Earlier this month Magness Mayhem surveyed the DU hockey team about various player characteristics.

Fourteen of the 25 players on the roster responded (56 percent) through an online survey. All results were anonymous. I’d like to thank the DU players for taking the time to take the survey.

I’d also like to thank the following sponsors for helping make this possible:

Kostoff and Co. at Nova Home Loans – The Right Loan, The Right Lender

Pesta Chiropractic – We’ve Got Your Back, with offices in Centennial and Westminster

SouthEast Auto – Trusted since 1958, and just 2 miles east of the DU campus

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What follows is first of five parts of the survey, along some accompanying analysis.

Part 1: Skating and strength

1 – Which player has the best top-end skating speed?

Logan O’Connor – 14 votes (100 percent)

Behind the numbers: This is pretty clear cut if you’ve watched any amount of DU hockey. When O’Connor gets going he has few peers, and obviously his teammates agree.

2 – Which player is the most agile skater?

Liam Finlay – 6 votes (43 percent)

Adam Plant – 3 (21 percent)

Michael Davies – 2 (14 percent)

Henrik Borgstrom, Dylan Gambrell and Troy Terry each received a vote

Behind the numbers: This is a bit tougher to quantify, but think Scott Niedermayer and you get what we’re aiming for. Finlay is incredibly elusive with and without the puck, and I would put Plant right with him. Obviously there are a number of players gifted in this area, which to me speaks to the overall skill level DU has on its roster.

3 – Which player has the most explosive stride?

Logan O’Connor – 7 (50 percent)

Dylan Gambrell – 3 (21 percent)

Henrik Borgstrom, Michael Davies, Tariq Hammond and Sean Mostrom all received a vote.

Behind the numbers: This category measures the get-up-and-go component of skating (think Paul Karina). O’Connor, Gambrell, Borgstrom and Davies each make their second appearance in a skating category.

4 – Which player displays the best overall functional strength?

Tariq Hammond – 5 (36 percent)

Colin Staub – 3 (21 percent)

Jarid Lukosevicius, Logan O’Connor – 2 each (14 percent)

Dylan Gambrell and Sean Mostrom also received a vote.

Behind the numbers: Watch the play along the boards and in front of the nets to get an idea where this comes into play. How well can a player get – and hold – position on an opponent? That Gambrell and O’Connor show up here and in the skating departments speaks to their all-around athleticism.

5 – Who is the toughest overall player on the Pioneers?

Tariq Hammond – 6 (46 percent)

Adam Plant – 2 (14 percent)

Ryan Barrow, Dylan Gambrell, Jarid Lukosevicius, Ian Mitchell and Sean Mostrom all received one vote. One voter abstained.

Behind the numbers: Have seen what Hammond has gone through just to be able to walk, much less skate or play hockey at an elite level? Plant’s resiliency given the punishment he takes has impressed as well.

Coming up:

Part 2: Shooting and stick handling

Part 3: Passing, vision, hockey sense and face-offs

Part 4: Defense, positioning, leadership

Part 5: Breaking down the numbers

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