By Warren Kozireski —

Through the first 20 games this season, he stands second on Penn State in assists with 14, tied for second in plus/minus at +10, tied for third in points with 20 and has had seven multi-point games this season but, as is true for most hockey players, Brooklyn-born junior Danny Dzhaniyev first credits his linemates and teammates.

The 5’5” 150 lb. right wing has found chemistry on a line with fellow New Yorker in Syracuse area born Ryan Kirwan.

“Playing with great linemates and we complement each other very well and I think my game has risen because of those guys,” Dzhaniyev said in mid-January. “Gaining more and more confidence, we go and hopefully can continue that.

“We’ve (Kirwan) known each other for a long time. We knew that the day would come when we would play with each other and we already knew the chemistry is there. Something we’ve been looking forward to too. I know where he is on the ice all the time and he knows where I am; it’s like having a partner in crime, you know. We complement each other to play to the best of our abilities.

“We actually played on a line at state camp—I think we were 14 or 15 (years old)—it’s pretty cool looking back on it. The memories that we have and then both committing to Penn State was kind of surreal. We played against each other during our junior career, but now being here is pretty special.”

He has already tied his collegiate career high for goals in a season with six and set a new mark with 20 points and counting.

“It’s about time that I broke out in college. I’m having a decent year so far and I just need to keep that going. If me and Ryan continue to do what we’ve been doing, I think we can do something special. I’m excited for what’s to come.”

Dzhaniyev split some early time with Xavier High School and the New Jersey Titans before being accepted in the U.S. National Team Development Program for two seasons. Despite registering a combined 36 points over two seasons, he decided to spend an extra season at the junior level and joined Dubuque in the USHL.

There he exploded for 18 goals and 36 points in 49 games the year prior to joining the Nittany Lions.

“I think it (the extra year) helped me a lot to be completely honest. I think confidence for me was a bit of an issue and then having that breakout year in the USHL really helped out. Then coming to Penn State, I won’t say that it was an easy transition, but the extra year in the USHL really helped me a lot.”

Dzhaniyev admits to being a bit superstitious. He must be the last player off the ice after pre-game warmups.

“I do, yeah. Something I’ve done for a long time now. I have no idea (how it started) to be completely honest with you. Just started and kept going.”

The Communication major scored his first collegiate goal against Canisius his freshman year and has the puck mounted on wood back home in Brooklyn. He counts the gold medal he won with the U-17’s at the 2019 Four Nations Cup in Sweden as a favorite memory, among others.

“Any international tournament was a blast and national camp was a good time for me personally because that’s where I broke out and made name for myself, but probably my first game at Pegula (Ice Arena) was something that’s I’m never going to forget. It was incredible; the atmosphere is something you dream of when you’re a kid and it was special.

“But it’s all thanks to the Brooklyn Aviators.”

And lately the chemistry with fellow New Yorker Ryan Kirwan.

(Photos provided by Penn State Athletic and Men’s Hockey Departments)

By Warren Kozireski —

He is often one of four freshmen on the Michigan State defense along with a freshman goaltender, but that has not deterred Patrick Geary from making a quick impact on the top-ten ranked Spartans defense.

Impact is the appropriate word to describe the 6’1”, 185 lb. left shot; he does not shy away from contact, is regularly clearing the front of the Spartans net. Which he also did over his four seasons with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres organization and two with Waterloo in the USHL.

“Tough in the beginning for sure; I was in and out of the lineup and then didn’t play for a month, but got my chance, stuck with it and just kept going from there,” Geary said about his first collegiate season after the Spartans swept nationally ranked Penn State on the road.

“Consistency I think is a big part of my game. I like to play hard; I like to play physical and that’s what the coaches like. Just keep moving the puck north and keep to my game.”

Geary registered his first collegiate point in his second game on home ice against Lake Superior State with his first goal at Ohio State Nov. 4. He seems to like playing against Penn State with one goal and two assists over four games this season.

He was invited to the Team USA camp for the recent World Junior tournament in Sweden but was one of the final cuts.

“Definitely disappointing, but a great opportunity, great experience to play against those guys and see how they prepare and train…definitely a great experience and I’m happy they ended up winning gold.”

Michigan State has some good history with players from the Buffalo area with Tim Kennedy, Mike Ratchuk and Chris Mueller (West Seneca) on the roster when they last won the national championship in 2007. And Amherst native Dave Arkeilpane was on the 1986 title team as well.

So, Geary may prove to be a bit of a good luck charm as the Spartans have quickly rebuilt into a title contender.

“Tim Kennedy has helped me my whole career. He was my 16-year coach, and we still stay in touch to this day, and I see him in the summer to skate and work out. He told me to go (to Michigan State), and I trusted him and knew it was the right spot. And Ratchuk, my dad is really close friends with them, so definitely a good connection there.”

Unlike many Division I college hockey players, Geary did not leave home in his mid-teens to pursue his hockey dream but stayed comparably in his backyard playing with the Jr. Sabres from his 13U campaign through 16U.

