Having played two years of hockey for Aspen High School, University of Denver freshman wing Daniel Doremus could serve as the spokesman for the game offered by the Colorado High School Activities Association.
Doremus, however, took such an unconventional route to becoming a top-six scholarship forward for the Pioneers, he sometimes doesn’t believe it.
“Definitely, I put a hand to the face every morning when I wake up, to remind me that this is reality. It’s always been a dream,” Doremus said. “A lot of people doubted it, for sure, but I just kept following a dream and it has taken me here.”
Doremus, 20, is playing right wing on DU’s top line with junior center Drew Shore and sophomore sensation Jason Zucker. Doremus began the season on the second line with sophomores Nick Shore (center) and Beau Bennett, and briefly spot-shifted on the fourth line.
In 11 games, Doremus has amassed five points (two goals) and a plus-7 rating. Only Drew Shore, who leads the team in scoring, has a better rating (plus-8).
“I’ve been really impressed with him,” Drew Shore said of the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Doremus, a power forward who has played only at an elite, age-specific level the past two years. “I knew he was talented, but I definitely didn’t think he’d be able to make the impact he has right away. He played great with Bennett and my brother and has also been great with us. He has showed that he’s a top-six forward who can play with skilled guys and make plays.”
Doremus was born in Denver and moved to Aspen when he was 3. His parents, Andrew and Jeanne Doremus, were born in Aspen and became high school sweethearts.
Daniel played youth hockey for the Aspen Leafs, took advantage of his father’s European travels to spend his freshman year of high school playing hockey in Switzerland, and then played for the Aspen Skiers of the CHSAA as a sophomore and junior.
He was recruited by former DU star Angelo Ricci to play for the Aurora- based Colorado Thunderbirds under-18 team in 2009-10.
Doremus had no experience with a Tier 1, triple-A organization like the Thunderbirds, in which Ricci serves as director and U16 coach, but he fit in nicely for the U18 squad coached by former DU defenseman Shawn Kurulak and Kevin Whalen.
“I think those guys are terrific,” Doremus said of his first elite-level coaches. “To be honest, I wouldn’t be here without the support of a lot of people, but without those guys, there’s no chance.”
Most Division I college hockey players raised in Colorado focus on club hockey, and then play at least one year of junior-A in the United States Hockey League, North American Hockey League or ones offered in the Canadian provinces.
DU recruited Doremus when he was a Thunderbird, and he was pegged to join the program in the fall of 2012.
But Doremus played so well as a rookie for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL last season, he was brought in a year early. He had 19 goals and led the Stampede with a plus-20 rating.
“I think he does a little bit of everything,” Drew Shore said of Doremus. “He can definitely play the physical game and separate guys from the puck, but he’s always showed he can make plays with the puck and put it in the net.”
DU coach George Gwoz- decky credits longtime associate head coach Steve Miller for identifying Doremus’ potential when he was with the Thunderbirds.
The Pioneers offered Doremus a spot on the team while Colorado College and North Dakota were just beginning to talk to him.
Given Doremus’ rapid rise from Colorado high school hockey to playing a key role for the Pioneers as a freshman, Gwozdecky wouldn’t be surprised if the undrafted Doremus plays in the National Hockey League someday.
“He has that tenacity, those hands, an understanding of the game and on-ice intelligence, so I think, potentially, yeah,” Gwozdecky said.
“Like anybody, the question is, what does he do with his game from this point on? How hard is he willing to work?
“With Danny, I think the sky is the limit. He’s willing to do anything we’ve asked him to do.”
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
Denver Cup
What: 20th annual holiday tournament
Where: Magness Arena
Schedule: Today — Providence (6-4-1) vs. Miami (Ohio) (6-6-2), 4:30 p.m.; Princeton (2-6-1) vs. Denver (5-3-3), 7:30 p.m. Saturday — Princeton vs. Providence, 4 p.m.; Miami (Ohio) vs. Denver, 7 p.m.
TV/Radio: Root (DU game tonight only)/102.3 FM (DU games only)
Notes: DU will be without senior defenseman John Ryder (knee) and junior goalie Adam Murray (groin). The Pioneers will return to a traditional 12-forward, six-defenseman lineup, with three freshmen among on the blue-line corps. . . . This is the second year the Denver Cup has been played over Thanksgiving weekend, after the first 18 tournaments were played between Christmas and New Year’s Day, and the third consecutive year of using a showcase-style format. The team with the best two-day record will be named tournament champion. . . . DU is 30-6-2 in the Denver Cup, with 15 titles in 19 years. . . . Miami coach Rico Blasi was a DU assistant from 1995-99 and played under George Gwozdecky when the DU coach was the bench boss at Miami (Ohio) in the 1990s.
Elsewhere
No. 4 Colorado College (7-2, 5-2 WCHA) at North Dakota (4-7-1, 2-6-0 WCHA)
What: WCHA two-game series
When: Tonight (6:35) and Saturday (6 p.m.), MST
Where: Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks, N.D.
TV/Radio: Fox College Sports (tonight), Comcast channel 57 (Saturday)/103.9 FM
Notes: CC is coming off a two-game sweep over Wisconsin, and North Dakota has won just once in its past four games, and twice in its last nine. . . . The Tigers are playing the Fighting Sioux in Grand Forks for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
Connecticut (4-5-2, 3-2-1 Atlantic Hockey Association) at Air Force (5-4-2, 4-2-1 AHA)
What: AHA two-game series
When: Tonight and Saturday, 7 p.m.
Where: Cadet Ice Arena
TV/Radio: None/1300 AM
Notes: Air Force leads this series 16-3-4, including 12-1-1 at the Cadet Ice Arena. . . . The Falcons are on a two-game losing streak, after going on a seven-game unbeaten streak (5-0-2) following an 0-2 start to the season.
Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
