100 greatest college hockey players of all time, Part 2 (75-51)

Our countdown of the 100 greatest college hockey players continues, as Zach Green unveils Nos. 75-51. In case you missed it, check out Part 1, in which Andrew Wisneski rolls out the first 25 entries on our list.

75. Kip Miller, F, Michigan State (1986-90)

Miller started his collegiate career slowly before becoming a force as an upperclassman. He posted a 77-point season as a junior before surpassing that with a 101-point senior season, which earned him the 1990 Hobey Baker Award.

“He was the reason for the Spartans being a good team,” longtime Michigan coach Red Berenson told P&R. “He was a complete player, and his big year was not a fluke.”

74. Matt Gilroy, D, Boston University (2005-09)

Gilroy was one of the nation’s best defensemen throughout his stay at BU. He was second-team All-American as a sophomore before being on the first team his final two seasons. He also won the Hobey Baker in 2009.

Possibly the most impressive point about Gilroy’s Terrier tenure was that he was originally a walk-on. Almost nobody has success walking on at a storied program like BU, but Gilroy thrived in that role.

73. Art Chisholm, F, Northeastern (1958-61)

As a freshman, Chisholm scored 40 goals. He would follow that up by being named a first-team All-American in his final two seasons at Northeastern.

Although he never broke through in the NHL, Chisholm did enough to earn induction into the Northeastern Athletics Hall of Fame.

72. Tom Ross, F, Michigan State (1973-77)

A two-time All-American, Ross totaled 285 points over his final three seasons with the Spartans. Statistically speaking, this was one of the most dominant stretches by a player in NCAA history.

71. Brian Bonin, F, Minnesota (1992-96)

Bonin was the WCHA MVP in both his junior and senior seasons with the Gophers. In addition, he won the Hobey Baker in 1996 to cap off his collegiate career.

In addition to being named Minnesota’s “Mr. Hockey” for his hockey exploits as a senior in high school, Bonin was also a highly regarded soccer player in high school.

70. Jack Garrity, F, Boston University (1949-51)

Garrity scored 84 points in his freshman season, followed that up with 57 the next year before turning pro. Of note, Garrity was 23 in his freshman year, as he enrolled in college following his participation in the 1948 Olympics. 

Following high school, Garrity enrolled in the Army Air Corps and served in World War II. But his aforementioned achievements prove that the time away from competitive hockey could not throw him too far off his game.

69. Marty Sertich, F, Colorado College (2002-06)

Sertich won the Hobey Baker in 2005 on the heels of a 64-point run. He would follow it up with a 50-point senior year, good for a top-three finish in his bid for an unprecedented repeat.

Sertich had a lot of hype following him entering his first year of college, having won the title of “Mr. Hockey” in Minnesota and playing a year in the USHL. By the time he left Colorado Springs, he had fulfilled his promises with 182 career points, including 121 assists.

68. Gustav Nyquist, F, Maine (2008-11)

In his sophomore year, Nyquist broke out for a national-best 61 points. He would be named to the Hobey Hat Trick as well as first-team All-America for that year.

Following his success in the NHL and collegiate ranks, the speedy forward had a horse named “Nyquist” in honor of him, and watched it the 2016 Kentucky Derby.

67. Zach Parise, F, North Dakota (2002-04)

Parise only attended North Dakota for two years, but had quite an impact in that time. He was a top-10 Hobey Baker finalist both seasons, reaching the top three as a sophomore. That year also saw him named a first-team All-American. Parise was also named the 2004 World Junior Championship MVP, after he led the United States to the gold medal.

66. Wayne Gagne, D, Western Michigan (1983-87)

Gagne was a two-time All-American with 199 career assists while playing on the Bronco blue line. His arrival in Kalamazoo preceded Berenson’s arrival as bench boss in Ann Arbor by one year, which made him one of the Michigan mainstay’s earliest outstanding challenges in CCHA play.

“I don’t remember everything about him too well,” Berenson admits nearly three full decades after Gagne’s graduation, “but he was very good at moving the puck. Undersized, but he was able to succeed.”

65. Joe Juneau, F, Rensselaer (1987-91)

In each of his four seasons, Juneau led the Engineers in scoring. He was named a two-time All-American.

An interesting fact about Juneau is that although he did not know English when he arrived at RPI, he was able to maintain a 4.0 grade-point-average in aeronautical engineering.

64. Dave Taylor, F, Clarkson (1973-77)

Taylor holds Clarkson’s record for career points with an astounding 251. In 1976-77, he recorded 67 assists, which is tied for fourth all-time in a season for the entire NCAA.

Taylor went on to earn broader fame for being a part of the “Triple Crown Line” when he played for the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL. But a host of honors for his time as a Golden Knight later culminated in 1992, when he was part of the school’s first athletic hall of fame class.

