In a proud manner, Nebraska-Omaha coach Dean Blais said he isn’t surprised to see freshman Jason Zucker on the brink of winning the Western Collegiate Hockey Association scoring title.
“I saw this coming,” Blais said after Zucker scored his 19th and 20th goals Saturday, leading the University of Denver to a 4-2 victory over the Mavericks at the Qwest Center in Omaha. “He’s a special player.”
WCHA spokesman Doug Spencer said Monday that Zucker is on pace to become the first freshman to win the scoring title. The 19-year-old forward from Las Vegas has a league-high 36 points in 26 WCHA games. If he remains first after this weekend’s final two regular-season games, Spencer is all but certain Zucker will be the only freshman to win the scoring title since the NCAA allowed freshmen to play varsity in 1969. Spencer said the official WCHA list of scoring champions doesn’t include players’ class. But while conducting research Monday, he found no freshmen.
Zucker leads Minnesota-Duluth junior Jack Connolly by one point. Bulldogs junior Mike Connolly (no relation) and North Dakota senior Matt Frattin are three points back.
DU sophomore Drew Shore, Zucker’s linemate and the Pioneers’ overall scoring leader with 42 points, ranks fifth with 32 points.
Zucker is a shoo-in for WCHA rookie of the year. He has all but two of his 38 points — and each of his 20 goals — in league play.
Zucker received no votes from WCHA coaches in the preseason rookie of the year poll and just one vote in the media poll, but Blais said he’s not surprised by Zucker’s production. As coach of the 2010 U.S. world junior team, Blais took a chance on Zucker in December 2009 when Zucker was a 17-year-old playing for the U.S. 18-under team in Ann Arbor, Mich. Zucker beat out a handful of older forwards to become the youngest member of that gold medal team.
“Usually when you win that tournament, you’ve got all 20-year-olds or right close to their (20th) birthdays, but I heard about how well he was playing in Ann Arbor, and we brought him in,” Blais said. “He’s strong. He’s a great skater and strong on his stick for not being very big. He’s noticeable every time he’s on the ice. He’s just a fierce competitor.”
Zucker could become DU’s third WCHA scoring champion in the past six years. Paul Stastny won it as a sophomore in 2006 and Rhett Rakhshani as a senior a year ago.
Blais doesn’t expect Zucker to remain at DU for more than three years.
“Denver’s not going to have him very long,” Blais said with a smile. “But right now he’s getting good coaching with George (Gwoz-decky), and he’s happy. He’ll play on the world junior team again this year (in December) because he’s young enough, and he’ll be an impact player for the United States.”
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
Front Range rankings
1. Denver (20-9-5, 16-7-3 Western Collegiate Hockey Association). Last week: Split at Nebraska-Omaha, 5-2 loss and 4-2 victory. This week: Hosts St. Cloud State (14-15-5, 10-12-4 WCHA) on Friday and Saturday. Comment: With a sweep this weekend, the Pioneers would clinch the league’s No. 2 playoff seed.
2. Colorado College (18-15-3, 12-12-2 WCHA). Last week: Defeated and tied Minnesota-Duluth, 5-4 and 3-3. This week: At Wisconsin (19-13-4, 11-12-3 WCHA) on Friday and Saturday. Comment: The Tigers will catch the struggling Badgers (0-5-1 skid) at a good time.
3. Air Force (16-11-6, 14-7-6 Atlantic Hockey Association). Last week: Swept Robert Morris, 4-2 and 4-2. This week: Idle (AFA hosts best- of-three AHA playoff series March 11-13, opponent TBD). Comment: The Falcons won their final four regular-season games to finish second in the AHA and now get a week off.
Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
