Denver’s hockey team has experienced plenty of turnover in its forward group, and that’s a mixed bag.

The Pioneers didn’t lose a lot of scoring, but they did lose several of their better defensive forwards. How that trade-off goes will have a say in how the season goes.

Several of the new faces bring highly skilled pedigrees, so how quickly they mesh and get up to speed with the NCAA game will help determine if the Pioneers can turbo-charge what was an inconsistent offense last season.

MORE PREVIEWS

Part 1: The goaltenders

Part 2: The defensemen

We continue our 2021-22 season preview series by taking a closer look at the DU forward group:

Who’s back

Grad Ryan Barrow: Back for a fifth season, Barrow combines speed, skill and size (6-2) to offer the Pioneers lineup flexibility. A special teams fixture, he is their best penalty killer up front. You can book him for 12-14 points minimum to go with his responsible play.

Jr. Bobby Brink: The Philadelphia Flyers draft picked helped Team USA win gold at the 2021 World Junior Championships and is an assistant captain for the Pioneers this season. After a dynamic freshman year (24 points in 28 games), he had 11 points in 15 games in 2020-21. The concern was his goals went from 11 to 2. However, his defense improved and he developed into an every-situation player.

So. Connor Caponi: There is a lot to like about his game, but his toughness and competitiveness set him apart. Expect his freshman points total of four to increase by a multiple.

Jr. Brett Edwards: Is this the year Edwards moves up the lineup? He has the shot to score more, and even when he’s on the fourth line he sees power-play time.

Sr. Cole Guttman: Captain consistency. The Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick has seasons of 26, 28 and 22 points. After 14 goals in each of his first two seasons, he slipped to eight last season but also played 12 fewer games than the year before. He’s defensively reliable and a beast in the face-off circle.

Fr. Carter King: He started his college career early back in January when it became apparent the British Columbia Hockey League probably wasn’t going to play games. He was a goal scorer in junior and midget hockey.

So. Carter Savoie: A fourth-round pick by his hometown Edmonton Oilers a year ago, Savoie burst on the scene in the Omaha bubble. He tapered off a bit in the second half of the season, but he posted 13 goals and 20 points in 24 games. Put another way, he’d probably have hit 20 goals in a full season. Great shooter with a very deceptive release point.

Sr. Brett Stapley: The key for the Montreal Canadiens draft pick is staying healthy. When he is, he’s a 30-point scorer (see sophomore season). He is a particularly adept playmaker. He had offseason surgery but said he is nearing 100 percent. He looked fine in Saturday’s exhibition.

So. McKade Webster: Another Lightning draft pick, Webster had his moments during a nine-point freshman campaign. He is a strong breakout candidate.

Fr. Jack Works: Like King, he came to DU in January, and he, too, was a big goal scorer in junior. Two years ago, he buried 43 in 58 games in same league (Alberta Junior Hockey League) that Savoie tore up.

Who’s new

Jack Devine: When healthy, he was productive on a very good U.S. National Team Development Program squad, where he played with DU defenseman Sean Behrens. He’s a slick skater and set-up man. DU gained his commitment in the summer of 2018, and he is considered a 2022 NHL Entry Draft prospect.

Carter Mazur: DU got Mazur to commit in early 2021, and it looks like a stroke of genius after he blew up for 44 points (20 goals) in 47 games for Tri-City of the USHL and went to the Detroit Red Wings in the third round of this summer’s Entry Draft. The Storm’s captain, he had just 13 points in the previous season.

Owen Ozar: He moved to the USHL last season when the BCHL stated it would pause its season and scored 34 points in 52 games at Waterloo. The previous season he had 66 points in 54 games for Trail in the BCHL. The oldest prospect in the freshman class, he’s already 21.

Massimo Rizzo: The Carolina Hurricanes draft pick didn’t find a place to play last season after the BCHL pulled the plug on its season, and that’s too bad because he had junior seasons of 46 and 51 points the two years prior.

Grad Cameron Wright: An intriguing prospect because he scored 101 points in four seasons at Bowling Green before jumping into the transfer portal. The portal has not been especially kind to DU the past two years, but Wright has consistently been a very good scorer so he offers hope that trend will change.

Who’s gone

Hank Crone: Crone graduated and transferred to Northern Michigan after a puzzling season. After playing 31 games and scoring 16 points during his first year in Denver, he played in just 13 last season yet was productive at times when he did suit up.

Jack Doremus: One of the bigger mysteries to me is why someone with his speed, size and shot only played part time. He’s heading to an ECHL training camp.

Jake Durflinger: A Mayhem favorite because, well, he created a lot of mayhem due to his speed, tenacity and truculence. Another graduate who transferred (Merrimack), he had two double-digit point seasons at DU and was a PK mainstay.

Jaakko Heikkinen: Now playing professionally in Finland, Heikkenin will be dearly missed. Big, strong, great in the circle and defensively responsible, he also could score. The ideal third- or fourth-line center.

Steven Jandric: A massive scorer for three seasons at Alaska-Fairbanks, Jandric had just six points and one goal in 20 games for DU. He also transferred to Merrimack.

Kohen Olischefski: An every night player who was DU’s chief puck hunter the past few seasons, when he totaled 34 points after 19 his first two years. Last year’s captain entered the transfer portal upon graduating and was snapped up by Providence.

The bottom line

The sophomores need to take a big step, and at least half of the newcomers will have to contribute to backfill all the openings left by graduations. Getting Barrow to return and Stapley healthy will help, and the guess is Brink will have a big year. On any given night there could be seven NHL draft picks playing up front for the Pioneers.

©First Line Editorial 2021