“It was just trust in the Jr. Sabres; we knew the organization they had, and I believed in them, and they believed in me. My adviser obviously helped me a lot, but I didn’t really see a need to move away, and I knew I would play in the USHL eventually, so I was just waiting for that opportunity.”

That came with Waterloo where he put up 30 points over 115 games in two seasons.

“I had great billets and was kind of at home for two years and made it a lot better to be at home and be comfortable in a house. It was great, I loved it there. The coaches and the staff is all unreal so I was very happy with my time there.”

Geary turns 20 years old Feb. 18 and seems more than happy to be on the ground floor of the Michigan State hockey rebuild under second year head coach Adam Nightengale committing just months after the coaching staff was named.

“I knew they were new and obviously I was going to be new coming in, so I just felt that it was the perfect spot for me, and it turned out great.”

It has been a mutual progression for both the player and the program. Maybe the Buffalo magic comes alive again for Michigan State over the next few seasons, such as in 2025 when the Frozen Four returns to St. Louis, exactly the location when the Spartans last won in 2007.

(Photos provided by Michigan State U. Athletic/Hockey Departments)

By Warren Kozireski —

Some players have that magic touch of winning seemingly wherever they go, and University of Massachusetts junior defenseman Ryan Ufko is quickly living up to that billing.

A Clak Cup championship and was First Team All-USHL while with the Chicago Steel in 2020-21, tied for the national lead among rookie defensemen in assists and third among rookie defensemen in points as a freshman and a Hockey East Second Team All-Star finishing third in scoring and leading the team in blocked shots despite missing three games to join Team USA for the World Junior Championships where he tallied ten points over seven games as a sophomore.

This season the Nashville Predators 2021 fourth round draft selection is almost a point per game player with 18 in 19 games while wearing the “C” while sitting second on the squad in shots and blocked shots.

“I just try to play to our identity; I enjoy playing offense and try to make as many plays as I can especially \in the “O” zone, but I take pride in my defense; that’s most important, especially with the way we play,” Ufko said while at the Adirondack Invitational in Lake Placid.

“I play all situations—PK, power play five-one-five—whatever I can do to help my guys and help the team out. I’m an undersized defenseman (5’10”, 181 lb.) so I’ve always had to use my brain a little bit more rather than my size especially growing up. I was a late bloomer.

“Most d-men are pretty big and I’m pretty small so always thinking ahead and thinking where guys are going to be and try to use my body positioning, which helps with blocking shots but also around net fronts. I may not be the biggest guy to battle with around the net, but I try to close on guys early in the corner to slow them down and use my body as a way to help me.”

Ufko played for the Mid-Fairfield Rangers as a 14-year-old and jumped to the North Jersey Avalanche at 15 years old where he netted a combined 47 points in 47 games. Then Chicago for two campaigns before starting as a traditional 18-year-old freshman at UMass.

“I started out with P.A.L. and we were all right, but then Ryan Haggerty, the coach at Mid-Fairfield played at BC (Boston College) for four years, reached out to my dad and asked if I would be willing to join the team and they were top-five every year. So, I made that commitment when I was ten (years old) and played there until I was 15.

“Then lucky enough Martin St. Louis got traded from Tampa to the Rangers and he has a son who also was my age who was on the team, so he coached us for two to three years and I learned a lot from him, so it was a cool experience learning from a guy like that.

“Then Vinnie Smith with the New Jersey Avalanche recruited me; great experience there. The whole organization there from Larry Robbins the owner, credit to him he helped out all the guys and gave us whatever we needed.”

Ufko has another season of eligibility if he chooses to continue to be among the 13^th ranked Minutemen leadership team and he has already attended three summer camps with the Predators.

“It’s definitely an honor to be one of the captains here with Aaron Bohlinger. This program has been through so much. This place breeds NHL defensemen so it was kind of a no-brainer for me, and the staff cares for individual development which has helped me a lot.

“The staff down there (Nashville) has been really great. The most important thing they do is they get connected with everybody; they go out of their way to have meetings and  talk to the guys and get to know you and make sure you feel comfortable, so I think they do that really well.”

With so much success over a relatively short period of time, it’s also tough to pin Ufko down as to a favorite memory.

“Clark Cup is definitely a big memory of mine especially since the year before we had a really good team my first year and the season got shut down.

“Another one would be going to World Juniors and being able to represent my country for the first time. And then Hockey East we won the championship my freshman year; we played at TD Garden.”

Do not bet against his list of memories adding a few more bullet points over both the near and short term.

(Photos provided by UMass Athletic/Hockey Dept.)

By Warren Kozireski —

University of Massachusetts senior defenseman Aaron Bohlinger is not known for scoring a lot of goals, but he makes them count in big moments. The Walden native waited to net his first collegiate goal until the 29^th game of the season his freshman year—in the national championship game against St. Cloud State to help give the Minutemen their first hockey national title.

He made quite the first impression earlier that season registering a pair of assists in his collegiate debut against UConn and being named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week.

