As weeks go, this one was a pretty good one for Denver’s Colin Staub.

Fear

The rising senior forward, along with teammates Erich Fear and Ryan Barrow, was selected an American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) All-American Scholar for this past season. The prerequisites for the honor are a grade-point average of 3.6 or higher and having played in at least 40 percent of his team’s games.

Earlier this week, Staub was elevated to captain of the Pioneers after Logan O’Connor signed a contract with the Colorado Avalanche. Staub had a career-high 22 points in 41 games last season, when he also was selected an NCHC Distinguished Scholar and made the league’s academic all-conference team for the second year in a row.

Fear, a rising junior defenseman, was honored as the Pioneers’ top scholar-athlete, receiving the Dr. Art Mason Award, at the team’s year-end banquet. He played in a career-high 20 games and scored his first NCAA goal.

Barrow, a rising sophomore wing, participated in the Washington Capitals’ development camp last month after playing in all but two of the Pioneers’ 41 games last season. He scored nine points, and like Staub and Fear was both an NCHC Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Conference team pick.

A freshman 10 spot

Barrow and his classmates batted 1.000 when it came to NCHC academic honors, announced earlier this month.

All 10 of the Pioneers’ freshmen made the NCHC Academic All-Conference team (3.0 gpa or higher), and seven were cited as Distinguished Scholar-Athletes (3.5 gpa or higher).

In addition to Barrow, fellow forwards Jake Durflinger, Kohen Olischefski and Jared Resseguie, as well as defensemen Griffin Mendel, Ian Mitchell and Ryan Orgel were Distinguished Scholar-Athletes. Goalie Devin Cooley and forwards Jack Doremus and Jaakko Heikkinen also made the academic all-conference team.

What summer vacation?

Ian Mitchell

Not only did Mitchell attend – and excel at – the Chicago Blackhawks’ recent development camp, but he is now off to the World Junior Showcase in Kamloops, British Columbia, where he will represent Canada at the showcase for World Junior Championship prospects. The event starts Saturday and runs through Aug. 4.

Representing his country is nothing new for the rising sophomore, he’s done it at the top U17 and U18 tournaments, including the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup and the World Junior A Challenge in 2016, and last year’s U18 World Championships.

Mitchell, who put up 30 points as a freshman at DU, will wear an “A” for the Pioneers this season.

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