Apr 7, 2018; St. Paul, MN, USA;  Notre Dame defenseman Andrew Peeke (22) takes a shot during the second period against the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in the 2018 Frozen Four college hockey national championship game at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports

Irish Name 2018-19 Captains

By Dan Colleran

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — With the 2018-19 Notre Dame hockey season approaching, head coach Jeff Jackson has announced the captains for the upcoming season.

“We’re excited to announce Andrew Peeke, Jack Jenkins, Dylan Malmquist, Bobby Nardella and Cal Burke as our captains for the 2018-19 season,” head coach Jeff Jackson said. “In keeping with the tradition of our previous outstanding captains, these five young men will do a great job maintaining our culture and upholding our standards.”

Peeke, a junior, will serve as the team captain, while seniors Jenkins, Malmquist and Nardella, as well as Burke, a junior, will assume alternate captain roles.

The leadership quintet will each don a letter for the first times in their Irish careers. Peeke, a defenseman, assumes the captaincy from Jake Evans, who led the Irish to a pair of Big Ten Championships last season as well as an appearance in the national title game. Peeke will be the first junior to serve as captain since Cal Petersen did so during the 2016-17 season, which also saw the Irish advance to the Frozen Four.

Peeke, who selected in the second round (34th overall) in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets, helped lead an Irish defense corps that yielded just 2.17 goals against per game, which ranked ninth in the country and second in the Big Ten. He played in 39 games while scoring five goals and adding nine assists for 14 points and led the Irish with a plus-12 rating. He earned 2017-18 Academic All-Big Ten honors.

Last season, Peeke also played in the the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo (Dec. 26 – Jan. 5) and helped Team USA win the bronze medal to become Notre Dame’s sixth all-time medalist at the prestigious tournament. He has played in 79 career games and has nine goals and 19 assists for 28 points.

Last season, Jenkins recorded 13 points on three goals and 10 assists, nearly half of which were tallied on game winners (1-5-6). His late flurry of points, five through the last eight games of the season, helped the team capture the Big Ten Tournament and make a run to the national title game. In the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, he scored the game winner with 31 seconds remaining in the third period to give the Irish a 3-2 win over Penn State. He played in all 40 games as a junior and In 104 career games with the Irish, the forward has totaled 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points.

Malmquist enters his senior season with 110 career games played and 61 points on 30 goals and 31 assists. The Edina, Minnesota native has had a hand in two of the biggest goals in program history. In the 2017 NCAA Northeast Regional, he had an assist on Andrew Oglevie’s overtime game winner versus UMass Lowell to send Notre Dame to the 2017 Frozen Four. Then last season, Malmquist scored the game-winning goal with 27 seconds remaining to lift the Irish past Providence in the NCAA East Regional final, sending Notre Dame to a second straight Frozen Four. He earned 2017-18 Academic All-Big Ten honors.

Nardella finished his junior campaign skating in all 40 games and tallying 24 points on five goals and 19 assists. He was also key contributor to the Irish defensive unit last season, registering 42 blocks. He assisted on Jordan Gross’ goal in NCAA regional semifinal win over Michigan Tech (March 23) and he also had a game high three blocked shots against Michigan in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinal win in April. Named the team’s Rookie of the Year in 2015-16, Nardella has played in 109 career contests, registering 16 goals and 53 assists for 69 points.

Burke, who ranked second on the team in goals (14) and fourth in points last season (26; 14-12-26), saw action in 38 games for the Irish as a sophomore. He scored the third Notre Dame goal in the NCAA Frozen Four win over Michigan, helping send the team to the NCAA title game. Burke posted six multi-points game in his second year with the team, after recording one during his rookie year. In 73 career games with the team, he now has 37 points through 17 goals and 20 assists. After scoring a hat-trick in a comeback win at Wisconsin in early December, he was named the Big Ten Third Star of the Week. His three goals sealed the weekend sweep of the Badgers and extended Notre Dame’s program-long win streak (13 at the time, concluded at 16) entering the new year. Burke was awarded the Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley Rockne Student-Athlete Award and he also earned 2017-18 Academic All-Big Ten honors.

The Irish open the 2018-19 season with a home exhibition game versus the USNTDP at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 7. Notre Dame then heads to Erie, Pennsylvania for the 2018 Ice Breaker Tournament (Oct. 12-13). For questions regarding tickets please contact the Murnane Family Ticket Office by calling 833-ND-IRISH or emailing tickets@nd.edu.

— ND —