Photo by: Carter Schwent/Denver Athletics
11/10/2026 10:30:00 AM | #3 Ice Hockey
Denver hockey players earn Defenseman and Goaltender of the Week honors
DENVER – Two University of Denver hockey players received weekly honors from the National Collegiate Hockey Conference on Tuesday, with Daxon Rudolph named Defenseman of the Week and Johnny Hicks was recognized as Goaltender of the Week.
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Both players had important roles in the Pioneers' sweep this past weekend at Arizona State, as the team won 6-3 on Friday and 1-0 in overtime on Sunday against the Sun Devils.
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Rudolph earned his third NCHC weekly award of the season and his first Defenseman of the Week honor of his career. The freshman was named Rookie of the Week twice so far in 2026-27, including last week.
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The Lacombe, Alberta, native recorded his first multi-goal game of his career and the fourth multi-point game of his season on Friday. In both games, Rudolph scored the game-winning goal, including his first career overtime marker on Sunday.
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Rudolph leads all Denver defensemen and ranks second on the squad with 12 points, while his six goals are first on the team. That includes four power-play tallies and three game-winning markers—also first on the Pios. He also paces DU with 43 shots on goal this season.
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Hicks received his first conference weekly honor of the season and third of his career. This is his second career Goaltender of the Week award, and Hicks also earned one Rookie of the Week accolade last year.
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The sophomore from Kamloops, British Columbia, made 21-of-24 saves on Friday and stopped all 28 shots in the Pioneers' overtime win Sunday. That latest victory marked the first shutout of the season and fourth of his career.
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Additionally, the 1-0 OT win was the second of Hicks' career, with a similar shakeout occurring in his first career start on Jan. 31, 2026 versus Minnesota Duluth.
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Hicks has started the 2026-27 season with a 5-0-0 record with a 1.40 goals-against average and .939 save percentage. He is unbeaten in 22 straight decisions to begin his career (21-0-1) and has won 18 straight contests dating back to last season.
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St. Thomas' Lucas Van Vliet was selected as the league's Forward of the Week while Omaha's Gavin Hodnett was chosen as Rookie of the Week. Denver senior Sam Harris was a finalist for this week's top forward honor.
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UP NEXT: The Pioneers return to Magness Arena this weekend as they host the Lindenwood Lions on Friday at 7 p.m. MT and Saturday at 6 p.m. MT. Both games will be broadcast on NCHC.tv, with Friday's game also being televised regionally on Altitude.
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TICKETS: Single-game tickets as well as mini plans and group packages for the DU hockey's championship-defense campaign in 2026-27 are on sale now. Click here for more information.
DENVER'S HOME FOR COLLEGE SPORTS Â
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
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Both players had important roles in the Pioneers' sweep this past weekend at Arizona State, as the team won 6-3 on Friday and 1-0 in overtime on Sunday against the Sun Devils.
Â
Rudolph earned his third NCHC weekly award of the season and his first Defenseman of the Week honor of his career. The freshman was named Rookie of the Week twice so far in 2026-27, including last week.
Â
The Lacombe, Alberta, native recorded his first multi-goal game of his career and the fourth multi-point game of his season on Friday. In both games, Rudolph scored the game-winning goal, including his first career overtime marker on Sunday.
Â
Rudolph leads all Denver defensemen and ranks second on the squad with 12 points, while his six goals are first on the team. That includes four power-play tallies and three game-winning markers—also first on the Pios. He also paces DU with 43 shots on goal this season.
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Hicks received his first conference weekly honor of the season and third of his career. This is his second career Goaltender of the Week award, and Hicks also earned one Rookie of the Week accolade last year.
Â
The sophomore from Kamloops, British Columbia, made 21-of-24 saves on Friday and stopped all 28 shots in the Pioneers' overtime win Sunday. That latest victory marked the first shutout of the season and fourth of his career.
Â
Additionally, the 1-0 OT win was the second of Hicks' career, with a similar shakeout occurring in his first career start on Jan. 31, 2026 versus Minnesota Duluth.
Â
Hicks has started the 2026-27 season with a 5-0-0 record with a 1.40 goals-against average and .939 save percentage. He is unbeaten in 22 straight decisions to begin his career (21-0-1) and has won 18 straight contests dating back to last season.
Â
St. Thomas' Lucas Van Vliet was selected as the league's Forward of the Week while Omaha's Gavin Hodnett was chosen as Rookie of the Week. Denver senior Sam Harris was a finalist for this week's top forward honor.
Â
UP NEXT: The Pioneers return to Magness Arena this weekend as they host the Lindenwood Lions on Friday at 7 p.m. MT and Saturday at 6 p.m. MT. Both games will be broadcast on NCHC.tv, with Friday's game also being televised regionally on Altitude.
Â
TICKETS: Single-game tickets as well as mini plans and group packages for the DU hockey's championship-defense campaign in 2026-27 are on sale now. Click here for more information.
DENVER'S HOME FOR COLLEGE SPORTS Â
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
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Players Mentioned
Forward
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Goaltender
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Defenseman
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Friday, November 06
Saturday, October 31
Friday, October 30
