Evan Janssen and his eight fellow seniors made it their mission to rework some of the dynamics within the DU locker room. Photo courtesy of Shannon Valeria, DU Athletics
If you follow the Pioneers you’ve no doubt heard the expression “Denver hockey”, as in “We’ve got to play Denver hockey,” or “We’re getting back to playing Denver hockey.”
I’ve heard it enough in just two seasons that it’s made me wonder what exactly the phrase “Denver hockey” means in tangible and intangible forms.
As the top-ranked Pioneers embark upon what they hope will be the eighth NCAA title in program history, beginning Saturday with a Midwest Regional game against WCHA playoff champion Western Michigan at 11 a.m., here is a closer look at the intangible part of “Denver hockey”. A look at the more concrete side will follow in the next post.
Culture change
If you have young children you’ve likely watched the Muppet Movie in the past few years and heard the song, “Me Party”. Several people I’ve spoken to on and off the record around the DU program during the past two years have told me that if anything has changed for the better in the Jim Montgomery era, it’s the focus of the players becoming more outward.
That’s not to impugn the previous regime or players; their successful track records speak for themselves.Still, what Montgomery found upon his arrival wasn’t the tight atmosphere the team has today.
The coach has noted, including during our conversation about the team’s seniors, the shift in focus from “what’s in it for me to what’s in it for we” and the huge role it has played in the Pioneers’ incremental improvement during each of his four seasons at the helm.
Senior alternate captain Evan Janssen played for Montgomery in Des Moines of the United States Hockey League and won a Clark Cup with him there in 2013. When Montgomery was hired for the DU job that spring, Janssen eventually followed his coach west.
Janssen’s class was a mixture of Montgomery recruits and a few holdovers from George Gwozdecky‘s efforts. Janssen and his peers quickly realized what one of the tasks at hand would be.
“One thing our class has prided ourselves on is changing the culture at DU,” Janssen said. “The freshman should always be an important aspect of our team. I think we’ve done a good job making sure they know that.
“When I arrived it seemed like everyone was worried about signing their pro deal and leaving early. That was those guys’ goals and many achieved their dream.”
A game-changing class
The senior class included 11 members originally – goalies Evan Cowley and Greg Ogard, forwards Janssen, Brad Hawkinson, Matt Marcinew, Trevor Moore, Evan Ritt and Emil Romig, and defensemen Will Butcher, Nick Neville and Matt VanVoorhis. Moore left school last summer to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs, a decision he’s told me was grueling, while Neville left the team at the Christmas break in the 2015-16 season.
Among the others, only Butcher and Cowley are NHL draft picks.
“We have a big senior class,” said VanVoorhis, who like Butcher, Hawkinson and Moore was a Gwozdecky recruit. “From the first day on campus we were a close group and we’ve tried to stay close.
“That carries over to other years because we have a certain standard we’ve set.”
The senior class’ camaraderie started moving the needle, and successive classes followed in kind, VanVoorhis said.
“It’s a credit to each individual class that they’re close to each other,” he said. “It’s pretty cool to see, and it’s been important to our overall chemistry.
“Our freshmen are a super fun group of guys as well as being skilled hockey players. They’ve been a great addition.
“Our junior class is smaller but they all handle themselves so well.
“Our sophomore group is bigger, and they’re also a group of awesome guys off the ice – as well as on – that I can’t say enough good about.”
The intraclass unity has strengthened the overall team chemistry, VanVoorhis added.
“We have a lot of good teammates up and down the roster, it made it easier for some guys to take on new roles and accept those for the good of the team,” he said. “We want to succeed together.”
Follow the leader
DU has seen its win total increase every year under Montgomery, from 20 to 24 to 25 to 29 (and counting). As well, the Pioneers have made a larger imprint in the NCAA Tournament in each year, winning the NCHC Frozen Faceoff in 2014 to sneak into the tourney, winning a game in 2015 and reaching the Frozen Four last season.
If there was one pivotal player who influenced the Pioneers’ ascent, it would be Grant Arnold, a 2016 graduate who grew up just minutes from Magness Arena in Centennial and was one of only three two-year captains in the program’s 68-year history.
“That guy is just an unbelievable leader and it just comes naturally, ask any of our captains or players,” Janssen said. “He taught me a lot. I looked up to him so much. I idolized him in Green Bay (Janssen’s home town) when he played with Gamblers. After my senior year of high school I went to tryout camp, and he happened to be on my team. He was such a good guy, always trying to help even though he had me no idea who I was.
“It was amazing I ended up being his teammate at DU for three years.”
Arnold’s buy-in to the changes Montgomery wanted to ingrain in his players was vital. The changes were subtle and measured at times, but the fruits of them have become more obvious the past two seasons.
“Last year was definitely was more ‘this is more like it’,” Janssen said. “This year we’ve just built on that which is why we’ve had so much success.”
Nice work, Mayhem! Looking forward to part II