Photo by: Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Anchorage Athletics
Daxon Rudolph Named NCHC Rookie of the Week
10/6/2026 12:30:00 PM | (1) Ice Hockey
Denver hockey defenseman combined for five points in his debut weekend
DENVER – The University of Denver hockey defenseman Daxon Rudolph has been named the NCHC Rookie of the Week, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference announced on Tuesday.
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Rudolph picked up his first career weekly honor from the conference following the freshman's superb debut last weekend with the Pioneers at Alaska Anchorage. He totaled five points with seven shots on goal and registered a plus-5 rating in Denver's two-game sweep of the Seawolves.
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In his first game in Pioneer crimson and gold on Friday, Rudolph scored the first goal of the season for the squad and later added two assists in the third period to help Denver win 6-2. His three-point performance put him in rare air, as he became the first Denver defenseman and the fourth freshman on the squad to record at least three points in their collegiate debut since the start of the 1999-2000 season (online records presently don't go back any future).
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Forward Emilio Pettersen on Oct. 12, 2018 at Air Force (1g/2a) was the last DU rookie to have a three-point game in their first NCAA contest, while Luke Salazar on Oct. 11, 2008 against Notre Dame (2g/1a) and Jon Foster on Oct. 12, 2001 versus Boston College (2g/1a) also accomplished the feat on their first opening nights.
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Rudolph's teammate, Eric Jamieson, was the last Pioneer freshman defender to record three points in a contest, as he had a trio of assists in last year's home opener (second game of the season) on Oct. 11, 2025 against Bentley.
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The Lacombe, Alberta, native followed up his season-opening performance with another multi-point game on Saturday, as Rudolph recorded two assists and had the primary helper on Sam Harris' game-winning goal in the third period of the 4-1 victory.
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Rudolph joined Denver after spending the past two seasons with the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League. He was selected fourth overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2026 NHL Draft, becoming the highest-picked player in Pioneers program history.
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DU won the NCHC Rookie of the Week three times last season, with Quentin Miller (Nov. 11, 2025), Kyle Chyzowski (Dec. 9, 2025) and Johnny Hicks (Feb. 3, 2026) each picking up the award once.
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Joining Rudolph in the conference's weekly accolades were Minnesota Duluth's Jayson Shaugaby as Froward of the Week and Ty Hanson as Defenseman of the Week, while Jackson Unger of Colorado College earned goaltender honors.
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UP NEXT: Denver hosts the U.S. National Team Development Program's Under-18 team in an exhibition on Saturday at 6 p.m. MT at Magness Arena. The Pioneers continue the regular season on Oct. 16-17 as they take on Michigan in their home opening weekend, which includes raising their 2026 national championship banner to the rafters on that Friday night.
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TICKETS: Single-game tickets as well as mini plans and group packages for DU hockey's championship-defense campaign in 2026-27 are on sale now. Click here for more information.
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Rudolph picked up his first career weekly honor from the conference following the freshman's superb debut last weekend with the Pioneers at Alaska Anchorage. He totaled five points with seven shots on goal and registered a plus-5 rating in Denver's two-game sweep of the Seawolves.
Â
In his first game in Pioneer crimson and gold on Friday, Rudolph scored the first goal of the season for the squad and later added two assists in the third period to help Denver win 6-2. His three-point performance put him in rare air, as he became the first Denver defenseman and the fourth freshman on the squad to record at least three points in their collegiate debut since the start of the 1999-2000 season (online records presently don't go back any future).
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Forward Emilio Pettersen on Oct. 12, 2018 at Air Force (1g/2a) was the last DU rookie to have a three-point game in their first NCAA contest, while Luke Salazar on Oct. 11, 2008 against Notre Dame (2g/1a) and Jon Foster on Oct. 12, 2001 versus Boston College (2g/1a) also accomplished the feat on their first opening nights.
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Rudolph's teammate, Eric Jamieson, was the last Pioneer freshman defender to record three points in a contest, as he had a trio of assists in last year's home opener (second game of the season) on Oct. 11, 2025 against Bentley.
Â
The Lacombe, Alberta, native followed up his season-opening performance with another multi-point game on Saturday, as Rudolph recorded two assists and had the primary helper on Sam Harris' game-winning goal in the third period of the 4-1 victory.
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Rudolph joined Denver after spending the past two seasons with the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League. He was selected fourth overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2026 NHL Draft, becoming the highest-picked player in Pioneers program history.
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DU won the NCHC Rookie of the Week three times last season, with Quentin Miller (Nov. 11, 2025), Kyle Chyzowski (Dec. 9, 2025) and Johnny Hicks (Feb. 3, 2026) each picking up the award once.
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Joining Rudolph in the conference's weekly accolades were Minnesota Duluth's Jayson Shaugaby as Froward of the Week and Ty Hanson as Defenseman of the Week, while Jackson Unger of Colorado College earned goaltender honors.
Â
UP NEXT: Denver hosts the U.S. National Team Development Program's Under-18 team in an exhibition on Saturday at 6 p.m. MT at Magness Arena. The Pioneers continue the regular season on Oct. 16-17 as they take on Michigan in their home opening weekend, which includes raising their 2026 national championship banner to the rafters on that Friday night.
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TICKETS: Single-game tickets as well as mini plans and group packages for DU hockey's championship-defense campaign in 2026-27 are on sale now. Click here for more information.
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 Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 18 of DU's NCAA Division I sports
Like Denver Pioneers and Denver Hockey on Facebook
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_Hockey on X
Follow @DenverPioneers and @DU_Hockey on Instagram
Players Mentioned
Forward
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Forward
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Goaltender
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Defenseman
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Goaltender
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Defenseman
/ (1) Ice HockeyThursday, September 10
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Tuesday, June 30
