University of Denver coach George Gwozdecky will gladly excuse sophomore forward Geoff Paukovich and freshman defenseman Chris Butler from the Dec. 30-31 Denver Cup. The two Pioneers on Monday were named to the U.S. National Junior Team, which will compete in the upcoming World Junior Championship in British Columbia.
“We’re thrilled for them,” said Gwozdecky, who had multiple players make the prestigious under-20 team for the first time in his 12-year tenure at DU. “Anytime you can represent your country at any level is an experience of a lifetime. So we’re happy for those guys and very proud of them.”
Because of the tournament’s North American location and Denver’s bye week that follows the Denver Cup, Paukovich, who grew up in Englewood, and Butler, from St. Louis, are scheduled to miss just two DU games.
The International Ice Hockey Federation tournament runs Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. Team USA opens Dec. 26 against Norway and plays Finland on Dec. 28, Switzerland on Dec. 30 and Canada on Dec. 31. The bronze- and gold-medal games are Jan. 5 at Vancouver’s GM Place.
Paukovich and Butler will report to their all-star team Dec. 18. The Pioneers don’t begin the second half of the season until Jan. 13 against visiting St. Cloud State.
Veideman update
Injured DU defenseman Adrian Veideman, who watched his teammates cap a two-game sweep over Colorado College from Porter Adventist Hospital on Saturday, is expected to return to the lineup for the Denver Cup opener against Princeton and soften Butler’s absence. Veideman underwent surgery Thursday night to treat an infection in his injured shoulder, leaving DU with four freshmen in its six-man defensive corps.
“I’m very proud of our team and how our freshmen responded,” Gwozdecky said.
Footnote
Matt Carle had seven assists and little time to rest on the bench in the two games against CC. The junior defenseman played every other shift and during all key power-play and penalty-kill situations. “I’ve been saying this since he was a freshman: He’s more a complete defenseman in college hockey that I’ve seen in a long time,” Gwozdecky said.
Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-820-5453 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
