Inside College Hockey | Go-To Guys: Rookie of the Year

February 24, 2004
Go-To Guys: Rookie of the Year

Last week: The Spencer Penrose Award
Feb. 10: The Hobey Baker Award

Legendary basketball coach Al McGuire once said, "The best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores." Forgive us for twisting your words, Al, but in college hockey, the best thing about this season's rookie class is that they're playing like sophomores. One look at our top candidates for the nation's best freshman confirms that statement.

Inside College Hockey editors and staff, in consultation with coaches and media from around the country, compiled this list of how we would vote for the Rookie of the Year Award today – not necessarily how we think the races will turn out. And stay tuned, because a lot can change each weekend; we'll continue our looks at the sport's top individual honors as the season progresses.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – Feb. 24, 2004
1. Brady Murray North Dakota	Some may scoff at Murray, saying he's riding the coattails of linemates Brandon Bochenski and Zach Parise. Six game-winning goals and five power-play goals suggests otherwise. 27 GP, 16-21—37
2. T.J. Hensick Michigan	The Wolverines have one loss in their last 12 games. Hensick has 21 points during that span, and has turned linemate Milan Gajic into Markus Naslund (eight goals and 20 points since Jan. 9). 32 GP, 11-30—41
3. A.J. Thelen Michigan State	Only two defensemen in the nation have more goals than Thelen's 10. If you can't see him in East Lansing, you'll probably be able to catch him manning the point for Team USA at next year's World Junior Championships. 35 GP, 10-18—28
4. Michel Léveillé Maine	As a freshman last year, Léveillé couldn't accept a scholarship or practice with the team. And if you think waiting a year to play college hockey shows great patience, get this: He's even more patient with the puck. 31 GP, 5-28—33
5. David McKee Cornell	Fourth in the nation in goals against average. Seventh nationally in save percentage. His numbers make Cornell fans forget that the Big Red are 43rd in the nation in scoring offense. 13-8-6, 1.73 GAA, .924 sv. pct.
Poised to change on the fly	Brian Ihnacak (Brown), Grant Lewis (Dartmouth), Ryan Suter (Wisconsin), Matt Carle (Denver), David Brown (Notre Dame)
On the radar	David Backes (MSU-Mankato), Dominic Vicari (Michigan State), Matt Christie (Miami), Kellen Briggs (Minnesota), Matt Zaba (Colorado College)

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