The Who’s Next question at times can dominate the sports conversation. So let’s pile on and ask who might be the next big thing for Denver hockey entering the 2019-20 season?

Naturally, the focus typically shifts to new players, and there is little doubt that DU’s incoming class should be a good one that will provide plenty of useful contributors.  If I were hazarding an educated guess, which I did this summer, I’d say forwards Bobby Brink and Hank Crone as well as defenseman Justin Lee will be regulars right off the bat.

However, many of the preseason discussions I’ve had on the topic of emerging players centered not around the newcomers, but around which returning players have stood out during offseason and preseason workouts. As we demonstrated last season, this isn’t an exact science, but offseason indicators can provide an accurate forecast.

2019-20 season preview

Part 1 – Denver’s roster by the numbers

Part 2 – Denver’s indispensable players

Part 3 – The emerging players

Part 4 – Taking the show on the road

Also: Podcast with alumni Josiah Didier and Tariq Hammond

Coach David Carle, for one, is bullish on there being a bunch of breakthrough players this season.

“There’s a lot of guys because of how young we were last year,” the second-year coach said. “A lot of guys had really good summers. The natural thing to point to is our juniors and our sophomores.

“Both groups have been through different challenges here. One group is going into their third year, they’re not the young kids on the block anymore. Our sophomore group had a really good freshman year. How do they build on what they did last year? I think they’re really hungry to improve on what they did last year.

“It would be too hard to just name one or two people because there are a lot in those two groups that are ready to take more steps.”

That’s a wide net to cast. But there was on pattern that emerged in my conversations with various players. So I present to you a closer look at some of Denver’s potentially emerging players.

The fab five

Five freshmen finished among the Pioneers’ top-10 scorers last season, and there is every expectation that all five again will be significant contributors this season. Here is a closer look at each:

D Slava Demin – The Vegas Golden Knights draft pick got better and better as the 2019-20 season wore on. With Les Lancaster’s eligibility expired, there is increased ice time available for the 6-foot-2 Demin. Demin is a smooth skater who uses his stick and sound positioning to defend well. Though one of the Pioneers’ bigger defensemen, he wasn’t overly physical last season, but that’s not to say he can’t be. He also makes his goals count – of his four last season, two were winners and three were the first goal of the game.

As assistant coach Dallas Ferguson told me last spring, Demin’s skill set is such that he can be easy to take for granted. “You have to be careful with Slava because he does make the game look easy at times because he’s a really good skater and his ability to play under pressure at such a calm pace is really impressive,” Ferguson said.

C Cole Guttman – I view Guttman as one of the Pioneers’ most indispensable players because of his goal-scoring acumen on top of his all-around skill set. Also keep in mind that he suffered an injury in 2017 after the Tampa Bay Lightning drafted him and tried to play through it during his last year of junior in the USHL. He finally had to have major hip surgery in early 2018, meaning he spent nearly all of last summer rehabbing that. This year is the first robust offseason of training he’s had since 2016. If he had 26 points while in recovery mode as a freshman competing in the NCHC, think about the possibilities after a summer with strength guru Matt Shaw.

“Gutter has looked good, but he’s one of a lot of guys who have,” senior assistant captain Tyson McLellan said.

W Emilio Pettersen – If the Tazmanian Devil played ice hockey, he’d still have a ways to go to reach the non-stop energy level of Pettersen. The Calgary Flames draft pick motored his way to 30 points, including a team-high 24 assists. One is left to wonder how the Pioneers might have fared in the national semifinal (an overtime loss to UMass) had they had him in the lineup. Pettersen suffered an arm injury in the preceding game. He and Guttman and the graduated Jarid Lukosevicius combined for 39 goals and 85 points, and Pettersen’s ability to make plays at high speed unquestionably created space for his linemates.

He has come back more driven than ever, according to McLellan. “Emilio Pettersen had a really good season that was cut short, and that was devastating to him,” McLellan said. “He looks like he’s had a really good summer and is ready for the season.”

C Brett Stapley – The Montreal Canadiens draft pick played through a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery, and like Pettersen, he, too, seems primed to return with a vengeance.

“I think Stapley has looked really good after his surgery. He’s stood out in (preseason) practice,” assistant captain Michael Davies said.

Stapley and now-senior Liam Finlay formed a potent combination on the second line, teaming up for 56 points. Stapley is another player who can make elite plays at high speed, and his stickhandling ability helped create room for Finlay to fire off many of his career-high 16 goals. Stapley also has a good shot and could break into double digits in goals this season as well.

W Tyler Ward – Ward bounced around the lineup and didn’t seem out of place anywhere. His 15 points were ninth on the team. He brings a bit more of a physical edge than some of the others on this list. He may never put up the offensive numbers that the others mentioned here do, but his versatility is a huge asset.

With only four departures from last season, and a wealth of experience gained by underclassmen a year ago, the Pioneers are in good shape regardless of who steps up, McLellan concluded.

“We’re in a really good spot. We feel much further ahead than last year.,” he said. “Our sophomore class is more mature and has seen how things work at the college level. Our upperclassmen all had good summers and really want to win after what happened in the Frozen Four.”

©First Line Editorial 2019