This season’s Denver senior class marks the first that coach Jim Montgomery has seen through from start to finish.

The group includes nine members, five of whom set career marks in points, and a goalie who has put up all-world numbers in a reduced role.

Three from this group were recruited by Montgomery’s predecessor – George Gwozdecky: Will Butcher, Brad Hawkinson and Matt VanVoorhis. The other six came on board after Montgomery took over on May 20, 2013.

The class originally had two other members – forward Trevor Moore and defenseman Nick Neville. Moore signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization last summer and Neville left the team midway through last season.

What follows are comments from Montgomery on each, my musings on dealing with each over the past two seasons and a link to a Q&A I’ve done with each of them.

Overview

“They’ve raised the level of team-first attitude and made the culture of Denver hockey what it is today,” Montgomery said. “They learned from prior leaders and made it a very inclusive dressing room. Everyone knows they’re important.”

I can’t speak to the first part, but every sense I’ve gotten is that every player knows – and embraces their role – in the DU locker room. At no time have I gotten an inkling of unhealthy conflict or inner turmoil, whether after games, practices or during formal or informal face-to-face or phone conversations. This is a group that likes each other and plays hard for each other. It’s also one full of rock-solid humans.

Defenseman Will Butcher

Mayhem’s take: The captain is third on the team with a career-high 34 points (six goals). An every-situation force, he’s also a two-time All-NCHC first-time selection and I think deserves to be in the conversation of the best players in all of college hockey. He’s a 2013 draft choice of the Colorado Avalanche and is one of the few current Pioneers from the U.S. National Team Development Program, but you’d never have any idea about that from talking to him. The force field is generally up in public, but he offers honest assessments of his play and the team’s play win, lose or draw. The C on his jersey is for captain but it just as well could stand for character.

Monty says: “Will’s really grown as far as our culture has grown, going from what I thought was a what’s in it for me to what’s in it for we attitude. He was a highly touted recruit. With that comes the constant question of ‘When are you turning pro?’ Will doesn’t care about that. He knows what he controls. He’s never once brought up NHL contract in the last two years. He has no concerns about how he’s used on the power play like a lot of players who are used on the power play. He’s the ultimate leader – his actions and words are all about the team.”

One-timers with Will Butcher

Goaltender Evan Cowley

Mayhem’s take: Cowley has handled what has to be a personally difficult situation well. Tanner Jaillet’s emergence into one of the top goalies in Division I has limited the Evergreen native to just nine appearances, the fewest since his freshman season. Rather than pout, he has put together an unreal season when he has played – a 1.38 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage. He saved the day against Wisconsin when he relieved Jaillet and he shut out Omaha this past Saturday. A personable, easy-to-talk-to player, it’s easy to forget he was a Florida Panthers draft pick. And don’t forget this – his career GAA is 1.99, career save percentage is .931 and he’s won more than 60 percent of his career starts.

Monty says: “Evan is a fantastic young man and a talented goaltender. He is another one of those guys who is a team-first guy. His work ethic is nothing but the best. When called upon, he has been excellent. … His shutout of Omaha was the best I’ve seen him play. He did it last season several times – the Western series.”

One-timers with Evan Cowley

Defenseman Brad Hawkinson

Mayhem’s take: The man affectionately known as Hawk has been limited by injuries throughout his Pioneers career. He did play in this 10^th career game this season. A guest contributor to this blog, Hawk has offered insight into the team and into the priority he and his teammates place on academics. Hawk will graduate with a hat trick of majors and plans to follow in his family’s lineage of defending our country.

Monty says: “Hawk is a great Pioneer. He bleeds crimson and gold. He always supports his teammates whether he’s injured or healthy. He’s a fantastic teammate, extremely bright.”

One-timers with Brad Hawkinson

Wing Evan Janssen

Mayhem’s take: Long ago in a state far away, I began covering hockey by writing about Division III St. Norbert College and Green Bay of the USHL. Little did I know my path would cross with a young fan who regularly attended those hockey games almost 20 years later. Janssen was one of the first Pioneers I met and talked to at any length. It was easy to strike up a conversation given we share a home town and a love for our home state’s sports teams. One of the traits I most commonly hear about one of the Pioneers’ assistant captains is how much he cares for his teammates and the integrity he brings to all of his dealings. By the way, he’s an every-situation player for DU who has a career-high 23 points and seven goals. His point total this season is more than his first three seasons combined despite the fact he missed four games with a concussion. Like Butcher, he is an exceptional skater. He played for Montgomery for a season at Dubuque of the USHL, and the coach refers to him at times as one of his security blankets.

