Suess and Brickley leave Mavs for the pros
After leading the Mavericks to the NCAA Tournament, CJ Suess and Daniel Brickley look for success at the next level
Kevin Korbel
Sports Editor
After a successful season for the men’s hockey team, two of the key pieces on the team will be leaving the team for a chance for playing in the NHL.
Daniel Brickley and CJ Suess, both who were in the running for the Hobey Baker Award this passed season, have signed deals with the Los Angeles Kings, and the Winnipeg Jets, respectively. Both players were captains for the team this year, as part of their successful season, which resulted in a MacNaughton Cup, and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Both players had different routes to get to where they’re at today. As a two-year captain from Forest Lake, Minn., Suess completed his four-year collegiate career with the Mavericks with 57 goals and 70 assists for 127 points in 157 games played. His 127 points is tied for fifth on the school’s career scoring list.
Selected in the fifth round, 129th overall, by Winnipeg in 2014 National Hockey League Draft, the Jets indicated that Suess would be assigned to the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League for the remainder of the season. After signing a one-year entry-level contract with the club, Suess is now hoping to make the leap of faith to the pros sooner, rather than later.
As for Brickley, he departs from Minnesota State having racked up 20 goals and 57 assists for 77 points in 107 games to rank eighth on the school’s career scoring by defensemen list for the NCAA DI era. The native of Sandy, Utah ranked sixth on the Mavericks in scoring this season with ten goals and 25 assists for 35 points in 40 games played.
His 35 points this year, which currently stand tied for fifth in the nation amongst all defensemen, ranks second on the school’s single-season scoring by a defenseman list (DI-era). A four-time WCHA Defensive Player of the Week honoree, Brickley was named All-WCHA Second Team this year.
The Kings introduced Brickley at a press conference in Salt Lake City Friday to present to the media the signing of the talented defenseman.
Together, these two talented, young players bring fire and energy to their teams, with Suess being the leader on the team with 22 goals on the season, and tied for the team lead in points on the season (43). Brickley, on the other hand, did things his own way, and even as a defenseman on the Mavericks, he had more shots on goal than Suess had, and having one of the best +/- on the team, with +16 on season.
With both players leaving, this leaves two major gaps in the core of the Mavericks’ hockey club. Nevertheless, the hockey team looks to build toward making it back to the tournament next season, with a lot of up-and-coming players, such as Jake Jaremko and Marc Michaelis starting to break-out.