PITTSBURGH, Pa - Senior forward Nick Prkusic and senior defenseman Nick Jenny will serve as co-captains for the Robert Morris University men's hockey team during the 2020-21 season, it was announced today.
Additionally, junior defenseman Brendon Michaelian and junior forward Aidan Spellacy will each serve as alternate captains alongside Jenny and Prkusic.
"We have an outstanding leadership group. The six individuals that comprise our leadership group have been top notch since our first meeting this past summer," head coach Derek Schooley said. "They have reinvigorated the 'goals, priorities and standards' of Colonial Hockey, and have held our team to these lofty expectations. We are pleased to have these athletes leading our team, but we also have a selfless group of secondary leaders that will help lead our team in the correct direction."
In addition to the four Colonial captains, juniors Justin Addamo and Nolan Schaeffer will also serve in a leadership capacity as members of the internal Leadership Group, bringing almost 150 combined games of AHA experience to the table as the Colonials embark on the 2021 campaign.
Prkusic served as one of three co-captains last season, donning the C alongside former teammates Daniel Mantenuto and Luke Lynch, however this season marks the first time that Jenny, Michaelian, or Spellacy will skate in a game with a letter on their jersey.
A native of greater Edmonton, Alberta, Prkusic led the Colonials in both goals (11) and total points (28) a season ago, including a remarkably consistent 22 points in 25 AHA contests.
The power forward also tied for the team lead with four power-play goals and finished third overall with 93 shots on goal.
Jenny is the lone senior defenseman on the squad, and along with Prkusic makes up 2/3 of RMU's small senior class in 2021.
The Strongsville, Ohio native posted seven goals and led all Colonial blueliners in points per-game a season ago at 0.41 PPG. He finished tied Prkusic and Spellacy for the team lead in man-advantage goals with four.
A capable two-way defender, Jenny found the back of the net in each of RMU's final two playoff contests against Holy Cross last March while also finishing with an even +/- rating and 11 games with multiple blocked shots.
A former AHA Defensive Player of the Week in 2020, Michaelian skated in all 37 contests for RMU a year ago, leading all defenders in total scoring with 12 points in 37 games.
The Wixom, Michigan native was a regular contributor to both the RMU power-play and penalty-killing units, and posted three consecutive two-point games from 11/9-11/15.
Spellacy rounds out the leadership core for the Colonials, a rugged forward who has skated in every regular and post-season game for RMU since midway through his freshman season in December of 2018.
He put up five goals and 12 points in 2020, including two game winners and the game-tying goal with under two minutes to play against RIT on February 8.
RMU kicks off the season this Saturday, November 21 when they host Alabama-Huntsville at Clearview Arena at 7 p.m.
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