pdf of 2007-08 Clarkson Hockey Prospectus

Significant strides were made by the Clarkson University Hockey team in 2006-07. Just two years after suffering through a 20-loss campaign, the Golden Knights restored the luster to the Green and Gold’s storied tradition by skating to one of the best seasons in the program’s 85-year history.

With the majority of last season’s headliners returning, Clarkson is primed for even greater success in 2007-08. Attempting to surpass the lofty standards set last season, which consisted of 25 victories, an ECAC Hockey Tournament Championship crown, and a number one seed in the NCAA East Regional, are 17 lettermen. Included in that returning contingent are a standout senior class, an all-star goaltender, five solid defensemen, and six of last year’s top seven forwards. This enviable group will be aided by nine promising freshmen, making the Knights’ coaching staff, led by head coach George Roll, associate coach Greg Drechsel and assistant coach Jean-Francois Houle, anxious to see where this year’s team can rank among the nation’s elite.

"We are extremely excited about the prospects for this year," states Roll. "We graduated a good senior class in addition to losing Shawn Weller to the Ottawa Senators, and that is going to hurt. We feel, however, with the returning veterans and the incoming class that we are poised for another strong year not only in the ECAC, but nationally as well. This year’s seniors are a class that came in during tough times and really fought through it. They have really been the focal point for us in getting the program turned around. We feel the pieces are in place to go further than we did last season, but we can’t lose sight of what it took to achieve last year’s success – being an extremely hard-working, committed team that is very disciplined and that excels on specialty teams."

Coming off its best season in almost 10 years, Clarkson will face a challenging task in trying to surpass last season’s 25-9-3 overall record and 13-5-4 second-place ECAC mark when the Knights begin their 86th year of NCAA hockey in early October. Senior captain Nick Dodge (Oakville, ONT) and classmates, assistant captains Grant Clitsome (Gloucester, ONT) and Steve Zalewski (New Hartford, NY) will lead the Knights, who have seven NHL Draft picks on the roster, into a 35-game slate that features eight contests against teams from last year’s NCAA tournament.

"We knew as things progressed here during our tenure the team would get better and we wanted to improve our schedule to reflect that," remarks Roll. "We have a great mixture of teams this year, featuring several of the top programs in the country."

Highlights on the 2007-08 schedule are the 17 regular-season home games at Cheel Arena in Potsdam, NY, including the 11-game league slate, along with a weekend series against WCHA standout St. Cloud on November 23-24, and a match up against perennial NCAA and Hockey East powerhouse Boston College on January 5. The Knights and Eagles last played during the 1997-98 campaign.

Clarkson will also take on two formidable opponents in a pair of non-league weekend road series. The Knights will travel to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to battle Lake Superior State in Sault Ste. Marie on October 26-27. Clarkson will also compete in a rare February non-league series, flying out West to face off against Colorado College on February 1-2.

For the first time in seven years, the Green and Gold will also return to the Sunshine State during the Christmas break, where they will battle Cornell, Lowell and Maine in the Florida College Classic on December 28-29. Clarkson played in the inaugural tournament held in Estero, Florida in 2000.

Clarkson will begin the season early in the fall. After an exhibition contest against Acadia University on October 6 at Cheel, the Knights open the regular season with a non-league game at archrival St. Lawrence on Sunday afternoon, October 7 in a game broadcast live by ESPNU-TV.

A rematch against last year’s NCAA East Regional foe, UMass follows on October 12, and the Knights host Providence on October 13. The ECAC Hockey campaign begins on Saturday October 20 when Clarkson and St. Lawrence faceoff in an early league contest at Cheel.

"Expectations are high and the players understand that," states Roll. "Our goals are pretty lofty for this season. We reached some of our expectations last year and we feel our momentum will be strong entering this season. It is time to take our play to a higher level and make it further in the NCAA Tournament and ultimately try and make it to the Frozen Four in Denver."

GOAL
ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Year, David Leggio (Williamsville, NY) returns for his senior campaign giving the Knights plenty of confidence in goal.

"We feel very comfortable with David between the pipes," states Roll. "He had a break-through season last year and a strong stretch run the year before so he has proven himself to be among the best in the country. He has made himself better. His work ethic is second to none. Last year’s all-stars honors are a tribute to what David has accomplished so far."

