Matt Carle
Denver
Statistics: 39 GP 11-42–53, +19 plus/minus rating

Residents of Colorado’s Front Range are more likely to refer to the University of Denver as DU – that’s “dee-you” and not “dew,” as in Harvard’s Kevin. And while we aren’t sure why the institution isn’t called “UD” – is Boston College now called “CB”? – maybe it’s because DU refers to the Pioneers’ hockey team, which has become Defenseman University in recent years.

During the 2003-04 season, Denver’s improbable run to its first national championship in 35 years was keyed by the gritty performance of All-American rearguard Ryan Caldwell, who, during the last couple months of the year, would barely practice during the week, then play 20-plus minutes on Friday and Saturday. The Pioneers repeated as NCAA titlists last season: among the stars on that squad was defenseman Brett Skinner, a second-team All-American who left school a year early to sign with Vancouver, which selected him in the 2002 NHL Draft (he’s since been dealt to Anaheim.)

Matt Carle, however, is the best blueliner to ever don the crimson and gold. Though his Pioneers fell short in their attempt to win a third straight national crown, Carle’s remarkable individual performance this season earned him Inside College Hockey’s Player of the Year honors.

Need proof of his dominance? Let’s start at the end and work our way backwards. When the Pioneers failed to get an NCAA Tournament bid this season, Carle immediately signed with San Jose and jumped straight to the NHL. The Anchorage native’s performance for Team Teal, which is battling for the last spot in the Western Conference playoffs, has been solid thus far – two goals in three games. That’s a pretty good start for a guy in a league in which young defensemen often struggle mightily (remember Chris Pronger with the Whalers or Zdeno Chara with the Isles?)

Days before he agreed to terms with the Sharks, Carle was named the WCHA Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. No one– not Jordan Leopold, Tom Kurvers, Chris Chelios or James Patrick – in the storied history of the league had previously accomplished that feat.

That he won both awards doesn’t seem as shocking when one considers that Carle scored 11 goals and added 42 assists for 53 points this season, the most by a defenseman in any league since Minnesota’s Mike Crowley tallied 56 points during the 1996-97 campaign. In league play, Carle was even better, logging nine goals and 33 assists in 28 regular-season matches. And while no blueliner in the country could match his offensive production, Carle was equally as good in his own end, a fluid skater with a physical edge, great hands, terrific instincts and natural leadership skills and the driving force behind the Pioneers’ special-teams units.

Years from now when college hockey fans talk about the best defensemen in the game’s history, Matt Carle will be part of that mix. This season, however, all discussion about which player is the nation’s best ends with his name.

Runner-up: Brian Elliott, Wisconsin