2025–26 Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey season

2025–26 Denver Pioneers
men's ice hockey season
2025–26 Denver Pioneers; men's ice hockey season
Conference	NCHC
Home ice	Magness Arena
Rankings
USCHO	#8
USA Hockey	#8
Record
Overall	19–11–3
Conference	15–6–1
Home	9–6–1
Road	10–4–2
Neutral	0–1–0
Coaches and captains
Head coach	David Carle
Assistant coaches	Tavis MacMillan; Dallas Ferguson; Ryan Massa
	Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey seasons; « 2024–25 2026–27 »

The 2025–26 Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey season will be the 77th season of play for the program and 13th in the NCHC. The Pioneers will represent the University of Denver in the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, play their home games at Magness Arena and be coached by David Carle in his 8th season.

Season

Departures

Player	Position	Nationality	Cause
Zeev Buium	Defenseman	United States	Signed professional contract (Minnesota Wild)
Connor Caponi	Forward	United States	Graduation (signed with Cardiff Devils)
Matt Davis	Goaltender	Canada	Graduation (signed with San Jose Barracuda)
Jack Devine	Forward	United States	Graduation (signed with Florida Panthers)
Freddie Halyk	Goaltender	Canada	Transferred to Brown
Carter King	Forward	Canada	Graduation (signed with Calgary Flames)
Aidan Thompson	Forward	United States	Signed professional contract (Chicago Blackhawks)
Jared Wright	Forward	United States	Signed professional contract (Los Angeles Kings)

Recruiting

Player	Position	Nationality	Age	Notes
Clarke Caswell	Forward	Canada	19	Brandon, MB; selected 141st overall in 2024
Kyle Chyzowski	Forward	Canada	21	Surrey, BC
Kristian Epperson	Forward	United States	19	Mequon, WI; selected 88th overall in 2025
Johnny Hicks	Goaltender	Canada	20	Kamloops, BC
Eric Jamieson	Defenseman	Canada	20	Calgary, AB; selected 177th overall in 2024
Brendan McMorrow	Forward	United States	19	Lakeville, MN; selected 196th overall in 2025
Brady Milburn	Forward	Canada	20	Kamloops, BC
Quentin Miller	Goaltender	Canada	20	Montréal, QC; selected 128th overall in 2023
Payton Nelson	Forward	United States	20	Centennial, CO
Reid Varkonyi	Forward	Canada	19	Sherwood Park, AB

Roster

As of August 12, 2025.^[1]

