Denver Recruits Pretty Much Everybody

With the news that Steve Miller, Denver's recruiting guru for the past two decades, would be leaving the program in January to head the USHL's new franchise in Madison, it's no surprise that Denver would try to get as much recruiting done in the first half of the year as possible.

They seem to have done that, with three different commitments to the Pioneers announced yesterday.

The first is Logan O'Connor, a '96 born forward from the Calgary area that is playing for the Sioux Falls Stampede(USHL) this year.  O'Connor is a skinny forward that played Midget AAA hockey in Calgary last year, and didn't set the world on fire statistically, but was impressive at Sioux Falls camp over the summer, showing some smooth skating ability. With only a single assist in nine games, O'Connor hasn't produced much at the USHL level, but has some tremendous upside once his frame fills out a little more.

Next up is '95 forward Jarid Lukosevicius of Power River(BCHL). Like O'Connor, Lukosevicius played midget hockey last year, though he was a little more successful offensively, starring on a very good Northwest Giants team. He's off to a hot start to his BCHL career as well, with 15 points in his first 14 games.

Both recruits are likely to play another year of junior hockey beyond this one before joining the Pioneers in 2015.

Finally, the Pioneers added another prospect for the future in 1997-born forward Liam Finlay. Finlay plays for the Okanagan Rockets club in British Columbia. Finlay has also played three games with the Penticton Vees in the BCHL, tallying one assist. Finlay is currently expected to enroll at Denver in 2016-17.