Leggio became Clarkson’s first recipient of the Ken Dryden Award, presented since 1996 to the ECAC’s Goaltender of the Year, and the Knights’ first goaltender to earn first-team league accolades since 1988. He was named as the Bill Harrison Clarkson Most Valuable Player after setting new single-season school records for saves (1,037) and save percentage (.930), and was ranked 12th in the country in goals against average (2.16) along with boasting the nation’s fourth-best winning percentage (.736, 24-7-5).

Vying for the number two position are sophomore Tim Potter (Bakersfield, CA) and freshman Alex Wyse (Amherst, NY), who will look to fill the role of graduated senior Kyle McNulty. Potter joined the Knights in January last year and saw action in the exhibition win over McGill. Wyse played for the Richmond Hill Rams in the Greater Metro Junior "A" Hockey League, posting a .915 save percentage and a 3.76 GAA in 26 games.

"Timmy and Alex hopefully will see some time this year," remarks Roll. "We would like to see what our future holds. They are going to have to come in and prove themselves when given the opportunity. David will get the bulk of the work load, but hopefully Timmy and Alex will put themselves in position to gain some playing time."

DEFENSE
The stingiest defense in the ECAC returns virtually intact with five tested rearguards, who helped to hold the opposition to just 2.38 goals per game, anchoring the unit. Add in the newcomers, and Clarkson’s defense should rank with the best this season. The stingiest defense in the ECAC returns virtually intact with five tested rearguards, who helped to hold the opposition to just 2.38 goals per game, anchoring the unit. Add in the newcomers, and Clarkson’s defense should rank with the best this season.

"We think we are really solid on the blueline with the returning players and the three incoming freshmen," exclaims Roll. "The veterans showed a lot of improvement as the season went on last year and the new guys will only make us stronger back there. We feel we are in great shape. It will be awfully competitive with eight very good defensemen battling for playing time."

The lone senior on the blueline, Clitsome, a 2004 Columbus draft choice, is a steady all-around rearguard who led the team in scoring from the backline with 19 points (7-12). "We look for Grant to have a break-through year based on his offensive abilities, and to be one of the top defensemen in the country," says Roll. "We expect him to log a lot of minutes and really dominate from the back end."

Three juniors, Phil Paquet (Quebec City, QUE), Tyrell Mason (Dawson Creek, BC) and Adam Bellows (Lancaster, NY) made a big impact last season and should be even stronger this winter. Paquet (MTL ’05) skated in 37 games recording seven points (3-4) and possesses the size and skills to be a standout defenseman. Clarkson’s leader in plus/minus in his first two seasons, Mason (NYI ’05) has played in all 77 games over the past two years and is one of the steadiest, stay-at-home defensemen in the ECAC. He tallied 12 points, including 11 assists, and posted a +16 in 2006-07. Through 33 games, Bellows produced eight assists before suffering a bout of mono when the playoffs began. Sophomore Jeremiah Crowe (Kenmore, NY) battled through injuries and saw action in 22 games on a veteran unit.

Rookies Bryan Rufenach (Cameron, ONT), Tom Pizzo (Rochester, NY) and Dan Reed (Walworth, NY) are expected to make a significant impact in their initial collegiate campaign and help make up for the loss to graduation of Michael Grenzy and Matt Curley.

The Rookie of the Year in the OPJHL East Division, Rufenach was a standout defenseman for the Lindsay Muskies. Taken in the seventh round by Detroit in this summer’s NHL Draft, he will be an offensive catalyst on Clarkson’s blueline. Pizzo skated in 44 games for the EJHL champion New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs and recorded 15 points along with amassing 106 penalty minutes. An imposing figure at 6-1, 195-pounds, Reed, who played at Salisbury Prep, will add to the Knights’ size and strength.

FORWARDS
Sharing an experience with many other top programs at the conclusion of last season, the Knights lost a talented underclassman to the pros. Clarkson’s leading scorer, Weller signed with Ottawa after his junior campaign, and along with the departure of three graduated seniors, the Green and Gold have a couple of holes to fill. Despite those losses, Clarkson is well stocked up front with 11 letterwinners and five freshmen striving for a regular role in the lineup.

