ST. CLOUD, Minn. - A bump, a hop, and an unfortunate landing. In the span of a few seconds, an awkward collision during off-ice warmups cut short defenseman Dylan Anhorn’s storybook debut season with St. Cloud State.
 
The Huskies had just put together a dominant performance over the No. 3 Denver Pioneers on Jan. 20 to the tune of a 7-3 victory to move within a game of first place in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) standings. In the game one win, Anhorn, a transfer from Union College, dished out two assists to move into the NCAA defenseman scoring lead with 25 points and further solidify his credentials as a Hobey Baker Award candidate.
 
“He’s made a huge impact on the program in just over a year here,” head coach Brett Larson said. “From getting the team to number one in the country and leading defense scorer in the nation when he was in (last year), to being a nearly unanimous pick for captain.”
 
A Celebration Halted
 
As SCSU gathered for pre-game preparations to deliver a home sweep on Anhorn’s birthday the next day, an off-ice warmup exercise went awry and provided the Huskies with a heavy dose of adversity. Anhorn and a teammate accidentally collided, and the teammate jumped up to avoid him. Unfortunately, he landed on Anhorn’s foot with enough force to send the birthday boy to season-ending surgery 24 hours later.
 
“We were playing some sewer ball and I bumped into a teammate going at a faster speed,” Anhorn said. “We both jumped up and he landed on my foot. It happened in the flukiest of ways, he landed with all his weight down there. If it had happened a hundred more times, it probably wouldn’t have happened. It was about as frustrating as you can get, especially considering it was also my birthday. It was great getting to number one in the country and first place, but knowing my season was over was heartbreaking.”
 
While St. Cloud State rallied that night to blank DU, 2-0, and moved into a first-place tie in the NCHC, as well as a No. 1 national ranking in the subsequent week’s polls, the Huskies faced turbulent times in Anhorn’s absence. SCSU went winless (0-3-3) in its next six games and finished the regular season 2-5-3 after an 18-6 start. The Huskies struggled to fill the minutes Anhorn logged facing opponents’ top lines, quarterbacking the power play, and leading the penalty kill.
 
“He’s used a lot on the power play and penalty kill,” fifth-year senior forward Zach Okabe said. “When you go through the first half of the year with a guy quarterbacking a power play unit, you need to find chemistry. There was a little adjustment after he got hurt, but we rallied around it. He was a great teammate throughout this and the least we could do was play hard for him.”
 
The Huskies found their stride again in the postseason, outlasting rival Minnesota Duluth in a three-game series before toppling North Dakota in overtime and shutting out Colorado College to win the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. That momentum carried into the NCAA Tournament as St. Cloud State blanked Minnesota State, 4-0, in the first round to earn a regional final berth. The storybook season came to an end against the top-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers, with Anhorn still relegated to watching from the stands while rehabbing his injury.
 
“Any hockey player who has to spend time on the sidelines knows how frustrating it is and how badly you want to help your teammates and do anything you can to help the team win,” Anhorn said. “It was immensely frustrating. The first week was a bit of denial that I couldn’t believe my season was over. Getting so close to the Frozen Four and falling short left a bad taste in our mouths and we want to do something about it.”
 
The Road to Recovery and Captaincy
 
Having earned his undergraduate degree in neuroscience in the spring and with professional hockey prospects to weigh, Anhorn could have made the defensible decision to jump into the pro ranks and see where his hockey career took him. On the other hand, he had another year of college eligibility available to take care of that “bad taste” in a place that quickly became home to him after playing two seasons at Union. For Anhorn, the decision to return to St. Cloud was an easy one.
 
“Every player dreams of playing Division I college hockey and having a chance to win a national championship,” Anhorn said. “The fact that we love this university so much and they haven’t won a national championship is extra motivation that we can do something special and do something that hasn’t been done here before.”
 
With the season approaching and Anhorn out of the walking boot and back on the ice, another decision loomed for St. Cloud State hockey -- the team’s captaincy for the 2023-24 season. It is a rare occurrence for a player to wear the ‘C’ on their jersey after only one year on campus. The Huskies’ senior class features several cogs from three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 2021 national runner-up finish. However, Anhorn’s professional demeanor and his leadership by example made him the overwhelming choice by his peers to lead SCSU this season.
 
“Obviously, Dylan has the respect of his teammates,” assistant captain and senior Joe Molenaar said. “The guys are confident in him and he’s one of our best players and he’s done a great job. He is a big lead by example type of guy. If you follow him through his process, he is a pro who does all the little things on and off the ice. When things need to be said, he can do that too.”
 
A Bumpy Start
 
The Huskies entered the fall needing to replace five forwards, four defensemen, and a starting goaltender with a new-look roster that features 15 freshmen and sophomores in tow. With so many fresh faces adjusting to new roles, along with Anhorn reacclimating himself on the ice after a prolonged absence, the Huskies stumbled out of the gate to a 2-4 mark in October.
 
A bye week prior to the start of NCHC play provided much needed practice reps and a mental reset for SCSU. It paid off big time as St. Cloud State swept a Miami team that entered the series on a five-game unbeaten streak. While there was a lot for Coach Larson to like in the pair of wins, especially the dominant, 6-0 win in the Saturday finale, the most encouraging sign may have been Anhorn’s return to last season’s form.
 
“This past weekend against Miami was the first weekend where he really looked like himself, which is exciting,” Larson said. “For a long time, he hadn’t been able to do explosive type exercises, but now he is finally getting back to normal. He had to play through these games early to find his footing. If this past weekend is any indication, it looks like he is back.”
 
Turning a Corner
 
With eight points (1 goal, 7 assists) in the Huskies’ first eight games, Anhorn is doing what he does best, leading by example and seemingly picking up where he left off a year ago. While the Calgary, Alberta native usually lets his play and preparation do the talking, he knows when to speak up to rally this young SCSU team.
 
“When he does have something to say, it carries a lot of weight,” Larson said. “He’s not afraid to ask questions of the staff. He makes sure we’re on the same page. I think he’s good at bringing the leadership group together and communicating. There are few players who make that kind of impact in such a short time.”
 
If there is a silver lining from last season’s injury, it’s the perspective he gained when stepping onto the ice wasn’t possible. It’s that perspective and the drive to deliver the Huskies their first national championship that ultimately has Anhorn once again leading their blue line.
 
“You always wonder when you’re playing what it would look like watching yourself,” Anhorn said. “When you are in the stands and watching from a new perspective, you see some things you can work on. Also, some things your teammates do well that you’d like to steal from them.
 
“The time away also made me so much more grateful to play the game I love, knowing that I will heal and eventually be back out there.”