Recruiting continues, but 2020 class is done

Under normal circumstances, the University of Denver hockey team would be preparing for this weekend’s NCAA Tournament West Regional at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland.

The Pioneers would have made the 16team national field for the record-extending 13th consecutive year with a guaranteed spot at the BEC as regional host. Instead, second-year DU coach David Carle and his staff have been working the phones from home — similar work they would undertake at their campus offices during the offseason, which came far too early this year because of the coronavirus pandemic and cancellation of all NCAA winter and spring sports.

Recruiting is a year-round effort, and even a pandemic can’t slow the cycle.

“We’re all at our own homes and we’re on the phone daily with each other, but also with our current players, our future players and then the young men we’re recruiting to become Pioneers,” Carle said.

Luckily for DU, there aren’t many key spots to fill. The Pioneers lose just four seniors and have already signed five freshmen, including top prospect Antti Tuomisto of Finland.

Carle and his staff might also have to replace junior defenseman and team captain Ian Mitchell, who could sign with the Chicago Blackhawks, but the program is already fully stocked for 2020-21.

“These seniors that are seniors this coming year, they replace the seniors that were the seniors on the 2017 team. So it’s been through a full cycle from the championship,” said Carle, whose second team was ranked No. 5 nationally when the season was cancelled. “Two years ago, we had 21 freshmen and sophomores, and next year’s team is scheduled to have 16 to 18 juniors and seniors. So the addition of these five is really important and exciting, but what we have coming back should make for a really fun year.”

The only major recruiting event DU has missed was USA Hockey’s 40-man camp for the National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Mich., where the country’s premier 2004 birth-year players would have competed last weekend if it weren’t canceled.

“Everyone’s in the same boat. The event didn’t happen so nobody went and watched these kids,” Carle said. “But we’ve watched them. They’ve been playing all season. You have a good idea of what they’re about, so we don’t feel like we’ve lost out on anything.”