The Denver Pioneers hockey team has spoken, voting for teammates in 25 categories addressing a range of skills from skating to shooting to toughness to leadership in MagnessMayhem.com’s exclusive player survey.

As we wrap up our third annual eight-part series, it’s time to break down the results. Players were polled anonymously in early December.

SURVEY RESULTS

Part 1 examined skating

Part 2 dealt with strength and toughness

Part 3 revealed the shooting stars

Part 4 tracked the good hands Pioneers

Part 5 focused on the eyes

Part 6 got defensive

Part 7 tackled hard work and leadership

All 26 players on DU’s roster were named at least once in voting, which turned out to be quite balanced. You can compare this breakdown to our ones in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Which players received votes in the most categories?

• Hank Crone – 9 categories
• Ryan Barrow, Michael Davies, Ian Mitchell – 8
• Jack Doremus, Liam Finlay, Kohen Olischefski – 7
• Jake Durflinger, Jaakko Heikkinen, Griffin Mendel, Emilio Pettersen – 6
• Bobby Brink – 5

Anlaysis: This category is really a testament to skill and versatility, and it’s hard to argue with the results. If anything, this testifies to just how big of a loss Barrow has been due to injury. It also reveals why Crone has fit in so well so quickly.

Which players were voted No. 1 in a category the most times?

• Ian Mitchell, Brett Stapley – 4 categories
• Ryan Barrow, Devin Cooley, Michael Davies – 3
• Brett Edwards, Jaakko Heikkinen – 2

Analysis: Two players voted tops in almost one-third of the 25 categories. Expand it out and you have five leading two-thirds of them.

Which players had the widest margins atop a category?

• Ian Mitchell (Leadership) – 9 votes
• Brett Stapley (Best passer in traffic) – 9
• Justin Lee (Toughest) – 9
• Brett Edwards (Quickest release) – 8
• Mitchell (Hardest worker) – 7
• Liam Finlay (Most agile skater) – 6
• Stapley (Best vision) – 6

Analysis: These are the dominant performers in a category across the entire survey. That Mitchell and Stapley appear twice here is quite impressive, though not hugely surprising.

What categories had the most players receive votes?

• Hockey sense – 8
• Most positionally sound, best at forcing turnovers – 7
• Best top-end speed, most explosive skater, best functional strength, best checker, most accurate shot, hardest worker – 6

Analysis: Want a profile of the types of players who thrive at DU? This tells you that hockey sense, smarts and skating are huge priorities.

Thanks for reading our exclusive Denver hockey player survey for the 2019-20 season!

©First Line Editorial 2020