Denver hockey prides itself on the reputation of its program. They currently lead the country with 10 national championships and consistently put together teams that make deep runs into the National Tournament.
Last year, as they sought to repeat their 2024 National Championship win, they fell just short, losing to Western Michigan 3-2 in double overtime of the Frozen Four semifinals.
After the end of last season, rumors started to spread that Head Coach David Carle would be moving on to the NHL. But in May, Carle signed a multi-year contract extension to keep him at the helm of the Denver hockey program.
With his return, Denver brought in 10 new freshmen, who will now make up a huge part of their 26 man roster. Of these 10, seven are forwards, two are goaltenders and one is a defenseman.
These positions look to fill the holes left by graduates Connor Caponi, former captain Carter King, and Denver’s all-time leading scorer Jack Devine. New goaltenders Quentin Miller and Johnny Hicks will also look to step into the shoes of a fan favorite, two-time national champion Matt Davis. While it has not been announced who will start between the pipes this season, these two freshmen and junior goaltender Paxton Geisel offer a lot to look forward to.
Another big loss for Denver after the season’s end was the departure of Hobey Baker Award finalist Zeev Buium, who signed a three-year deal with the Minnesota Wild. Buium looks to start his career with the Wild with their opening regular season game at the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 9.
DU will enter the season ranked fourth in the country behind defending champions Western Michigan, runner-up Boston University and Michigan State who was upset early in last year’s tournament by Cornell.
Students will have the opportunity to score season tickets at Hockey Night Lights on Oct. 3. The DU Programming Board (DUPB) will be running events all throughout the night, followed by the drawing of season tickets at 7:30 a.m. the following morning.
Denver’s season will kick off with an exhibition game against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Oct. 4. They will then start their regular season at Air Force on Oct. 10 and debut at home vs. Bently on Oct. 11 as they hunt for their 11th National Championship.
