Jason Zucker has done his best Paul Stastny impersonation, producing points like a pro in his freshman season at the University of Denver.
Zucker on Thursday was named Western Collegiate Hockey Association rookie of the year, five years after Stastny earned the same honor en route to leading the Pioneers to the NCAA championship.
“He plays with confidence way beyond his years,” WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod said of Zucker, 19, who has scored all 20 of his goals in league games. “He wants to be out there, he wants to have the puck in tight situations. Those guys who act like that as freshmen are few and far between.”
Stastny was similarly special. In 2005, he helped DU overcome the loss of a large graduating group to win a second consecutive national championship. Stastny was among four freshmen to start the NCAA title game against North Dakota in Columbus, Ohio, joining goalie Peter Mannino, the Frozen Four MVP, forward Ryan Dingle and defenseman Andrew Thomas.
Zucker’s class, though, might be as good. Freshmen helped boost DU to its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 or No. 2 regional seed later this month.
The Pioneers (21-10-5) finished second in the first year the WCHA expanded to a 12-team league and begin the playoffs tonight against 11th-seeded Minnesota State at Magness Arena.
“It’s a lot of talented guys and it’s awesome to be a part of it,” Zucker said of his freshman class.
Goalie Sam Brittain and defenseman David Makowski joined Zucker on the WCHA all-rookie team. Classmates Nick Shore, Beau Bennett and Jarrod Mermis make up what has been DU’s No. 2 scoring line lately, and Dan Olszewski has been good in a defensive role on the fourth line.
Zucker, Makowski, Bennett and Shore are on the same power-play unit, which means DU often has five freshmen, including Brittain, on the ice in clutch situations.
“I don’t think there is a stronger (freshman) group around,” McLeod said. “I can’t think of another group that has had that kind of impact.”
DU coach George Gwoz- decky declined to rank his freshman classes over 17 years in Denver, but acknowledged this group is among the best.
“Certainly, we asked them to play significant roles on our team, and they have responded very well,” he said.
Because of graduation or early offseason professional signees, the Pioneers began the season with gaping holes at forward and in goal, and they needed a puck-moving defenseman.
They had lost last season’s top three scorers in linemates Rhett Rakhshani, Joe Colborne and Tyler Ruegsegger, plus skilled defenseman Patrick Wiercioch and all-everything goalie Marc Cheverie.
Zucker, sophomore center Drew Shore (team-high 22 goals and 43 points) and junior wing Luke Salazar (16 goals) have been more consistent than the Rakhshani-Colborne-Ruegsegger line, and Makowski and Brittain have been solid replacements for Wiercioch and Cheverie.
DU was 25-7-4 at this point a year ago.
“Without our freshmen and what they’ve done, we’d probably be middle-of-the-pack,” said Pioneers senior center and team captain Kyle Ostrow. “The caliber of players we get as freshmen are top-end guys who can come in and be impact guys right off the bat, and that’s certainly the case this year.”
The Stastny-led youngsters will still be considered Gwozdecky’s best first-year class unless Zucker and company can help DU win its eighth NCAA title next month.
“What they did in ’05 was very special, and anything we can do close to that would be a tremendous success,” Brittain said.
“That was a pretty darn good class,” Gwozdecky said of the 2005 freshmen. “It would be hard for me to compare until I can look back.
“Get back to me in a month.”
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
Five fine freshmen
Hockey reporter Mike Chambers analyzes the University of Denver’s top five freshmen this season:
LW Jason Zucker
34 games, 20 goals, plus-20 rating
WCHA rookie of the year might be the most electrifying and entertaining forward in coach George Gwozdecky’s 17-year tenure.
G Sam Brittain
15-7-5, 2.28 GAA, .922 SP
Still considered raw, the 6-foot-3 18-year-old has the fourth-highest single-season save percentage in program history.
D David Makowski
35 games, 18 assists, plus-7
The prized puck-moving defenseman plays in all situations and is perhaps DU’s best long-range shooter.
RW Beau Bennett
31 games, eight goals, 21 points
Pittsburgh’s first-round draft pick last summer is heating up after a slow start and has game-changing abilities.
C Nick Shore
27 games, six goals, 17 points
Impact two-way player broke his wrist in his first career game, but has played his best hockey during the past month.
WCHA rookie team
F — Jason Zucker, Denver
F — Jaden Schwartz, Colo. Col.
F — J.T. Brown, Minn. Duluth
D — Justin Faulk, Minn. Duluth
D — David Makowski, Denver
G — Sam Brittain, Denver
WCHA Tournament
First round
(Best of three)
Today’s games
Wisconsin at Colorado College
Minnesota State at Denver
St. Cloud State at Minnesota-Duluth
Alaska-Anchorage at Minnesota
Michigan Tech at North Dakota
Bemidji State at Nebraska-Omaha
Saturday’s games
Wisconsin at Colorado College
Minnesota State at Denver
St. Cloud State at Minnesota-Duluth
Alaska-Anchorage at Minnesota
Michigan Tech at North Dakota
Bemidji State at Nebraska-Omaha
Atlantic Hockey Assn. Tournament
First round
Sacred Heart 6, Bentley 3
American International 6, Army 3
Canisius 6, Niagara 3
Mercyhurst 5, Robert Morris 1
Quarterfinals
(Best of three)
Today’s games
Sacred Heart at Air Force
Canisius at Holy Cross
American International at RIT
Mercyhurst at Connecticut
Saturday’s games
Sacred Heart at Air Force
Canisius at Holy Cross
American International at RIT
Mercyhurst at Connecticut
