SPOTLIGHT: NICK DINEEN

Today I wanted to take a little time out of my day to put a spotlight on a Colorado College player. I had three individuals, Nick Dineen, Jaden Schwartz and Joe Howe. After some careful consideration for the week I chose Dineen.
College hockey is quite a bit different from the NHL. Often the captain of an NHL team is amongst the top on the team in statistics(Crosby, Ovechkin, Sedin....etc.) In college hockey, not every team features the player who can score the most goals or do something statistical every game. If that were the case, Colorado College would have Jaden or Rylan Schwartz as their captain and last year Matt Frattin of UND would have been the captain.
No, college hockey presents something different. That element that is not in the NHL: school. Most captains in college hockey excel both on and off the ice. Our Colorado College blue liner is no different. In fact, you can thank him for last years playoff push and this years marketing run. During game 2 of the WCHA playoffs, Dineen scored a crucial goal in the 1st period of a very tight game against Wisconsin. That goal and celebration have been fodder for banners all over Colorado Springs.
So if a captain is not always a statistical leader on the ice, then what is he? Well, to keep it short, he is a leader. I never much about Dineen until I went to this year's captains practice. I watched as multiple players tried to get the team together for a simple drill. Four or five players tried everything they could, but never got the team to do one drill. Then Mr. Dineen stepped in with his take charge type attitude and in two words got the team doing basic drills. What were the two words? "LISTEN UP!"
You see, Nick does not need to even touch the puck to be a factor on the ice. His presence is far greater than any ability he has. If the play is going to fast and players are confused, Dineen will step in handle the puck a bit and pass it off slowing things down, even if he takes a hard licking for it. Dineen also has no problem with defending any of his rookies, as was evident against Bemidji when some trash talking took place and one of the players tried to upend Aaron Harstad. Although Harstad is a huge player, and didn't need the back up, Dineen stepped up and was ready to drop the gloves before some refs broke things up.
Nick's leadership is not just on the ice. He is a smart kid who shares his knowledge with other team mates. For his entire career at CC, Dineen often spent party nights helping players who were struggling with something. He is not only a leader, but a mentor to those around him. This is largely why he was chosen as captain. He's not a liability on the ice and he's a huge asset off.
Scott Owens once said that the best preparation for a game is done off the ice, well having someone like Dineen in the film room is a quality that no NHL team will ever understand.
In short, Dineen is a leader and he is why the team is where they are. He plays hard and he has earned his C the only way he knows how: Long, Hard work.