant captains.
Other changes in the roster this year started with the departures of many notable players.
Defenseman Sean Behrens left for the Colorado Avalanche, defenseman Shai Buium to the Detroit Red Wings, forward Miko Matikka to the Utah Hockey Club and two players to Pennsylvania: forward Massimo Rizzo to the Philadelphia Flyers and forward Tristan Broz to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Each has signed pro contracts and are currently fighting for a roster spot during the NHL preseason.
In addition to those in the pros, captain McKade Webster and goalie Jack Caruso graduated, and two players entered the transfer portal. Forward Tristan Lemyre left for Western Michigan and defenseman Lucas Olvestead transferred to UMass Amherst.
Key returning players include Devine and sophomore defenseman Zeev Buium, who were both vital parts of the national championship run in 2024.
Devine led DU in points (56) and goals (27) last season. Buium tallied 50 points, second overall on the team and first in assists with 39. He was also drafted early in the first round of the 2024 NHL draft in the offseason, showing his potential for years down the road. Both players will be key to the DU offense being as productive as they were last year.
To go along with Devine and Buium, possibly one of the most important returning players is senior goaltender Matt Davis, who was arguably the reason that DU had so much success in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Davis finished last season with a record of 25-5-3, a .917 save percentage and a .790 win percentage, second in the country behind Boston College goaltender Jacob Fowler whom Davis faced off against in the National Championship.
In addition to these key returning players, DU has seven new names on the 2024-25 roster which includes five freshmen and two transfers.
During the offseason, Denver made good use of the transfer portal by adding veteran skill in junior forward Samu Salminen, a New Jersey Devils draft pick who transferred from UConn after two seasons with the Huskies. Salminen played a dominant role at the faceoff dot for the Huskies, something that will be a benefit to the Denver attack.
In addition to Salminen, DU added sophomore defenseman Eric Pohlkamp, who played one year at Bemidji State. In his time with the Beavers, Pohlkamp led the defensemen with 11 goals, tied for second amongst the entire team. He should play a strong offensive defenseman role for DU in 2024-25, especially if he is paired with his USA World Juniors teammate, Buium.
Denver has also added five freshmen to the roster this season: defenseman Tory Pitner, defenseman Alec Whipple, forward Hagen Burrows, forward Jake Fisher and forward James Reeder.
Four of the five freshmen have been drafted into the NHL. Coincidently two of them, Pitner and Fisher, were drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the fourth and sixth rounds of the 2024 NHL draft, respectively.
Each of the freshmen brings young talent that will be important to the depth of the team this year and to the future development of more successful years of the program.
Speaking of future development and the person who is in charge of developing the players, Head Coach David Carle is entering his seventh season as the respected bench boss of DU hockey.
Carle has become a popular name in recent coaching NHL searches. While he has been linked to many coaching openings, Carle has stayed loyal to DU and it goes without saying that players, fans and students alike would like to see it stay that way.
In addition to leading DU with the hopes of yet another championship, during the 2024-25 season, Carle will also serve as the head coach of the United States U20 Team that will participate in the 2025 IIHF World Juniors Tournament in Ottawa, Canada over winter break.
Looking ahead at DU’s schedule, they begin the season on the road in Alaska on Oct. 5 and 6 as they take on Alaska Anchorage, a team they have not played against since 2013.
After an early bye week, homecoming weekend on Oct. 18 and 19 features the 2024 national championship banner raising and a home series against Northeastern.
Devine, when asked about a specific series that he was excited for, mentioned Wisconsin at home on Oct. 25 and 26 as well as at Maine in early January.
Per usual the NCHC schedule, which will provide tough competition for Denver, features two series with instate rival Colorado College for the Gold Pan trophy which DU hopes to maintain for the sixth straight season. Denver will open up conference play on the road at longtime rival, North Dakota, in November. DU will also play Arizona St. at home on Nov. 22 and 23, for the first time as a conference opponent. As one of the top conferences in college hockey, the high level of skill from each team gives the opportunity for any team to win on any night. With the target of defending champions on their back, this only makes other teams more eager to beat DU this season.
While the competition will be tough, Denver is and will remain the envy of all other teams in the nation. Veteran skill combined with newcomers both young and old, and the leadership behind the bench, hockey fans should be excited for yet another ride down “Country Roads” with the University of Denver hockey team that they know and love.