No.	Player	Class	Pos	Height	Weight	DoB	Hometown	Previous team	NHL rights
2	Tory Pitner	Sophomore	D	6' 1" (1.85 m)	183 lb (83 kg)	2006-03-06	Greenwich, Connecticut	Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)	COL, 185th overall 2024
3	Cale Ashcroft	Junior	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2004-08-05	St. Albert, Alberta	Tri-City Storm (USHL)	—
5	Garrett Brown	Junior	D	6' 3" (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	2004-04-04	San Jose, California	Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)	WPG, 99th overall 2022
6	Alec Whipple	Sophomore	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	2004-02-09	Far Hills, New Jersey	Trail Smoke Eaters (BCHL)	TBL, 213th overall 2019
8	Kristian Epperson	Freshman	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2006-05-16	Mequon, Wisconsin	Saginaw Spirit (OHL)	LAK, 88th overall 2025
9	Boston Buckberger	Junior	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	2003-06-01	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan	Lincoln Stars (USHL)	—
10	Brady Milburn	Freshman	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	2005-03-03	Kamloops, British Columbia	Kamloops (BCHL)	—
11	Samu Salminen	Senior	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	182 lb (83 kg)	2003-04-09	Helsinki, Finland	Connecticut (HEA)	NJD, 68th overall 2021
12	Sam Harris	Junior	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2003-10-14	San Diego, California	Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)	MTL, 133rd overall 2023
13	Hagen Burrows	Sophomore	F	6' 3" (1.91 m)	176 lb (80 kg)	2005-10-13	Orono, Minnesota	Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)	TBL, 128th overall 2024
14	Rieger Lorenz	Senior	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	2004-03-30	Calgary, Alberta	Okotoks Oilers (AJHL)	MIN, 56th overall 2022
15	Eric Jamieson	Freshman	D	6' 3" (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	2005-07-15	Calgary, Alberta	Everett Silvertips (WHL)	CGY, 177th overall 2024
16	Kyle Chyzowski	Freshman	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	2004-08-16	Surrey, British Columbia	Portland Winterhawks (WHL)	—
17	Peter LaJoy	Junior	F	5' 7" (1.7 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	2002-02-27	Evergreen, Colorado	Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks (NAHL)	—
18	Payton Nelson	Freshman	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	174 lb (79 kg)	2005-01-17	Centennial, Colorado	Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL)	LAK, 169th overall 2022
19	Jake Fisher	Sophomore	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	2005-03-27	Woodbury, Minnesota	Fargo Force (USHL)	COL, 121st overall 2024
21	Kent Anderson	Senior	D	6' 3" (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	2003-11-13	Calgary, Alberta	Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)	—
22	Brendan McMorrow	Freshman	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2006-03-27	Lakeville, Minnesota	Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)	LAK, 196th overall 2025
23	Eric Pohlkamp	Junior	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	2004-03-23	Brainerd, Minnesota	Bemidji State (USHL)	SJS, 132nd overall 2023
24	Kieran Cebrian	Junior	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	2003-03-31	Denver, Colorado	Tri-City Storm (USHL)	—
25	Clarke Caswell	Freshman	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	2006-02-02	Brandon, Manitoba	Swift Current Broncos (WHL)	SEA, 141st overall 2024
27	James Reeder	Freshman	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	168 lb (76 kg)	2005-10-06	Glenview, Illinois	Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)	LAK, 198th overall 2024
28	Reid Varkonyi	Freshman	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	183 lb (83 kg)	2006-01-15	Sherwood Park, Alberta	Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)	—
29	Quentin Miller	Freshman	G	6' 3" (1.91 m)	187 lb (85 kg)	2004-12-23	Montréal, Quebec	Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL)	MTL, 128th overall 2023
30	Paxton Geisel	Junior	G	6' 1" (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2004-01-18	Estevan, Saskatchewan	Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)	—
31	Johnny Hicks	Freshman	G	5' 11" (1.8 m)	154 lb (70 kg)	2005-09-11	Kamloops, British Columbia	Victoria Royals (WHL)	—

Standings

2025–26 National Collegiate Hockey Conference Standings
	Conference record										Overall record
	GP	W	L	T	OTW	OTL	SW	PTS	GF	GA	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
#3 North Dakota	20	15	5	0	1	3	0	47	78	43	30	23	7	0	113	64
#8 Denver	22	15	6	1	2	1	1	46	73	48	33	19	11	3	113	75
#4 Western Michigan	20	14	6	0	2	1	0	41	79	56	30	22	8	0	117	74
#9 Minnesota Duluth	20	9	11	0	3	4	0	28	52	57	30	18	12	0	98	76
St. Cloud State	22	9	13	0	1	2	0	28	65	76	32	16	16	0	100	96
#20 Miami	20	8	10	2	3	1	1	25	50	58	30	17	11	2	92	83
Colorado College	20	6	10	4	2	3	1	24	56	60	30	12	14	4	85	85
Arizona State	20	6	13	1	2	1	1	19	51	78	32	13	18	1	95	116
Omaha	20	6	14	0	0	0	0	18	43	71	30	10	20	0	77	104
Championship: March 21, 2026 † indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (National Cup) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated February 16, 2026

