ST. CLOUD — On a star-studded St. Cloud State hockey roster last season, Jimmy Schuldt stood out, the steady senior defenseman helping the Huskies to the nation's No. 1 ranking for the bulk of the season and being selected as one of the three Hobey Baker Award hat trick finalists. Schuldt is off to pro hockey now, signing with the Vegas Golden Knights and earning a spot on the team's opening night roster.
That doesn't mean the Huskies necessarily have a huge void on the blue line. The presence of Jack Ahcan should make sure of that.
Ahcan, a senior from Savage, enters the 2019-20 season slotting into the captain's role that Schuldt had last season. And he comes there with strong credentials and statistics. His 28 assists last season tied for the team lead, his plus-29 rating was second only to Patrick Newell's plus-35 and he earned second-team All-America honors.
"I don't think stats measure the best thing about him because he's got heart and compete that people don't take stats on," Huskies coach Brett Larson said. "He's going to lead on how hard he competes and how bad he wants to win. The skill level's a nice bonus."
Larson will count heavily on Ahcan's leadership this season. While a veteran squad amassed 55 victories over the past two seasons, this year's version of the Huskies features 10 freshmen. They're talented but need to mature.
"With a big freshman group, it's more about communication — explaining drills more, because last year everybody knew the drills," Ahcan said. "This year, it's more on the board, drawing up the drills."
But he likes what he sees so far from a group that includes six forwards, two defensemen and two goalies.
"They're all so skilled and all work so hard," Ahcan said. "It's a good sign early in the season because they have to know what it takes to be a college hockey player and not only that, but a Husky hockey player, which is fast-paced, puck-moving, battling, relentless."
