Revisiting the Class of 2004 Part II

And now for Part II, the defenseman and goalies.

Defense:

1. Alex Goligoski- Minnesota (1)- He looked atrocious at the World Juniors, and suffered some injury problems throughout the year, but generally lived up to expectations by providing offensive spark on the powerplay

2. Joe Grimaldi- Nebraska-Omaha (NR)- He was absolutely rock solid for Omaha all year. He showed the potential to be an all-league, or even all-American defenseman in the future

3. Kyle Klubertanz- Wisconsin(4)- He helped anchor a very young Wisconsin defensive unit

4. Derek Peltier- Minnesota (8)- He was the most consistent of the Gophers freshmen defenseman

5. Michael Hodgson- Bowling Green (10)- Brought a lot of life to Bowling Green’s powerplay this season

6. Kyle Hood- Ohio State (NR)- Another powerplay specialist. He had a big role in relative unknowns Rod Pelley and Matt Beaudoin reaching 20 goals.

7. Mitch Ganzak- Miami (NR)- Overshadowed by Andy Greene, but turned into a nice playmaker for the RedHawks with a ton of assists

8. Nate Hagemo- Minnesota (5)- Not quite as good a season as expected, but still decent. Injuries held him back a little bit.

9. Jack Hillen- Colorado College (7)- Talented defenseman, but only the 4th or 5th option on CC’s talented team this year.

10. Darcy Campbell- Alaska-Fairbanks (NR)- Good freshmen year. He’ll be called upon to replace Corbin Schmidt next season.


Goalies:

1. Peter Mannino- Denver (4)- It’s hard to argue with the success he had. His team helped a lot, but he was still good when he had to be

2. Wylie Rogers- Alaska-Fairbanks (NR)- He showed the potential to be one of the best goalies in college hockey. Now all he needs is the team around him to help him show that off

3. Philippe Lamoreaux- North Dakota (3)- Lost out to Jordan Parise at the end of the season, but still did very well when he played

4. Kyle Lawson- Alaska-Anchorage (NR)- Came from nowhere and gave Anchorage some great performances.

5. Daniel Bellisimo- Western Michigan (NR)- I really feel sorry for any goalie that plays at Western. He deserves credit for not having a Hirschian meltdown this season.