JODY PEDERSON

Princeton

Sr. | D | Smithers, British Columbia

Jody Pederson

Key Statistics: Pederson has been a solid point producer on the Tiger blue line for his first three seasons on campus. He had five goals and 14 assists in his junior year, with four of those goals coming on the power play. A dozen of his points came in ECAC Hockey games.

What He Does: Pederson had 19 points as a junior and 16 as a sophomore. The left-shooting defenseman has good size and plays effectively at both ends of the ice. He enjoys playing for the Tigers and Guy Gadowsky’s up-tempo style which most Princeton players and coaches simply describe as “we try to score goals.”

The Bigger Picture: Princeton is coming off of its second straight 20-plus win season and has made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The 2008 team had an ECAC Hockey playoff title to celebrate, but the 2009 squad came up short at the end of the season. It saw late leads disappear in the ECAC Hockey semifinals against Cornell and the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Minnesota Duluth. Pederson and a deep, talented group of seniors will be charged with closing the deal to make their last season in Old Nassau a special one.

Pederson on what he’s expecting when the team starts preseason practice a couple of weeks from now: “Working hard is the most important thing and we want to set that tone with the entire team right away. If you start doing it, it becomes habit.”