Jarid Lukosevicius borrows liberally from the English alphabet. While G’s and W’s are two letters that aren’t part of his name, they are a big part of his game.

No player in Denver’s 70-year hockey history has found the net more when it’s mattered than the senior from Squamish, British Columbia. His 20 career game-winning goals are a program record and only three away from the NCAA Division I record. His seven this season are tied for the NCAA lead.

And he seems to save some of his biggest games for Friday’s opponent at the NCHC Frozen Faceoff – No. 4 Minnesota Duluth. Nine of his 60 career goals have come against the Bulldogs, including three in the 2017 National Championship game. His career total puts him just five outside of DU’s top 20 all time. Given he’s done some of his best work in the postseason, that number likely will increase over the next few weekends.

Ditto No. 5 Denver’s win total of 21 (and 102 during Lukosevicius’ four seasons at DU).

“He’s always involved, he wants to be a difference maker, he’s using his legs and he’s always ready to shoot the puck,” Pioneers coach David Carle said, ticking off reasons for Lukosevicius’ success. “He’s going to the right areas, inside the dots, and he’s demanding to shoot it. It’s remarkable what he’s been able to do, becoming the leading game-winning goal scorer in the program’s history. It’s a credit to him.”

And it’s a big boost to the Pioneers, because when Lukosevicius scores DU usually wins. It’s 10-0-2 when that happens this season.

“We seem to get more of a jump,” said junior Liam Finlay, DU’s leading scorer. “Once Luko scores he plays even better.”

An age-old question

Are great shooters born, or are they developed? It’a a question nearly as old as the game of hockey.

In Lukosevicius’ case, it’s a bit of both.

Former DU assistant Steve Miller recalled seeing Lukosevicius in person with colleague David Lassonde at a British Columbia Hockey League showcase at the start of the 2013-14 season.

“The first things that jumped out were his offensive instincts, his hands, and he was out there competing and working hard,” Miller said. “You could see the potential.

“(Former DU coach) Jimmy (Montgomery) watched him and liked him. So we started the process with him. I met him up at Cowichan in the first week of October.”

Lukosevicius, only weeks into his first junior season with the Powell River Kings, committed to DU shortly afterward.

“You could see the effort he played with,” Miller added. “We knew he was a guy who was going to help us.”

That effort has always been part of his game, the senior said. And the results have followed.

“I always practiced shooting off ice. I guess it just kept coming to me in Major Midget,” Lukosevicius said. “In juniors, it just took off. I’ve always enjoyed scoring goals, so I guess that’s been my role. My main focus is to always work hard and I guess goal scoring comes with that.”

Lukosevicius went on to post regular seasons of 26 goals in 57 games and 33 goals in 55 games in junior.

The Division I difference

Lukosevicius was part of a heralded class at Denver, one that vaulted the Pioneers squarely back in the NCAA title conversation.

Dylan Gambrell centered the electric Pacific Rim Line with Danton Heinen and Trevor Moore. Troy Terry debuted with 22 points and often played a top-six role. Blake Hillman stepped into a top-six defense role. All three were or became NHL draft picks and have played in the League already. Fellow forwards Logan O’Connor and Colin Staub also were part of that group.

Lukosevicius, meanwhile, sat out seven games and scored just 10 points in primarily a fourth-line role.

“A lot of guys go through that adversity in their freshman year,” Miller said. “To see him take that and use it as a positive speaks to who he is.”

Lukosevicius fell back on his work ethic, and that set his college career fully into motion.

“He’s committed himself in the weight room,” Carle noted. “Every summer he’s been here in Denver. He hasn’t gone home. He’s spent the summers with Matt Shaw, working on his body, and taking summer classes. His physical maturity is where a lot of his improvements have come.

“When players put in a lot of time into their body and craft they usually get a lot more confident, and that’s what you’ve seen out of Jarid. His transformation from his freshman year to his sophomore year was probably the biggest leaps and bounds he made.

“When you look at the three years he’s had since, it’s pretty incredible. It’s allowed him to be faster, stronger, more confident.”

The six goals as a freshman turned into 16 – an unheard of eight game-winners among them – as a sophomore. That became 21 as a junior. He’s at 17 and counting this season.

“When I first came in, I was pretty heavy, fat-wise,” Lukosevicius said. “Shaw slimmed me down into a machine. He’s helped me so much. He understands people’s body types, and he knows I’m not very aerobic. We worked a lot on that. It helped me play more minutes.”

Experience plays a role

His drive and work ethic help explain the how, but the who is another important factor in Lukosevicius’ growth.

Playing for a coach such as Montgomery, still Hockey East’s all-time leading scorer, was a colossal advantage, the senior said. Lukosevicius long has possessed a hard shot, but his strength gains and some talks with his former coach took it to another level.

“Monty told me after my freshman year to practice releasing pucks as quickly as I can, so that’s what I did,” Lukosevicius said. “I’ve always practiced shooting the puck hard, but I hadn’t practiced that release. I guess it just came naturally once I started focusing on it.

“You watch the NHL now and the puck’s not on their sticks long. The faster you do it, the better you are.”

Another aspect that Montgomery helped him refine was how to play in space.

“He understood the game without the puck, and that helped me develop a lot as a player,” the senior added. “I was really bad without the puck and getting open. He’s a special guy, that’s why he’s in the NHL now. He’s so good at understanding the game.”

The who category also extends to Lukosevicius’ linemates. As a young player, he had no choice but to learn how to find those openings to unleash his shot.

“I’ve always grown up playing with really good players, like Nic Petan (of the Toronto Maple Leafs),” Lukosevicius said. “I grew up playing on his line, so understanding how he plays helped me develop as a player because I had to get open for him.

“That also helped with Troy, understanding how Troy plays. I’d have to get open for him. Adapting to your linemates is huge, understanding how they play and where you should be. I think I’m very confident in getting open for players and it helps me score goals.”

With his roommate’s departure for pro hockey, Lukosevicius had to adapt once more.

“This year, I feel like my linemates (often freshmen Emilio Pettersen, whom Luko affectionately calls Emo, and Cole Guttman) like to take the puck to the net more, so I have to get closer to the net,” he added. “Whereas Troy would have three guys on him so I would go the opposite way he is going, then somehow he would look my way and find me. It’s knowing the player.”

More than goals

The goals are one outward sign of what’s boiling inside of Lukosevicius, but they’re not the only thing, Carle said.

“He has provided great leadership for our group, which has 19 underclassmen,” the coach noted of his assistant captain. “He’s become a better defensive player. We keep track of five on five goals for and goals against, and Luko has not been involved in one five-on-five goal against. He may have gotten some minuses on the regular stat sheet but he personally has been not been involved in one five-on-five goal against.

“I also don’t think he gets enough credit for how good of a defensive player he is and that he’s become here.”

The goals are enjoyable to score, but that’s not Lukosevicius’ ultimate goal.

“It’s because I’m so competitive and I hate to lose so much. I want to win,” he said. “For that to happen, I try to score. They just so happen to be game-winning goals at times.

“I don’t really think about it. I just want to win.”

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