TAYLOR
CHORNEY
North Dakota
So. | D | Hastings, Minn.
Chorney's 18 points ranked third among freshmen
defensemen in the WCHA last season, trailing only
teammate Brian Lee and Denver's Chris Butler.
Key Statistics: Chorney
got used to seeing flashing red lights while he was
on the ice as a freshman – the good kind –
finishing a +22, which is best among North Dakota’s
returning players. As has become a team tradition in
recent years, he saved his best hockey for March, notching
an assist in five of the eight Fighting Sioux playoff
games.
What He Does: Fans at Ralph Engelstad
Arena have gotten used to hulking defensemen that look
more like offensive linemen on skates, making Chorney’s
6-0, 180-pound frame sound puny by comparison. But those
measurements were taken before Chorney added close to
20 pounds of muscle via a grueling freshman year and
off-season workout regimen, making a meeting with him
in the rink’s corner a risky proposition for any
opponent.
The Bigger Picture: Spend a few minutes
talking hockey with Chorney and two words are sure to
pop into the conversation – “pipeline”
and “legacy.” He is one of the more recent
entries in the long line of talented players to follow
the recruiting pipeline between prep hockey at Shattuck-St.
Mary’s and college hockey at North Dakota. And
he’s one of three legacy members of the North
Dakota roster, joining Ryan Duncan and Philippe Lamoureux
as second-generation Fighting Sioux hockey players.
Chorney’s father, Marc, won the MacNaughton Cup
in 1979 and the NCAA title in 1980, then played more
than 200 NHL games with the Penguins and Kings. Having
already won a U-18 gold medal, a WCHA playoff title
and a trip to a Frozen Four, his father’s accomplishments
are next on the junior Chorney’s “things
to do” list.
North Dakota head coach Dave Hakstol
on Chorney: “He played as significant
a role as any of our freshmen and was a key player for
us both five-on-five and in special teams situations.
Physically, he has all of the elements he needs. He’s
very strong and had great mobility and balance. We expect
him to elevate his game.”
