What could have been a promising career at DU ended prematurely on Jan. 3, when sophomore defenseman William Wrenn withdrew from DU and left the hockey program during his second season.

Upon his departure, Wrenn announced he was signing with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey Leage. Wrenn played in 18 of 22 games this season for the Pioneers.

However, when on the ice he failed to make an impact, leaving the team with only one recorded assist and a -7 plus/minus rating, which was worst on the team.

In the middle of the 2007-2008, Brock Trotter departed from the program after only 24 games to play for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL.

“It’s always a disappointment to see someone leave early,” said Gwozdecky. “Some guys are ready for the next level, but we are here to help them grow and mature so they can achieve all of their dreams on and off the ice.”

Gwozdecky noted that for every Paul Stasny and Tyler Bozak, former Pioneers who left early and immediately entered the NHL, there is someone like Trotter who waited three years until being called up by the Montreal Canadiens to play in only two games and then leave the organization.

“A majority of these players are not ready to move on until the end of their senior season,” said Gwozdecky.

“The misconception across the nation is that we are here to produce professional hockey players – that’s not our job. We are here to prepare these young men for life after college.”

“He was our seventh defenseman and he saw himself for what he was in our lineup” said head coach George Gwozdecky. “At the end of the day, it came down to William wanting to play a larger role here and that wasn’t going to happen in the foreseeable future.”

Wrenn, an Anchorage, Ala., native, came to DU in the fall of 2009 with a boastful resume that included several gold medals on the Team USA Under-18 team and was the second round pick, No. 43 overall, of the San Jose Sharks in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

His time at DU wasn’t as successful, and he struggled on the ice after sustaining a hip injury as a freshmen that caused him to miss 14 games.

“We have been talking with him since his surgery last spring about what role he was going to play on the team and that was a struggle for him, because it was a very debilitating injury,” said Gwozdecky. “William wanted and tried to get more playing time, but it was difficult for him to start. In the end, I understood his thinking but didn’t agree with it.”

With Wrenn’s departure, the team now has six defensemen on the roster as they begin playing the second part of their regular season schedule.

Wrenn isn’t the first Pioneer to leave the program early and he isn’t the first to leave it mid-season.