Defenseman Will Butcher is back with the Denver Pioneers, looking ahead to a crucial National Collegiate Hockey Conference series on the road against Nebraska Omaha on Friday and Saturday.
The Pioneers are fifth in the NCHC, at 4-3-0, but they’ve played three fewer games than any team above them in the standings. Third-place UNO is 6-3-1 in the league.
Butcher, a sophomore from Sun Prairie, Wis., who turned 20 on Tuesday, served as an alternate captain for the U.S. team in the recent World Junior (under-20) Championship in Montreal and Toronto.
The Americans went 3-1 in group play, losing to eventual champion Canada 5-3 on Dec. 31 in front of 18,295 spectators in Montreal. “It was definitely a highlight of my hockey career,” Butcher said. “It was something I could take the rest of my life and remember. It was definitely something to be playing in front of that many people in a hostile environment.”
The Americans fell 3-2 to eventual runner-up Russia in the quarterfinals Jan. 2. Butcher finished with one assist in the Americans’ five games in his second appearance in the tournament. A year ago in Sweden, he had two goals and three assists for the Americans, who also lost to Russia in the quarterfinals.
“This year, I was given a lot more responsibility, being the oldest guy on the team,” he said. “A lot of guys talked to me, asked me what to expect. … It helped me to be a leader, to take it and help in my career down the road.”
And now it’s back to college hockey with the Pioneers.
“It’s a little bit different game, where internationally, it’s a little more skilled players, and the transition game is a little more important. In college hockey, it’s a little more of a North American style of play, a little more dump and chase, and more trap and neutral zone,” Butcher said. “It’s a different pace but nothing too bad when you go back and make the transition.”
Butcher was a fifth-round Avalanche draft choice in 2013. Colorado claimed him after his third season in the national team development program in Ann Arbor, Mich., when he already was ticketed to be at DU the next fall. In the draft-and-watch world of the NHL and its nervous relationship with NCAA programs, it’s possible Butcher, listed at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, could sign as soon as after this season. He is adamant, though, that under any circumstance, he would find a way to get his DU degree.
“I think it’s pretty cool, being able to be drafted and also play college hockey in the same city,” Butcher said. “It’s something not a lot of guys get to do, playing college hockey in the place you possibly will be able to make it your career. The Avs are a great organization to be part of, and I’m honored they chose me in the draft.”
Terry Frei: tfrei@denverpost.com or
College hockey
DENVER AT NEBRASKA OMAHA
What: Two-game National Collegiate Hockey Conference series
When: Friday (6:30 p.m.) and Saturday (6 p.m.)
Where: CenturyLink Center, Omaha
Records: DU 11-5-1, 4-3-0; Nebraska Omaha 12-5-3, 6-3-1
Radio: 102.3 FM/ 105.5 FM
Notes: These will be the Pioneers’ first league games since they split with North Dakota at home on Dec. 12-13. These are the only meetings of the season between the two teams in the imbalanced NCHC schedule.
NIAGARA AT AIR FORCE
What: Two-game Atlantic Hockey Conference series
When: Friday and Saturday, 7:05 p.m.
Where: Cadet Ice Arena, Air Force Academy
Records: Niagara 3-13-2, 3-9-2; Air Force 5-13-3, 4-6-2
Radio: 1300 AM
Notes: Air Force has scored only 11 goals in its past eight games. The Falcons are 1-5-1 in their past seven, beating only Canisius on Nov. 29.
Terry Frei, The Denver Post
