I like to think our sponsored posts are few and far between, but they are necessary from time to time to keep the wheels spinning around here. While I'm not giving a personal endorsement to anything, it is worth noting when a company like Samsung is willing to spend their advertising dollars on hockey coverage at a time when advertising dollars are next to impossible to come by for anything related to hockey thanks to the NHL.
So in the spirit of the holidays and the gift of giving, and thanks to our partners at Samsung, here is a look at some of the players that have done the most "giving" in the first half of the college hockey season by way of dishing out assists to teammates.
Drew LeBlanc, St. Cloud State, 19 assists
After missing most of last season with a broken leg, LeBlanc returned to St. Cloud for a fifth year and picked up right where he left off prior to his injury. While a lot of attention has been placed on the prolific goal-scoring of St. Cloud's freshman class, LeBlanc has been the one quietly setting them up for all those goals. 11 of his 19 assists came on goals scored by freshmen.
Kevin Goumas, New Hampshire, 16 assists
Goumas has been incredibly consistent this season for the Wildcats. He's marked an assist in all but four of the 15 games that New Hampshire has played, and hasn't been held off the scoresheet since October 27th.
Brett Gensler, Bentley, 16 assists
Tucked away at tiny Bentley College, Brett Gensler doesn't get a ton of attention, but he's played his way into being a legitimate Hobey Baker candidate thanks to an outstanding junior season. He currently is tied for the national lead in points, and leads in points per game.
Kyle Flanagan, St. Lawrence, 16 assists
After tallying exactly 23 assists in each of his first three seasons, Flanagan seems poised to fly by that mark this year, with 16 assists in the first half of the season. Flanagan already has four different 3+ point games this year.
Matt Leitner, Minnesota State, 16 assists
Among the many reasons for Minnesota State's turnaround this year is finally having a legitimate top line scoring threat. Though he has just five goals, Leitner's 16 assists puts him on pace to be the first Maverick to average over a point per game since Travis Morin in 2006-2007.
Ryan Walters, Nebraska-Omaha, 16 assists
Walters is having a breakout season. He's currently tied with Brett Gensler for the national lead in points and has been arguably the best player in the WCHA this year. His 26 points is already a career-high for him. He was incredibly hot in the month of November, where he started a streak of eight consecutive multi-point games.