"We have a lot of pretty good forwards vying for playing time," stated Roll. "With six of our top scorers returning, other than Shawn, we feel very good about what we can do offensively. We feel we have a very strong incoming class to push our veterans. I think our freshmen will give us some added speed up front and really contribute immediately.

The lone returning All-American in the ECAC and a legitimate candidate for the Hobey Baker Award, Dodge heads the list of Clarkson’s talented forwards. A complete all-around player who excels in all aspects of the game, he was the Knights’ leader in points per game (1.08) tallying 18 goals and 21 assists through 36 contests. A first-team ECAC All-Star, Dodge is one of the best face-off men in the country and is a strong specialty teams player who netted a team-high nine power-play markers to go along with one shorthanded tally and two game-winners. The 2006 Carolina draft choice is closing in on 100 career points with 40 goals and 58 assists through 111 games.

"Nick has been a key reason why Clarkson is back in the national spotlight," says Roll. "I can’t say enough good things about him and what he has meant to the program. Nick’s importance is not measured by the number of points he gets. He is a complete leader and a difference maker who is used in every critical situation. He excels at both ends of the ice, wins key draws, and is great on specialty teams. The more you watch Nick play, the more you appreciate the impact he has on the game."

Zalewski (SJ ’04) and classmate David Cayer (Longueuil, QUE) have both put up some impressive numbers through their first three seasons, and should be in line for all-star honors at the close of their senior campaigns. Zalewski was fourth on the team in scoring with 34 points (16-18). He had six power-play goals and a team-high four game-winners. Cayer was Clarkson’s leading playmaker with 26 assists and third in scoring with 37 points.

Talented juniors Shea Guthrie (Carleton Place, ONT) and Chris D’Alvise (Mississauga, ONT) should only get better in their third year wearing the Green and Gold. A dynamic offensive presence, Guthrie (NYI ’05) had 31 points, including 23 assists as a sophomore. One of the Knights’ most productive forwards down the stretch, D’Alvise was named MOP of the ECAC Tournament. He finished with 26 points, including 16 goals last season.

Matt Beca (Mississauga, ONT) enjoyed a solid rookie campaign playing on Clarkson’s top lines, and with a year under his belt should show improvement on his 27 points (10-17).

Senior Mike Arciero (Avon, CT), juniors Dan Tuttle (Augusta, ME), Mike Willemsen (Stittsville, ONT) and Jon Marshall (Victor, NY), and sophomore Tim Marks (Brownville, NY) are steady role players who provide the little things that make up championship teams. "That was one of the biggest reasons for our success last year: guys accepted their roles and continued to push each other," said Roll.

Scott Freeman (Whitby, ONT), Brandon DeFazio (Oakville, ONT), Michael Kosziwka (Mississauga, ONT), Lauri Tuohimaa (Helsinki, Finland) and Eric Daddario (Medford, MA) will look to make their mark on the Clarkson program as freshmen and help fill the holes left by departed seniors Mike Sullivan, Brodie Rutherglen and Max Kolu.

The OPJHL East Conference MVP, Freeman led the league in scoring with 97 points on 33 goals and 64 assists through 43 games with the Bowmanville Eagles. Freeman tallied 18 power-play goals and five game-winners in 2006-07.

DeFazio was a high-scoring left wing for the Oakville Blades, averaging nearly a point per game with 12 goals and 33 assists through 46 OPJHL contests. A 6-1, 200-pound banger, he led his team in penalty minutes (135).

The leading scorer for the Streetsville Derbys, Kosziwka tallied 62 points on 28 goals and 34 assists. He scored a team-high 17 power-play goals and four game-winners.

Tuohimaa continues the tradition of Finish players skating for the Golden Knights. Tuohimaa played part of the 2006-07 season with IFK Helsinki in the Finnish Jr. A League before completing six months of mandatory service in the Finnish Army.

A walk-on candidate, Daddario is a big forward, at 6-2, 200, from South Kent Prep, whose physical play could earn him a spot on the Knights’ checking lines.