This year, the 23-year-old co-captain through the first 17 games has just two markers, but one came against then sixth-ranked Michigan for the nationally ranked Minutemen.

“Sometimes; I try to be in the right spot at the right time and I play with a lot of really, really good players so I don’t have to do much, they tend to find me so I’m grateful for that,” Bohlinger said. “They make my job easier and I’m super-grateful to have those memories, moments and experiences.”

Bohlinger split the 2015-16 season with Don Bosco Prep (in Ramsey, NJ), the Connecticut Jr. Wolf Pack and New Jersey Hitmen 16U before leaving home at 15 years old to head to Omaha, Nebraska where he was a point per game player with the Lancers in the NAPHL.

“I played Omaha triple A for a guy named Dave Wilkie for my second year of 16’s and my first year 18’s and then to the BCHL (British Columbia Hockey League with Alberni) and then to the USHL (with Waterloo).

“I wanted to play in the BC; I really didn’t have a chance in the USHL that year, so I knew I wanted to play juniors and thought I was ready for it. They gave me a chance up in Alberni; coach Matt Hughes up there did a lot for me and was really, really good for me and I loved it up there. Great billet family and it was a good first year of juniors and took me to where I am now so I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Ramsey is about 45 minutes from home and his team in Connecticut the same in the other direction.

“It was a good experience just different things and those are days I learned a lot, a lot of time management lessons and things like that.”

The finance major has another year of eligibility if he chooses to use it but is keeping that decision close to the vest for now.

“I’m trying to just take it day by day. I’m really enjoying where we’re at right now…we have a lot of potential and I have a good feeling about where we’re headed, so sometimes you have to learn lessons the hard way and I think this weekend (two close losses in the Adirondack Invitational in Lake Placid) just did that for us.

“I don’t know where life is going to take me next year, ten years or whatever it is down the road, but I will say I love UMass. I love playing here, I love the staff, I love the guys here so the longer I can play here the happier I’ll be. I just take it day by day and see how it goes. I’ve had some injuries and stuff, but I’m doing well with a lot of help and staff members helping out there and we’ll see how it goes.”

“Figuring out what I want to do for the rest of my life after hockey is done, whenever that may be, is a little daunting but I’m sure it will come because it always works out the way it should. Just gotta have faith and see where it goes.”

(Photos Provided by University of Mass. Men’s Hockey Program)

By Warren Kozireski —

It is hard enough for a freshman to break into the lineup of any Division I hockey program and to do so with a nationally ranked team such as the Big Red from Cornell University is doubly impressive, but Churchville native Jake Kraft is doing just that.

At the recent Adirondack Winter Invitational held at historic Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, the 5’8”, 170 lb. Kraft was the extra forward for the first game against the University of Massachusetts but was elevated to top line left wing for the championship game versus Arizona State University.

“It’s definitely exciting; I think more (opportunity) than I expected coming in (this year),” Kraft said. “I just go out and work as hard as I can every day to try to get the most opportunity and try to see where I fit in to the team.”

Kraft scored his first collegiate goal on home ice at Lynah Rink against Harvard Nov. 11 after registering his first two points—assists—in the second series of the season at Yale and Brown University. He had played in all 13 games of the season as the calendar turned to January.

He started getting serious about hockey at 13 years old and dressed with the Rochester Monarchs for two seasons before jumping to the Buffalo Jr. Sabres for his 15U and 16U campaigns, the latter where he scored 39 points in 50 games.

Then came two prep seasons with the Kent School in Connecticut, though the first was abbreviated due to the pandemic. His 2021-22 year with 25 goals and 44 points in 28 games put him on the USHL radar and he joined Cedar Rapids for the 2022-23 season where he played with current teammate Ryan Walsh from Penfield. There he scored 17 goals with 32 points in 56 games and committed to Cornell that December.

“He’s fast, he’s physical for being his size but I think his biggest asset is his speed; he can get to places really quick which is nice,” Walsh said about his former and current teammate. “He’s a great passer and can score so he’s a great all-around player, but his speed is his biggest attribute which is great to be on a line with.

“We have ten freshmen on the team, which is a lot, so (head coach Mike) Schafer definitely giving us a lot of opportunities to fill big roles early on which helps build confidence right away and shows that he trusts you a little bit.”

“I’ve always been an undersized guy, so I feel like I try to fight my way through everything,” Kraft said. “It’s accumulated over the years, but definitely picked up in the more physical college game.”

As for why Kraft chose to play college hockey at Cornell?

“I always knew the tradition of Cornell (hockey) was second to none and being close to home was definitely something so my parents can get up and watch pretty much every game,” Kraft said. “And then once I toured, I fell in love with it…it felt like home.”

Kraft does have at least one quirk where he is often the first player off the ice after a pre-game warmup.

“I always kind of just got off the ice first; I try to be one of the last guys on the ice when we go out, so just keep it short and sweet. Maybe a little superstition is involved.”

No need to change what has obviously been working.

(Photos provided by Cornell Men’s Hockey Dept.)