Gophers' bruiser expands his offensive role
Jeff Sherry - Staff Reporter
Close your eyes and imagine the "tough guy" on a hockey team. The guy with
scars and missing teeth. The guy who often gets into fights and usually
finishes them.
Now open your eyes and look at Gophers forward Casey Hankinson. He's the
guy with the dimples and a perfect smile. The guy who looks like he
wouldn't harm a fly.
But put a helmet and pads on Hankinson, and it's no more Mr. Nice Guy.
Throughout his freshman season last year, Hankinson showed he likes to mix
it up with opposing players.
It's that physical presence, combined with his skating ability and hockey
smarts, that has turned the Edina native from a questionable contributor
to a probable starter for the Gophers.
"We've been very happy with Casey so far," Gophers coach Doug Woog said.
"He has really gotten stronger over the summer, especially in his legs,
and that has made him quicker. And Casey's an intelligent player. His
competitive nature and mental ability make him a great recruit for us."
Hankinson's role with the team has changed a great deal since he came to
the University. Prior to last year, Woog told him he would probably sit
out his freshman season as a redshirt. Hankinson, who wasn't as
experienced as some of the other freshmen, said he entered the season with
no expectations.
"I knew I wasn't going to be a big goal scorer or anything, so I decided
to try to help the team physically," Hankinson said. "I think that's an
area we were really missing last year."
He impressed the coaches in preseason practice and earned a spot on the
roster. However, Hankinson's inconsistent play, which included a 14-game
scoreless streak from December to January followed by two game-winning
goals in the playoffs, limited his role on the team. At the same time, one
aspect of his game never changed -- his physical play.
Seeing limited action, Hankinson finished fourth on the team with 86
penalty minutes and received two fighting disqualifications.
"I've always been pretty aggressive," said Hankinson, whose brothers Peter
and Ben both starred for the Gophers in the late 1980s. "Ben was a pretty
aggressive hockey player, and he was fun to watch. Now it's fun to go out
and do some of those same things myself."
The 6-foot-1 inch, 193-pound Hankinson will have to temper some of his
aggressiveness this season because of the league's new fighting rule. If a
player gets two fighting disqualifications, he will be suspended for three
games. A player gets suspended for the season if he receives a third
fighting disqualification.
"I don't like that rule so much," he said. "Things can happen so easily
out there. You're not exactly thinking of the consequences when some guy
comes in and cross-checks you in the neck.
"Say you already have one fight toward the end of the year and something
happens. You've just got to sit there and watch someone get beat up or you
miss three games? I think that's pretty unfair. There needs to be some
protection out there for the smaller guys."
Woog, who said he will probably start Hankinson in the Gophers' opening
series at Michigan Tech this weekend, wants the sophomore on the ice as
much as possible. The coach has been looking for a player to complement
league-MVP Brian Bonin, and he said Hankinson fits the role.
"He may be the one guy on our team who can help Bonin the most," Woog
said. "Casey can keep up with Brian and still provide physical support. He
brings smarts, size and aggressiveness to our front line."
And while Hankinson has been the team's most improved player since his
scoring string began in last year's playoffs, he has no plans of letting
his recent good fortune go to his head.
"I can never be satisfied," he said. "Considering how many good guys there
are on thiseasy, I could end up on the bench in a hurry. I just want to
keep working hard, keep getting better and see how good I can get."
team, if I start to take it
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