DU Prepared Four Former Players For NHL

(above) Avalanche forward Paul Stastny, left, who is in his second NHL season, credits his two seasons at the University of Denver as being a jumping-off point for his 78-point rookie season

From: Rocky Mountain News
by Pat Rooney

When Matt Carle shows his face around the University of Denver, it's almost as if Magness Arena is being graced by hockey royalty.

Fans do double takes as Carle walks past, whispering and tugging the sleeves of their companions to make sure they get a glimpse. Naturally, the 2006 Hobey Baker Award winner gets ushered to one of the best seats in the house.

And, perhaps most important to Carle and the Pioneers, he receives full access to the DU locker room, where he can share tales and advice from his life as an NHL defenseman with friends, former teammates and the unfamiliar newcomers hoping to one day be in shoes similar to his.

If it seems like Carle is acting big time on the heels of a four-year contract extension he signed with the San Jose Sharks last month, think again. In a sense, he is just hoping to pass the torch.

When Carle arrived at DU after a two-year stint with the River City Lancers of the U.S. Hockey League, he immediately received mentoring from guys such as Antti Laaksonen, one of several DU alums who was plying his trade in the NHL and returned for workouts and scrimmages during the summers.

Now Carle, who enjoyed an opportunity to visit his former team last weekend as the Sharks prepared for a game against the Avalanche, is doing the same for Pioneers such as Chris Butler and Peter Mannino, who eventually should jump into the professional ranks.

"There was no better way to get prepared (for the NHL) than to come here and play for coach (George) Gwozdecky," said Carle, whose three seasons at DU included consecutive national championships in addition to winning the Hobey. "He kind of turned me into the player I am today and helped me evolve, not only as a hockey player, but as a mature person. That was probably the biggest reason why I came back for a third year - I wanted to mature more as a person and get another year of education under my belt.

"Now I don't really go around preaching to the guys. If they have questions, I'm more than happy to answer them. But I still keep in touch with the guys I played with here, like Butler and Mannino and (Andrew) Thomas. It's a huge tradition here. The alumni keep in touch, and it is great to be a part of that."

Getting their attention

A similar pipeline to the pros exists in Colorado Springs, where Colorado College has sent several players to the NHL, including Mark Stuart (Boston Bruins) and Tom Preissing (Los Angeles Kings).

While the lure of the NHL still is not a marquee recruiting tool for colleges - Canada's major junior system remains a top outlet for young talent, and Gwozdecky has watched two young defensemen leave the program to sign major junior contracts in the past year - having young NHL standouts such as

Carle and Stastny to point to certainly captures the attention of any young hockey player with NHL aspirations.

Carle is trying to persuade his younger brother to follow in his footsteps and sign a letter of intent with the Pioneers.

And with Stastny thriving with the Avalanche, it's not unusual for him to show up at DU's hockey offices to shake hands with recruits and plug the Pioneers' program.

"I tell them the truth, that they are a good player and (DU) wants you for a reason," Stastny said. "It's a small school and a great environment. It has good facilities. You're treated well, from the coaching staff to the faculty and everyone else. You know it's a good hockey tradition and it shows up right now with all the guys in the NHL right now to the powerhouse teams in the 1960s. It is easy to point that out."

Titles fuel exodus

Sending players to the NHL is nothing new to the storied DU program. Yet the Pioneers hockey alums playing in the NHL have taken a brighter spotlight in recent years for several reasons.

First, the back-to-back national championships the Pioneers won in 2004 and 2005 helped lead to early departures for players such as Carle, Paul Stastny and, this past offseason, Ryan Dingle and Geoff Paukovich.

Secondly, the fact that three DU hockey alums - Stastny, Laaksonen and Mark Rycroft - all played for the hometown Avalanche last season only strengthened the tie to the NHL.

Laaksonen returned to Europe after an unproductive season, and Rycroft plays for the Avalanche's American Hockey League affiliate Lake Erie Monsters and is teammates with former Pioneers player J.D. Corbin, who recently was promoted from the Johnstown Chiefs of the East Coast Hockey League.

But Stastny, in his second pro season, has continued to blossom as one of the NHL's most impressive young stars.

The son of Hockey Hall of Famer Peter Stastny credits his two-year stint at DU as being the springboard for his 78-point rookie season.

"From a hockey standpoint, I was able to develop my game for two years at DU, both offensively and defensively," Stastny said. "The trust and confidence the coaching staff had in me and Carle and all the other guys - they let us play and do our thing. They let us be the same players we are. They didn't try to change any of our styles.

"And at the same time, as a person, you mature that much more. You develop as a person and the character you are."