Schedule and results

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	TV	Decision	Result	Attendance	Record
Exhibition
October 3	6:00 pm	UNLV*	#4	Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado (Exhibition)		Miller	W 6–1	6,044
Regular Season
October 10	7:00 pm	at Air Force*	#5	Cadet Ice Arena • Air Force Academy, Colorado	FloHockey	Miller	T 1–1 ^SOW	2,560	0–0–1
October 11	7:00 pm	Bentley*	#5	Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado		Geisel	W 6–0	6,380	1–0–1
October 17	6:10 pm	at Lindenwood*	#5	Centene Community Ice Center • Maryland Heights, Missouri		Geisel	L 3–4	1,888	1–1–1
October 18	6:10 pm	at Lindenwood*	#5	Centene Community Ice Center • Maryland Heights, Missouri		Miller	W 4–0	2,079	2–1–1
October 24	7:00 pm	at #9 Boston College*	#7	Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts	ESPN+	Miller	W 7–3	7,884	3–1–1
October 25	5:00 pm	at Northeastern*	#7	Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts	ESPN+	Miller	L 0–1	4,499	3–2–1
October 31	7:00 pm	Alaska Anchorage*	#6	Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado	Altitude	Miller	L 3–4 ^OT	5,031	3–3–1
November 1	6:00 pm	Alaska Anchorage*	#6	Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado		Miller	W 6–0	6,235	4–3–1
November 7	5:00 pm	at #4 Western Michigan	#9	Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan		Miller	W 3–1	3,670	5–3–1 (1–0–0)
November 8	4:00 pm	at #4 Western Michigan	#9	Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan		Miller	W 6–3	3,825	6–3–1 (2–0–0)
November 14	7:00 pm	#17 Colorado College	#4	Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado (Rivalry)	Altitude	Miller	W 2–1 ^OT	7,073	7–3–1 (3–0–0)
November 15	5:00 pm	at #17 Colorado College	#4	Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry)		Miller	W 3–2	3,532	8–3–1 (4–0–0)
November 21	5:00 pm	at Arizona State	#3	Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona	Fox 10 Xtra	Miller	W 7–1	5,002	9–3–1 (5–0–0)
November 22	5:00 pm	at Arizona State	#3	Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona	Fox 10 Xtra	Miller	L 2–3 ^OT	4,896	9–4–1 (5–1–0)
November 29	7:00 pm	vs. Minnesota*	#4	Ball Arena • Denver, Colorado (U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game)	Fox9+	Miller	L 5–6 ^OT	12,228	9–5–1
December 5	7:00 pm	#19 Miami	#6	Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado		Miller	W 4–0	6,223	10–5–1 (6–1–0)
December 6	6:00 pm	#19 Miami	#6	Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado		Miller	W 5–2	6,172	11–5–1 (7–1–0)
December 12	6:00 pm	at St. Cloud State	#6	Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, Minnesota	The CW	Miller	W 5–1	3,024	12–5–1 (8–1–0)
December 13	5:00 pm	at St. Cloud State	#6	Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, Minnesota	The CW	Miller	L 3–4	3,608	12–6–1 (8–2–0)
January 2	7:00 pm	#15 Maine*	#6	Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado		Miller	L 2–5	6,329	12–7–1
January 3	6:00 pm	#15 Maine*	#6	Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado		Miller	T 3–3 ^OT	6,556	12–7–2
January 9	7:00 pm	#6 Western Michigan	#7	Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado		Miller	L 1–4	6,591	12–8–2 (8–3–0)
January 10	6:00 pm	#6 Western Michigan	#7	Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado		Miller	L 2–6	6,385	12–9–2 (8–4–0)
January 16	6:07 pm	at #5 North Dakota	#9	Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota (Rivalry)	Midco Sports	Miller	L 0–5	11,571	12–10–2 (8–5–0)
January 17	5:07 pm	at #5 North Dakota	#9	Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota (Rivalry)	Midco Sports	Miller	W 3–2	11,673	13–10–2 (9–5–0)
January 23	7:00 pm	St. Cloud State	#9	Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado		Miller	L 2–4	6,328	13–11–2 (9–6–0)
January 24	6:00 pm	St. Cloud State	#9	Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado		Hicks	W 6–0	6,281	14–11–2 (10–6–0)
January 30	7:00 pm	#7 Minnesota Duluth	#11	Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado		Hicks	W 4–3	6,320	15–11–2 (11–6–0)
January 31	6:00 pm	#7 Minnesota Duluth	#11	Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado		Hicks	W 1–0 ^OT	6,356	16–11–2 (12–6–0)
February 6	7:00 pm	at Colorado College	#8	Ed Robson Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado (Rivalry)	SOCO CW	Hicks	T 2–2 ^SOW	3,547	16–11–3 (12–6–1)
February 7	7:00 pm	Colorado College	#8	Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado (Rivalry)		Hicks	W 4–1	7,082	17–11–3 (13–6–1)
February 13	6:00 pm	at Omaha	#8	Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska		Hicks	W 5–2	6,292	18–11–3 (14–6–1)
February 14	6:00 pm	at Omaha	#8	Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska		Hicks	W 3–1	6,731	19–11–3 (15–6–1)
February 27	7:00 pm	Arizona State		Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado
February 28	6:00 pm	Arizona State		Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Mountain Time. Source:^[2]

