News & Notes From Around PioNation

The University of Denver men's lacrosse team will host No. 6 Loyola University at INVESCO Field at Mile High today at 1 p.m. MT in the final regular season home game for the Pioneers. DU has a seven game winning streak and today's game will be for an NCAA tournament bid. Loyola has most likely already clinched an At-large bid.
----------
As expected, Jason Zucker's performance at the World Under 18 Championships sent his NHL Draft stock upwards. He cracked the Top 30 of the International Scouting Service's List of Top 30 Prospects for the upcoming NHL Draft. Zucker and incoming Freshman Beau Bennet both have a chance of being selected in the first round of the NHL Draft in June.
Jason Zucker, LW -- USA Under 18
Consistent, aggressive and energetic, Zucker is a warrior and is willing to do the little things it takes to win. Compete level around the net is excellent. Fished puck out of scramble behind net and quickly centered it to set up 1-0 goal in 1st at the U18s. Has easily been one of the best forwards for any team in this tournament.
----------
Adding fuel to the "Coach Gwozdecky Contract Fiasco" the University of Wisconsin was able to sign hockey coach Mike Eaves to a contract extension through 2015.
----------
DU Alum Kevin Ulanski has been named the Most Valuable Player of the Central Hockey League. Ulanski had 34 goals, 75 assists and a league-best 109 points this season for the Colorado Eagles. He also led the league with a plus-45 rating.
----------
2011 recruit Scott Mayfield was selected by the Kitchener Rangers in the 6th Round of the OHL Draft. Since Mayfield's parents attended DU Law School together, its pretty likely that he'll attend Denver in 2011.
----------
2012 recruit Dakota Mermis was selected in the 12th round of the OHL Draft by the London Knights. No doubt the Knights will try and pry Mermis away from playing at DU, but there are a couple of reasons to think that he will play for the Pioneers. His other brother Jarrod is coming to DU next season and his father is a school teacher so presumably a college education is a priority for the family.

6 comments:

Aluuum said...

I loved to watch Ulanski,Bull,Keith, and Dora in 04 and 05. Blue collar four year grinders. They played full bore every shift and brought us two championships.
With Kevin's great year is there any chance of him moving up to the big show? He would be a bargain price player compared to the multi million dollar contracts out there.

Anonymous said...

The CHL is below the ECHL which is below the AHL which is below the NHL.

Ulanski is an MVP in the CHL, would be average in the ECHL and below average in the AHL and would be embarrased in the NHL.

Anonymous said...

Not necessarily. Alex Burrows did well in the ECHL so they brought him up to the big club in Vancouver 2 years ago. He's put up 30 goals in a season at the NHL level. You can question how many of those goals were due to the Sedins but if you're theory is correct, Burrows should haven't even sniffed 10 goals. It all depends on the player and the situation.

Anonymous said...

ok,now name a CHL player who has made the jump.

puck swami said...

ECHL players who have made the NHL are a very small number. Connor James is one for Denver, but his NHL term was short.

CHL players who have made back to the NHL are virtually impossible, although there are a few former NHLers who do sink back to the CHL.

Anonymous said...

List of former ECHLers who went on to the NHL:
http://www.echl.com/alumni/

Happens quite a bit, as it turns out, and a good number of those guys were/are big contributors on their NHL teams.