by Ryan Fay
Tonight's game versus Clarkson marks the final regular season home game for five Union players. Kyle Bodie, Greg Coburn, Ryan Forgaard, Wayne Simpson, and Shawn Stuart are set to graduate this spring.
The seniors have propelled Union to 89 victories in the past four seasons and would become the winningest class with three more wins. Additionally, the seniors have contributed to two Cleary Cups (2011, 2012), a Whitelaw Cup (2012), and a Frozen Four appearance (2012).
Below are former head coach Nate Leaman's assessments of the seniors from when the recruiting class was
announced by Union in May 2009. I've included some short career summaries to see how those assessments have panned out. There's also looks at three additional members of the class who left the program early.
F KYLE BODIELEAMAN: "Kyle has very good vision with a great stick. In junior hockey he was a very good power-play player at the top of the point. We graduated two guys, leaving holes that we needed to fill. We look for him to step in and have an impact on the team."
It may have taken two seasons, but Bodie has undoubtedly had an impact on the team. After a combined 22 points in his freshman and sophomore years, Bodie has 60 points in his junior and senior seasons. He is currently tied with Simpson for the team lead in points with 30.
D GREG COBURNLEAMAN: "Greg led his team in scoring as a defenseman. He is another mobile defenseman with great stick skills and has an offensive upside."
Coburn has saved his best for last as the senior is enjoying his best offensive season to date. His eight goals, 15 assists, and 23 points are all career highs. He has been the Dutchmen's best offensive defenseman this year and has dressed in 146 career games. Of the five seniors, only Simpson has played more games (152).
D RYAN FORGAARDLEAMAN: "Ryan has a great skill set with good mobility. He competed in probably the best league last year and he has great pedigree coming from the USHL."
Forgaard hasn't provided much impact on the stat sheet (0 goals, 9 assists in four years) but has served as solid depth on the blueline for a defensive unit that has ranked in the top 15 nationally in each of the past four years. The Minnesota native has over 100 games in a Union sweater to his credit.
F WAYNE SIMPSON LEAMAN: "Wayne is another forward we think can make an impact. He led prep school in scoring and he plays more of a power game. He has a good stick, good vision and has all the attributes to be a very good player."
Simpson has turned into at least a "very good" player. Earlier this year, he became the ninth player to join Union's Division I era 100 points club and has three 30+ point seasons under his belt.
D SHAWN STUARTLEAMAN: "Shawn has a very good stick with good size on the blue line. He has mobility and we look for him to play for us."
Stuart has certainly played for Union. Until injuries derailed the second part of his senior season, Stuart played in 100 straight games. While never a guy you'd notice looking at a statsheet (25 points in 140 career games) Stuart has nevertheless been a rock on defense for Union. He earned the program's Scott Richardson "unsung hero" award last season.
OTHERS
There are three members of the 2009 recruiting class who won't be partaking in senior night tonight.
JEREMY WELSH left the program after pacing the team in goals (27) and points (44) last year. Welsh decided to forgo in his senior year to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes organization and has spent time in the AHL and NHL since. The Bayfield, Ontario native ended his Union career with exactly 100 points, ninth most in the program's Division I era.
"We don't have a player like Jeremy," Leaman said in 2009. "He has good size and we don't know if he is going to play center or on the wing - he does both exceptionally well. We are going to be a real impact player with how versatile he is on offense and defense."
With a 1.99 goals against average,
KEITH KINKAID backstopped the Dutchmen to their first Cleary Cup in his sophomore campaign.
"Keith has won almost every award in junior hockey," Leaman said in 2009. "He's really developing nicely. He has good size and good athletic ability."
The goalie developed nicely enough that the Devils wooed him to go pro after two years in Schenectady. In the time since, Kinkaid has performed solidly in extensive action at the AHL level for Albany.
JEAN SEBASTIAN BERGERON is the least known name of the bunch. The defenseman left Union after two seasons.
"Jean Sebastian is a mobile defenseman," Leaman said in 2009. "I like his competitive level; he competes very well."
But he never competed for Union. Bergeron saw no game action in his two seasons. He would go on to play 11 games of Canadian college hockey in 2011-2012 for Concordia.
