There is nothing wrong with acting defensive. In fact the Pioneers usually find favorable outcomes when they adopt such a posture. In part 6 of Magness Mayhem’s

exclusive Denver hockey player survey, which returns for a second year, we take a look at which Pioneers are deemed strongest defensively and positionally.

This season, 23 of the 27 players, or 85 percent, on the roster responded to the 2018-19 survey. The survey includes 25 questions, broken down into various categories. Players were given multiple choices and promised anonymity for their answers. Questions pertaining to skaters only had skaters listed, same for goalie-related questions.

I hope you enjoy this fun exercise that picks the Pioneers’ brains to help shed light on which teammates they view as the strongest in various categories.

MORE SURVEY RESULTS

Part 1 (Questions 1-4) deals with skating

Part 2 (Questions 5-7) deals with strength, checking and toughness

Part 3 (Questions 8-10) unveils the Pioneers’ shooting stars

Part 4 (Questions 11-14) reveals the good hands Pioneers

Part 5 (Questions 15-17) looks at the eyes

Part 7 (Questions 23-25) hard work and leadership

Question 18: Which Pioneers player is the best at forcing turnovers?

• Jarid Lukosevicius – 8 votes (35 percent)
• Ryan Barrow – 4 votes (17 percent)
• Jake Durflinger – 2 votes
• Michael Davies, Slava Demin, Liam Finlay, Griffin Mendel, Ian Mitchell, Kohen Olischefski, Ryan Orgel, Emilio Pettersen, Jared Resseguie – 1 vote

Analysis: Not only does Lukosevicius force turnovers but he often draws penalties as a result. And then he usually figures into a power-play goal in some way. The top three here all are rugged along the wall and can, and often do, frustrate opponents with their quick sticks, relentlessness and physicality. But they have a lot of company. A total of 12 players made this list.

Question 19: Who is the Pioneers’ best defensive forward?

• Colin Staub – 9 votes (39 percent)
• Jaakko Heikkinen – 6 votes (26 percent)
• Emilio Pettersen – 2 votes
• Ryan Barrow, Jake Durflinger, Liam Finlay, Jarid Lukosevicius, Tyson McLellan, Kohen Olischefski – 1 vote

Analysis: When DU needs to hold a lead or is facing a key penalty kill, you can bet Staub and Heikkinen get a lot more frequent taps on their shoulders on the bench. What’s impressive about this list, besides nine different forwards receiving votes, is how many of the top scorers on the team (Lukosevicius, Pettersen and Finlay) were part of it.

Question 20: Who is the Pioneers’ best defensive defenseman?

• Griffin Mendel – 14 votes (61 percent)
• Michael Davies – 6 votes (26 percent)
• Ian Mitchell – 3 votes

Analysis: Remember who DU’s shutdown pair was heading into the break? Mendel combines great size, reach and skating to get the job done. Davies, who is eight inches shorter, relies on a great stick, excellent agility and generally superb positioning. Mitchell, who started the season with Mendel, has more of the Davies-like qualities, but he won’t hesitate to get involved physically.

Question 21: Which Pioneer is the most positionally sound skater?

• Colin Staub – 7 votes (30 percent)
• Michael Davies, Ian Mitchell, Jarid Lukosevicius – 3 votes
• Sean Comrie – 2 votes
• Ryan Barrow, Slava Demin, Jake Durflinger, Jaakko Heikkinen, Les Lancaster – 1 vote

Analysis: Most of theses names also appeared in the best defender and forcing turnovers categories. Obviously, there is a more than a little relationship between those categories. The fact that 10 players received at least a vote also goes back to the hockey sense category. In other words, the Pioneers don’t populate their roster with dim bulbs.

Question 22: Which Pioneers goaltender is the most positionally sound?

• Filip Larsson – 14 votes (61 percent)
• Devin Cooley – 8 votes (35 percent)
• Michael Corson – 1 vote

Analysis: Why does Larsson seem to make difficult saves look a bit more routine? This provides one clue. Cooley has rarely seemed out of place to make the first save.

NEXT: Hard work and leadership

©First Line Editorial 2017-18