Every college hockey player receives four years of eligibility. Not all cases of eligibility are created equal, however. From time to time, a player ends up being on the Van Wilder plan.
While most players complete their four years and graduate, the names on the 2019-20 All-"How Do They Still Have Eligibility" Team are those who stand out for spending what seems like an eternity in college hockey.
What makes a player fit for the honor? Every player has their own reason. Sometimes it's due to transferring schools, like Michigan Tech goaltender Matt Jurusik, who played at Wisconsin for Mike Eaves. Other times, they get lumped in with a relative, such as St. Cloud State's Nick and Jack Poehling, or Robert Morris' Luke Lynch.
On the women's side, an Olympian can stand out for having a redshirt year or two. There are also players with outstanding rookie seasons who have dominated for three or four years, making it seem like they have been around longer than they actually were.
Finally, there's a group of players who are well known before college. Maybe it's because they committed early and took their time to get there. For example, Quinnipiac's William Fallstrom committed to Minnesota in June 2014. He's currently a sophomore in the year 2020. For years, Seth Ambroz was the go-to example. If Oliver Wahlstrom stayed at Boston College, he'd be the rare underclassman to have made the list.
For whatever reason, the select names on the 2019-20 All-"How Do They Still Have Eligibility" Teams - which for the first time include several suggestions from readers like you -
Without further adieu, let's get to the teams and individual awards.
"How Do They Still Have Eligibility" Men's First Team:
F- Liam Folkes, Penn State
F- Brendan van Riemsdyk, Northeastern
F-Wade Allison, Western Michigan
D- Ian Scheid, Minnesota State
D- Ben Finkelstein, Boston College
G- Ryan Ruck, Colorado College
Rationale: The forward group feature three players, whether it's injury, last name or always ending Wisconsin's season, that has made their names known to college hockey fans for years. It feels like Scheid has been running the Mavericks blue line for 6 years. Finkelstein transferred from St. Lawrence, where he stood out several seasons ago. Ruck, who spent four seasons at Northeastern before grad transferring out west, feels like by far the longest-serving goalie in college hockey.
"How Do They Still Have Eligibility" Men's Second Team:
F- Mitchell Fossier, Maine
F- Tanner Laczynski, Ohio State
D- Christian Evers, Vermont
D- Nick Wolff, Minnesota Duluth
G- Hunter Shepard, Minnesota Duluth
Rationale: Fossier and Laczynski have both been consistent through four seasons. Evers committed to North Dakota in 2012 and continues to play college hockey in 2020. Wilkie won a national championship in 2016. (As did RPI's Mike Gornall.) That's list-worthy. Wolff has been the elder statesman on the Bulldogs blue line for three seasons now, bridging together multiple UMD groups. Shepard seems to be putting his kids through college hockey by continually playing college hockey.
"How Do They Still Have Eligibility" Men's Third Team:
F- Will Lockwood, Michigan
F- Denis Smirnov, Penn State
F- Jake Jaremko, Minnesota State
D- Tommy Muck, Bemidji State
D- Adam Brubacher, RIT
G- Cale Morris, Notre Dame
Rationale: Lockwood and Smirnov, facing injuries and down seasons, continue to play key roles as seniors after solid freshmen seasons in 2016-17. Jaremko won the 2015 Mr. Hockey and is only a junior. Muck, who played HS hockey with Wolff, and Brubacher are both veteran blue liners. Morris is in his second straight season of surprisingly coming back to Notre Dame.
"How Do They Still Have Eligibility" Women's First Team:
F- Sydney Brodt, Minnesota Duluth
F- Sarah Potomak, Minnesota
F- Jaycee Gebhard, Robert Morris
D- Jincy Dunne, Ohio State
D- Micah Zandee-Hart, Cornell
G- Maddie Rooney, Minnesota Duluth
Rationale: Brodt is a three-year captain. It feels like she was out there helping lead Haley Irwin. Dunne, a 2019 honoree, returns to the first team. Potomak, Zandee-Hart and Rooney each missed a season for the 2018 Olympics. Gebhard has been Robert Morris' leader for what seems to be going on a decade.
"How Do They Still Have Eligibility" Women's Second Team:
F- Carly Bullock, Princeton
F- Abby Roque, Wisconsin
F- Emma Nuutinen, Mercyhurst
D- Ella Shelton, Clarkson
D- Jaime Bourbonnais, Cornell
G- Kristen Campbell, Wisconsin
Rationale: Shelton has been a key part of Clarkson's 2017 and 2018 national championships where it feels like she should have graduated by now. Bourbonnais is a Cornell staple at this point. I watched Campbell and Nuutinen (also an Olympian) play for North Dakota, which sadly now seems like another lifetime ago. Bullock and Roque each put up big numbers year after year to the point where them being around can be taken for granted.
"How Do They Still Have Eligibility" Women's Third Team:
F- Elizabeth Giguere, Clarkson
F- Kristin O'Neil, Cornell
F- Michaela Pejzlova, Clarkson
D- Patti Marshall, Minnesota
D- Cayla Barnes, Boston College
G- Tera Hofmann, Yale
Rationale: Honestly, Clarkson could have its own team between the national champions and transfers. It was tough to leave off Caitrin Lonergan. O'Neil's a player who seems to be a senior going three straight years. She's been that important to the Big Red. Barnes is another Olympian and technically an underclassman. This won't be her only appearance. Marshall and Hofmann are longtime ubiquitous players for the Gophers and Bulldogs, respectively.
Awards:
Before the Van Wilder Award for the player who seems to have been in college the longest is given out, the committee needs to recognize a family's contribution to the All-How Do They Still Have Eligibility Team.The van Riemsdyk Lifetime Achievement Award for nearly two decades of continuous college hockey players: Brendan van Riemsdyk, along with Trevor and James.
Thank you van Riemsdyk family for there always being a brother on the ice or in the recruiting pipeline at New Hampshire, plus this one season at Northeastern. It'll be a sad day next year where there are no more of you playing college hockey.
The Van Wilder Award (Men's): Ryan Ruck, Colorado College
Ruck made a Sportscenter Top-10 save on Justin Kloos. In October 2015. Between that, being discussed as a recruit before coming on campus, spending two years on Northeastern's bench in lieu of playing, and returning to play with the Tigers this season makes it even more mind-boggling that he still has eligibility in 2020.
While this season didn't go the way Ruck would have liked thanks in part due to injuries, he did play Minnesota again in October 2019.
The Van Wilder Award (Women's): Jincy Dunne, Ohio State
At one time the next big thing in women's hockey, Dunne has been well known since she nearly made the 2014 US Olympic team before setting foot on campus. Concussions nearly derailed her career, but Dunne continues to be one of the top defenders in college hockey.
It's also meant, due to taking a redshirt year and her notoriety at 16, Dunne seems to be going on her second decade of being a college hockey player. She's been on the Buckeyes roster for three different head coaches. One of the current assistants played in the WCHA when she was on campus. She's an easy pick for the award and in the Lee Stecklein/Amanda Kessel/Lamoureux Twins conversation for her length.
Most importantly, Dunne has been in college so long she is part of five players whose careers overlap enough to cover the entire AWHCHA/NCAA timeline.
Jincy Dunne, Ohio State (2015-16 to 2019-20)
Amanda Kessel, Minnesota (2010-11 to 2016)
Meghan Acosta, Mercyhurst (2006-07 to 2010-11)
Julie Chu, Harvard (2002-03 to 2006-07)
Winny Brodt, New Hampshire/Minnesota (1997-98 to 2002-03)
Van Wilder would be proud.
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