Monty says: “What I mean by that is how smart of a hockey player he is and how he understands how to manage a game, his game and the team game. If he’s tired, he’ll make a tough play to make sure everyone else can change. He’ll take an extra five second shift, take the right angle so other people can get off the ice. He knows exactly what to do in every situation. He makes those around him better.”

One-timers with Evan Janssen

Center Matt Marcinew

Mayhem’s take: Not only is the good-natured assistant captain the Pioneers’ faceoff ace, but he, too, has hit a career high in points (21) while adding nine goals. He can – and does – play anywhere in the lineup and in any situation. He has an excellent, dry sense of humor and I’ve had the impression that no one is exempt from it. He can be one of the more entertaining players to interview, particularly if Troy Terry is around.

Monty says: “He is a player that’s grown incredibly. This is my first class going through the four-year cycle, to see how they’ve matured and led this group, he’s a great example of that. His faceoffs are incredible. I’ve had him on the power play and taken him off. Had him on the penalty kill and taken him off. He never once changed his body language. He just says, ‘I’ll do whatever gives the team success.’ And he has 20 points on top of it – incredible.”

One-timers with Matt Marcinew

Goaltender Greg Ogard

Mayhem’s take: The hardest job in sports might be being a team’s third goaltender, still Ogard makes the most of it. He tied his career-high with two appearances this season and has a career save percentage of .900 in five appearances. He is beloved by his teammates and is one of the straightest shooters to interview. He’s also another player whose path I crossed long ago as he and Janssen grew up nearby in Northeastern Wisconsin. If I have one regret it’s that I waited until this season to interview him.

Monty says: “What’s special about this group is everybody knows how important Ogard is or Hawk is to the team success. They work hard every day and have a positive attitude. Ogie is willing to do anything. Ask him to fill water bottles, he’ll do it. He drops pucks for special teams scrimmages. He is a fantastic young man who is going to be extremely successful because of how intelligent he is and his work ethic.”

One-timers with Greg Ogard

Center Evan Ritt

Mayhem’s take: Ritt told me he didn’t want a sympathy story – oh isn’t it neat he’s finally playing – when I called him a few months back hoping to write a feature about him for Colorado Rubber Hockey Magazine. The story became about what Ritt did to put himself in the Pioneers’ lineup conversation. A ton of hard work and a more business-like approach did the trick. The results speak for themselves. Going into this season, Ritt had played in 10 games total. This season, it is 33 and counting. He also has the first 10 points of his college career – nine since mid-January. And it could not have happened to a nicer person. In a group of exceptional players to talk to, he is one who stands out.

Monty says: “It’s nice that he’s been able to not only play, but help us win. He takes important faceoffs and plays key minutes on the penalty kill. And now he’s bringing offense from the fourth line. He has an excellent ability to see things. He has been so important to the locker room, to see him get out and contribute has been rewarding for everybody.”

One-timers with Evan Ritt

Wing Emil Romig

Mayhem’s take: If there were DU nice guy rankings, Romig would be right at the top as well. An extremely hard worker and powerful skater, he somehow managed to miss just eight games (helped by the Christmas break) after sustaining a gruesome lower-leg fracture at North Dakota in early November. He has a career-high 13 points – eight since mid-February – despite his absence. His seven goals tie his career high. Numerous players have told me he is a hugely respected and beloved teammate.

Monty says: “Emil has incredible energy. He is such a thoughtful, caring young man. When he had that bad injury at North Dakota, our whole team was flat for 20 minutes after his injury. We had to play a third period up 2-1 in North Dakota and we played for him. It showed how much he means to his teammates. What can you say about his work ethic to come back as quickly as he did?”

One-timers with Emil Romig

Defenseman Matt VanVoorhis

Mayhem’s take: If something needs to be said, there is a good chance VanVoorhis will say it. The assistant captain’s three points are less important than this number – 1.92 – the amount of goals per game DU allows, which is a fraction off being the best in Division I, behind only Bemidji State, which frequently employs a trap. He is a powerful skater, and hitter, and he has played forward when needed – and still does on the penalty kill. Like Butcher, he came from the USNTDP. It doesn’t take long when interviewing him to figure out what’s on his mind.

Monty says: “Matty will do whatever’s been asked of him. He’s an energy guy and a vocal leader. He is extremely passionate and competitive. He and (Blake) Hillman have been fantastic for two years. It’s nice when you have six guys on defense you can trust.”

One-timers with Matt VanVoorhis