DU Recruiting Update: Adding Mid-Season Depth

(above) Landon Smith could of provided some much needed depth at forward this season, but NCAA scholarship limits, mean that he'll arrive at DU over the summer

A few people online have asked why DU doesn't grab a forward from the list below and enroll the player in school over Christmas Break. The short answer, "It isn't that easy."  

The first problem is that most, if not all of the forwards on the list, are still in high school.  Its possible that Landon Smith [5'10 181 lbs] may have already graduated from high school since he turned 19 years-old as of Oct. 18th.

But that brings us to the bigger issue.  Every major hockey program playing D-1 ice hockey is limited to just 18 scholarships. Its possible to cut scholies into smaller amounts such as quarter, halves or three-quarters, but the total may never exceed 18.  With three goalies on the roster, DU likely has less wiggleroom than usual.  And its likely that three goalies on scholarship explains why DU is so thin at forward in the first place. 

Could DU use a player like Landon Smith this season?  No doubt, but with DU Tuition and Housing running around $15,000 per quarter and likely no scholarships available this year, it makes a roster move extremely unlikely.

2013 Recruiting Class Updated Stats

D Matt Van Voorhis (Sioux Falls, USHL) - 23 games, 3 goals, 9 assists

F Brad Hawkinson (Lincoln Stars, USHL) - 18 games, 5 goals, 2 assists

F Landon Smith (Chicago, USHL) - 22 games, 9 goals, 4 assists

F Connor Chatham (Omaha, USHL) - 24 games, 8 goals, 7 assists

F Ray Pigozzi (Chicago, USHL) - 19 games, 6 goals, 11 assists

D Will Butcher (U.S. Under-18) - 22 games, 4 goals, 7 assists

F Cody DePourcq (Penticton, BCHL) - 30 games, 4 goal, 7 assists

F Trevor Moore (Tri-Cities, USHL) 24 games, 11 goals, 12 assists

D Gage Ausmus (U.S. Under-18) 22 games, 4 assists

2014 Recruiting Class Updated Stats

F Tyler Pham (Indiana Ice, USHL) - 24 games, 2 goals, 9 assists

F Jared Fiegl (U.S. Under-17) 21 games, 4 goals, 6 assists

F Garrett Gamez (Tri-Cities, USHL) 19 games, 4 goals, 3 assists

2015 Recruiting Class Updated Stats

F Dylan Gambrell (Dubuque, USHL) 20 games, 3 goal, 8 assists