63. Ken Morrow, D, Bowling Green (1975-79)

Being the 1979 CCHA player of the year capped off a tremendous collegiate career for Morrow. On three occasions, he was named to the first all-CCHA team. Following his graduation, Morrow was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team to close out his amateur playing days.

62. Andy Greene, D, Miami (2002-06)

Greene was the backbone of the Redhawk defense throughout his time in Oxford. He was named to three CCHA first-team all-conference teams, in addition to being both the best offensive and defensive defenseman in the conference his senior season.

“He was a solid all-around player,” said Berenson, who saw his share of Greene’s work in CCHA action. “I believe that he ended up having an even better pro career than college, which speaks to his ability to continue to develop.”

61. Jordan Leopold, D, Minnesota (1998-02)

Leopold was the best defenseman in college hockey for the two years in which he was named a first-team All-American. As a senior, he garnered the Hobey Baker Award upon tallying 48 points.

“He was a really good player. His numbers just don’t do it,” remarked Berenson, who coached against Leopold for four years, including the 2002 Frozen Four semifinals. “He played two ways, was a captain, was good all four years. I have lots of respect for him.”

60. David Emma, F, Boston College (1987-91)

Emma is BC’s all-time career points leader with 241, and won the Hobey Baker after scoring 81 points as a senior. In each year of his collegiate career, Emma was named to one of Hockey East’s all-league teams, once as a rookie and once one the second team, the other two times being named first-team honoree. The Cranston, R.I., native was also a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team.

59. Justin Schultz, D, Wisconsin (2009-12)

Schultz was a two time All-American and Hobey Baker finalist during his run in Madison. He would finish his collegiate career with 113 points, which is an astoundingly high number for a defenseman who only played three years in this lower-scoring century.

Schultz was one of first recent big-time college hockey players who did not sign with the team that drafted them, famously going from Anaheim to Edmonton after leaving school following his junior year. This trend would continue with Jimmy Vesey in 2016.

58. Jimmy Vesey, F, Harvard (2012-16)

Vesey is the most recent winner of the Hobey Baker Award, earning it one year after he was among the Hat Trick finalists. He accumulated 104 points over his final two seasons with Harvard, and earned a spot on the 2015 U.S. World Championship team in between. Vesey eventually signed with the New York Rangers this past offseason.

57. Ralph Cox, F, New Hampshire (1975-79)

Cox was a standout player for the Wildcats, really breaking out of his shell as a sophomore where he scored 76 points. Cox is more well-known, however, for being the last player cut from the 1980 US Olympic team, which went on to compose the “Miracle on Ice.” Cox was inducted to the New Hampshire Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986.

56. Joe Mullen, F, Boston College (1975-79)

A two-time first-team All-American, Mullen was the face of BC hockey and a key figure in convincing professional scouts to give American talent more consideration. After finishing his college career with 212 points and a Walter Brown Award, Mullen had the distinct honor of having his No. 21 jersey retired.

After college, Mullen would become the first American player to reach 500 goals and 1,000 points in his NHL career.

55. TJ Hensick, F, Michigan (2003-07)

Hensick was one of college hockey’s top players in the mid-’00s, putting together 222 points over his career, which leads all players in the decade. Despite leading the CCHA in scoring multiple years, Hensick never won the Hobey Baker, something that his former coach is still perplexed about to this day.

“He should have won the Hobey Baker,” Berenson said, adding, “It’s a shame he never stuck in the NHL. He was a high-end offensive player who had a nose for the net.”

54. Jason Blake, F, Ferris State (1994-95) and North Dakota (1996-99)

Twice a Hobey Baker finalist, Blake led his teams in scoring every year in attendance. Blake played his freshman season at Ferris State before transferring to North Dakota, which he helped to a national championship in his first year with the program.

Despite the mandatory year away from game action, Blake led his new team with 32 assists on that 1997 title run. He would match his 51 sophomore points  as a junior, then surge to 69 as a senior.

53. Mike Crowley, D, Minnesota (1994-97)

Crowley was one of the most dominant defensemen in college hockey during his three years at Minnesota. He was a first-team all-WCHA star for his final two years, then added a first-team All-American accolade in 1996-97 before turning pro a year early.

52. Dave Capuano, F, Maine (1986-89)

Capuano was a finalist for the Hobey Baker in 1988 and 1989, tallying 85 and 69 points, respectively, in those years. He led the Black Bears to their first Hockey East postseason crown as a junior, and is considered one of the key players in bringing Maine hockey into the national spotlight.

Capuano’s brother, Jack, is the current head coach of the New York Islanders.

51. Jack Connolly, F, Minnesota-Duluth (2008-12)

Connolly was the key player for the Bulldog team that won the 2011 NCAA championship, scoring 59 points that season. He would follow that up with a 60-point campaign, which would help him capture the 2012 Hobey Baker.

“Connolly was a special player,” said Berenson, whose Wolverines were the losing finalist in that 2011 title game. “He was dynamite on the power play.”