Owen Power of the University of Michigan is the poster boy for offensive-minded defensemen in college hockey.
The 19-year-old sophomore, who was selected No. 1 by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021 NHL Draft, leads NCAA defenseman with 23 points (three goals, 20 assists) in 18 games.
Power made history at the IIHF 2022 World Junior Championship on Dec. 26 when he became the first defenseman to score a hat trick for Canada in a preliminary-round game against Czechia before the tournament was cancelled because of concerns surrounding the coronavirus. He could be headed to the Olympics next month with Canada now that the NHL is not sending its players to the 2022 Beijing Games.
Many eyes are naturally on Power, but there are other young defensemen (and NHL prospects) who are excelling at the NCAA level this season.
Here are five freshmen defensemen who are looking to follow in the skate strides of Power (in alphabetical order):
Corson Ceulemans, University of Wisconsin
A high-risk, high-reward player, Ceulemans was named the most outstanding defenseman in the inaugural Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off Tournament in Milwaukee last month.
He had an assist in Wisconsin's 3-2 overtime win against Yale on Dec. 28, then scored an unassisted goal, assisted on another and had a game-high five shots on goal and 10 shot attempts in a 3-2 shootout win against Providence College in the final Dec. 29.
Ceulemans (6-foot-2, 198 pounds) was selected in the first round (No. 25) of the 2021 draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 18-year-old leads Wisconsin with 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 17 games.
Aidan Hreschuk, Boston College
After a slow start offensively, Hreschuk has a three-game point streak and four points in his past five games.
Hreschuk (5-11, 188) scored his first NCAA goal in a 4-2 victory against Mercyhurst on Dec. 30 in the Ledyard Bank Classic at Dartmouth College.
The 19-year-old has scored five points (one goal, four assists) in 18 games.
A native of Long Beach, California, he played for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program from 2019-21 before enrolling at Boston College. Hreschuk was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the third round (No. 94) of the 2021 draft.
Mason Lohrei, Ohio State University
Power is the only defenseman in the Big Ten to outscore Lohrei, who's second with 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) in 20 games.
Lohrei (6-4, 195) was selected in the second round (No. 58) of the 2020 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins from Green Bay of the United States Hockey League.
"He's a pretty unique talent, as far as his size and the way he moves. Obviously, he has a knack for creating offense. He just has a good natural feel for the game,'' said Adam McQuaid, a Stanley Cup winner with the Bruins in 2011 who is now their player development coordinator.
The 20-year-old, who made the switch from forward to defense while playing for the U-16 team at Culver Academy, scored 59 points (19 goals, 40 assists) for Green Bay last season.
"He's a power-play guy right now in college and I think he'll be that at the next level, as well,'' McQuaid said. "To dial in some of the things defensively, to use that size, in a way, the sky's the limit for him. There's still a big development piece there for him, but that's also really exciting when there's still areas to work on.''
Scott Morrow, University of Massachusetts Amherst
A standout all season, Morrow turned in his most dominating performance in a 4-3 win against Merrimack on Jan. 3.
Morrow (6-2, 195) scored twice, set up the game-winning goal, had five shots on goal and was plus-4. He was selected in the second round (No. 40) of the 2021 draft by the Hurricanes.
Morrow played five seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary's, the Minnesota prep school that includes Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Zach Parise and Jack Johnson among its alumni. He was a member of the U.S. team at the 2022 World Junior Championship.
The 19-year-old has scored 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 16 games.
Luca Munzenberger, University of Vermont
Born in Dusseldorf, Germany, Munzenberger was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the third round (No. 90) of the 2021 draft.
Munzenberger (6-2, 190) made an impact for his home country in two games at the World Junior Championship. He scored the only goal for Germany in a 3-1 loss to Finland on Dec. 26 and had an assist in a 2-1 victory against Czechia on Dec. 27.
The 19-year-old has two assists in 16 games for Vermont.
On Campus: Five standout freshmen defensemen - NHL.com
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