Mitchell playing big role for DU
Teenager replacing Butcher on Pioneers’ No. 1 power play
Cale Makar and Ian Mitchell were the top NHL draft- eligible defensemen in the Alberta Junior Hockey League last season. They became the first two AJHL players selected in the 2017 draft, with Makar going to the Avalanche in the first round ( No. 4 overall) and Mitchell going to the Chicago Blackhawks in the second ( 57th).
The former junior- A rivals — Makar played for the Brooks Bandits outside Calgary, Mitchell with the Spruce Grove Saints near Edmonton — now have college hockey and Colorado in common. Makar, a freshman at the University of Massachusetts, could play for theAvs as soon as next season. AndMitchell is a freshman at the University of Denver.
Makar and Mitchell played for CanadaWest at the 2016World Junior A Challenge in Bonnyville, Alberta.
“We’ve developed a friendship, having played with each other,” Mitchell said. “Getting to know him was cool. Obviously, he’s an elite talent. The Avalanche are lucky to have him.”
Makar and Mitchell are 5- foot11, right- shooting speedsters with dynamic offensive skills. At DU, Mitchell has quarterbacked the No. 1 power play with some of the country’s best forwards inHenrik Borgstrom, Troy Terry and Dylan Gambrell. Mitchell, 18, is still looking for his first NCAA goal but has contributed four assists for the top- ranked and defending national champions ( 4- 0- 2), who begin National CollegiateHockey Conference play this weekend with a two- game series at Western Michigan ( 3- 3- 1).
“His instincts are really, really good and what he’s done already has surpassedwherewe expected him to be at right now,” DUcoach JimMontgomery said of Mitchell, the team’s second- youngest player. “In the first couple games he justwanted to pass the puck to the other guys on the power play. And why wouldn’t you want to just pass the puck to Terry, Borgstrom or Gambrell? But nowhe’s playing with them.”
Mitchell has essentially replaced defensemanWill Butcher, the 2017Hobey BakerAward winner now playing for the New Jersey Devils, on what could be the NCAA’s most dangerous power play.
“Monty’s put me there and I’ve tried to run with it,” Mitchell said of replacing Butcher. “Not many freshmen get put in a place like that. I definitely feel very fortunate.”
Mitchell chose the Pioneers over North Dakota as a 16- yearold— making that decision three weeks before North Dakota defeatedDUwith a last- minute goal at the 2016 Frozen Four semifinals in Tampa, Fla.
“All my buddies were bugging me, saying I made the wrong choice,” Mitchell said. “But I don’t think so at this point.”
DU, of course, returned to the Frozen Four last April andwon its eighth national championship. Despite losing Butcher and a handful of other seniors, the Pio- neers could be more talented this season.
“Getting an opportunity to play on a team like this, where you’re ranked No. 1 and being given a unbelievable opportunity to do something really special — it’s not just me but all the freshmen are trying to come in and make an impact right away towarrant that ranking that we have,” Mitchell said. “We lost a lot of great senior players last year, so there’s a lot of us who have to step in and fill the void. It’s exciting coming to the rink every day, knowingwe have a really good team and getting better each day.”
Footnotes.
Senior goalie Tanner Jaillet could play consecutive games again, Montgomery said, after leading DU to a weekend sweep at Boston University and at Boston College last week. … Junior forward Colin Staub will continue to play with the Gambrellcentered line, with right wing Terry. Borgstrom is with Liam Finlay and Jared Lukosevicius. … Lukosevicius, who scored all three goals in Denver’s 3- 2NCAA championship game victory over Minnesota Duluth in April, is still looking for his first goal of the season.