Scoring statistics

^[3]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	Final
USCHO.com ^[4]	4	5	5	7	6	9	4	3	4	6	6	6	*	6	7	9	9	11	8	8	8
USA Hockey^[5]	4	5	5	7	7	11	4	3	4	5	5	6	*	6	7	10	9	11	9	8	8

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 12.
Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.

References

^ "2025-26 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Denver Pioneers. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
^ "2025-26 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule". Denver Pioneers. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
^ "Denver Univ. 2025-2026 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
^ "2025-26 NCAA Division I Men's Poll". USA Hockey. Retrieved 9 February 2026.

[1] "2025-26 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Denver Pioneers. Retrieved August 3, 2024.

[2] "2025-26 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule". Denver Pioneers. Retrieved September 9, 2022.

[3] "Denver Univ. 2025-2026 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 3, 2020.

[USCHO_Poll-4] "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved 9 February 2026.

[USA_Hockey_Poll-5] "2025-26 NCAA Division I Men's Poll". USA Hockey. Retrieved 9 February 2026.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey
Playing venues	DU Arena (1948–1997) Magness Arena (1999–present)
Head coaches	Vern Turner (1949–1951) Neil Celley (1951–1956) Murray Armstrong (1956–1977) Marshall Johnston (1977–1981) Ralph Backstrom (1981–1990) Frank Serratore (1990–1994) George Gwozdecky (1994–2013) Jim Montgomery (2013–2018) David Carle (2018–)
Seasons	1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26
Conference affiliations	WCHA (1951–1958, 1959–2013) NCHC (2013–present)
Rivalries	Colorado College Tigers (Battle for the Gold Pan) North Dakota Fighting Hawks
Culture & lore	Denver Cup
All-time leaders	Statistical leaders Dallas Gaume (266 Points) Rick Berens (94 Goals) Ron Grahame / Tanner Jaillet (82 Wins)
National championships	1958 1960 1961 1968 1969 2004 2005 2017 2022 2024
Frozen Four appearances	1958 1960 1961 1963 1964 1966 1968 1969 1971 1972 1973 1986 2004 2005 2017 2022 2024
NCAA Tournament appearances	1958 1960 1961 1963 1964 1966 1968 1969 1971 1972 1973 1986 1995 1997 1999 2002 2004 2005 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2022 2023 2024
Conference Tournament titles	WCHA: 1960 1961 1963 1964 1966 1968 1969 1971 1972 1973 1986 1999 2002 2005 2008 NCHC: 2014 2018 2024
Hobey Baker winners	Matt Carle (2006) Will Butcher (2017)
Mike Richter winners	Tanner Jaillet (2017)
University of Denver Denver, CO