The eyes have it, but who has the best vision for the Denver hockey team?

Part 5 of MagnessMayhem.com’s exclusive player survey focuses on vision, hockey sense and face-off proficiency.

Players were polled anonymously in early December. The survey included 25 questions that covered a range of skills.

Part 1 examined skating

Part 2 dealt with strength and toughness

Part 3 revealed the shooting stars

Part 4 tracked the good hands Pioneers

Now on to part 5 of the survey:

Question 15: Which player has the best on-ice vision?

• Brett Stapley – 62 percent
• Hank Crone – 14 percent
• Jay Feiwell, Liam Finlay, Ian Mitchell – 8 percent

Analysis: Given that Stapley and Crone are considered two of the Pioneers’ top passers, this complementary category’s results should come as no surprise. Finlay and Mitchell also are notable in this regard, particularly in the open ice.

Question 16: Which player has the best overall hockey sense?

• Ian Mitchell, Brett Stapley – 26 percent
• Bobby Brink, Hank Crone, Michael Davies, Jaakko Heikkinen, Lane Krenzen, Kohen Olischefski – 8 percent

Analysis: DU likes to recruit skating and hockey brains. These eight are renowned for the later.

Question 17: Which player most consistently wins important face-offs?

• Tyson McLellan – 64 percent
• Jaakko Heikkinen – 24 percent
• Jack Doremus – 8 percent

Analysis: No surprises here. McLellan and Heikkinen are regarded as the most reliable Pioneers in the circle. This has been a hallmark of both of their games as long as they’ve been on campus.

Next: Going on the defensive

What changed from previous years? Satisfy your curiosity by checking out the 2018-19 survey and the 2017-18 survey.

Want the rundown on DU’s first half? Magness Mayhem’s midseason report looks at in detail.

©First Line Editorial 2019