COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Following an undefeated month of February, the University of Denver produced both National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) monthly award winners for February as sophomore forward Danton Heinen was named NCHC Player of the Month while freshman forward Dylan Gambrell was selected NCHC Rookie of the Month.
NCHC PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Danton Heinen
Denver
Sophomore Forward
Langley, B.C.
Heinen had a monster month, powering Denver to a perfect 6-0-0 record in February. He led the NCAA with 15 points during the month, while his 1.67 assists per game and 2.50 points per game were also tops nationally in February. Heinen was also first in the country with a plus-14 plus/minus rating, while his five goals tied for second in the NCHC and his 10 assists were second in the country during the month. The Boston Bruins prospect recorded multiple points in all six games in February, tallying a goal in four of those games, as he was twice named NCHC Offensive Player of the Week.
Heinen opened February with a bang, recording a career-high five points on two goals and three assists in a 6-4 win over North Dakota Feb. 12 as he was named the game’s first star. A night later, he dished out two assists for a seven-point weekend, which earned him his first NCHC Offensive Player of the Week honor during the month. He was also tabbed NCAA First Star of the Week for his showing against UND. The following weekend, Heinen notched a goal and an assist in both games of a sweep against Colorado College, earning second star of the game Feb. 18 and first star Feb. 20 in DU’s 4-1 win outdoors at the Battle on Blake. He collected his second straight NCHC Offensive Player of the Week honor following the CC series.
Last weekend Heinen notched four more points, with another goal and an assist in a 5-1 win at Western Michigan Feb. 26 and a pair of assists, including on the game-winning goal, in the series finale. He was named the game’s second star on Friday and the third star on Saturday. Heinen fired 23 shots on goal in six games in February, while he extended his current point streak to 10 games. On the season, he has 35 points on 15 goals and 20 assists.
Heinen is now a candidate for the Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) National Player of the Month for February, which will be announced Wednesday. The other nominee for NCHC Player of the Month was Miami senior goaltender Jay Williams.
NCHC ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
Dylan Gambrell
Denver
Freshman Forward
Bonney Lake, Wash.
Gambrell continued his stellar freshman campaign, racking up 13 points in six games while helping Denver to a perfect record in February. His 13 points were third nationally overall and tops among all NCAA freshmen during the month, while he had five more points than any other NCHC rookie during February. His six goals and seven assists both led NCHC freshmen while the six goals tied for the NCAA lead among rookies during the month. His 2.17 points per game and 1.00 goals per game in February were also first nationally among freshmen. Gambrell tallied points in all six games, including five multi-point outings. The draft-eligible center was named NCHC Rookie of the Week all three weeks he played in February.
Gambrell began his month with a four-point weekend in a sweep of North Dakota. On Feb. 12 he dished out two assists, while he scored two goals the next night in a 4-1 win to earn third star of the game. He collected the first of his three straight NCHC weekly honors for his performance. The next weekend, Gambrell added five points in a pair of 4-1 wins over Colorado College to again collect NCHC Rookie of the Week. On Feb. 18 he tied a career high with three points on a goal and two assists at CC as he was named third star of the game. Two days later he logged a goal and an assist on the power play outdoors at the Battle on Blake. He was also named NCAA First Star of the Week for his performance in addition to the NCHC accolade.
Gambrell closed out February with another four-point weekend in a sweep at Western Michigan. He scored the game-winning goal in a 5-1 victory Feb. 26, while he again tied his career high of three points with a short-handed goal and two assists in the series finale. He was named the No. 2 star of the game Feb. 27 and collected his third NCHC Rookie of the Week honor for his efforts. Gambrell ended the month on an 11-game point streak and five-game goal streak. He also logged a plus-9 rating in February, best among NCAA rookies, while putting 21 shots on goal. Gambrell has 13 goals and 26 assists for 39 points on the season.
Gambrell is now a candidate for the Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) National Rookie of the Month for February, which will be announced Wednesday. The other nominee for NCHC Rookie of the Month was Miami forward Josh Melnick.
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