GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota Head Hockey Coach Brad Berry announced on Thursday morning the assistant captains for the 2019-20 season. Senior defenseman Colton Poolman will captain the club for the second straight season and will be joined in the leadership group by assistant captains senior forward Cole Smith, junior defenseman Matt Kiersted and junior forward Jordan Kawaguchi. The captains are voted upon by the team. 

Poolman, who hails from East Grand Forks, Minn., was a finalist for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference's Player of the Year in 2018-19. He was also a finalist for the league's defensive defenseman of the year and an honorable mention all-conference pick for the second straight season, tallying 17 points with five goals and a dozen assists in 35 games.

Kiersted led all UND blue-liners with 18 points in 36 games, scoring seven times and adding 11 assists. North Dakota was 6-1 when the Elk River, Minn., native scored a goal last season, including each of the last six occurrences. He tallied three power-play markers and netted a game-winner while carrying a +2 plus/minus rating for the season.

Kawaguchi paced the Fighting Hawks' offense as a sophomore, topping the squad in both goals (10) and assists (16).  He scored half of those goals in a 10-game stretch in the middle of the season that saw him pot the overtime game-winner against Colorado College Jan. 12 and followed with goals in three of the next six road games. In the regular season finale, the Abbotsford, B.C., product scored a pair of goals and had the game-winner, his second two-goal game of the year (Nov. 10 at Miami). 

Smith, a native of Brainerd, Minn., recorded 16 points with five goals and 11 assists last season. His three points helped push North Dakota past seventh-ranked Minnesota State on Oct. 20 with a pair of goals, including the game winner. His +12 plus/minus was among the team leaders and UND was 11-3 in games in which he held a positive rating. 

UND will open the 2019-20 season on Oct. 5 with an exhibition game against the University of Manitoba. The regular season begins Oct. 11-12 with a non-conference home series with Canisius College.

North Dakota Men's Hockey Captain History

YEAR	CAPTAINS	ASSISTANT CAPTAINS
1946-47	---	---
1947-48	Game captains
1948-49	Bob Murray	---
1949-50	Jim Medved	---
1950-51	Bob Krumholz, Bob May	---
1951-52	Ken Johannson	---
1952-53	Ken Johannson	---
1953-54	None	---
1954-55	None	---
1955-56	None	---
1956-57	Mike Castellano, Bill Reichart	---
1957-58	Jim Ridley, Ed Willems	---
1958-59	Bill Steenson	Julian Brunetta, Joe Poole
1959-60	Guy LaFrance	Art Miller, Ed Thomlinson
1960-61	John Gray	Gerry Walford
1961-62	John Gray	Ernie Dyda, Curt Roseborough
1962-63	Sonny Roberge	George Goodacre, Dan Storsteen
1963-64	Sonny Roberge	---
1964-65	Don Ross	Gerry Kell, Dave Mazur
1965-66	Terry Casey	Roy Davidson, Dennis Hextall
1966-67	Dave Janaway, Jerry Lafond	---
1967-68	Mike Furlong, John Gasparini, Terry Ogden	---
1968-69	Bob Munro, Bob Tuff	---
1969-70	Dave Hudson, John Marks	---
1970-71	Mike Baumgartner, Brian DePiero	---
1971-72	Brian DePiero, Rick Wilson	---
1972-73	Earl Anderson, Jim Cahoon, Al Henry	---
1973-74	Larry Drader, Alan Hangsleben	---
1974-75	Daryl Drader, Larry Drader, Ken Gibb	---
1975-76	Bob DePiero, Daryl Drader, Scott Marvin	---
1976-77	Bob DePiero	Tom Goddard, Roger Lamoureux
1977-78	Scott Marvin	Mike Burggraf, Bill Himmelright
1978-79	Mike Burggraf, Bill Himmelright, Mary Taylor	---
1979-80	Mark Taylor	Marc Chorney, Erwin Martens
1980-81	Marc Chorney	Paul Chadwick, Phil Sykes
1981-82	Cary Eades, Phil Sykes	---
1982-83	Dusty Carroll, Dean Dachyshyn	---
1983-84	Dan Brennan, Bill Whitsitt, Rick Zombo	---
1984-85	Scott Sandelin, Jim Archibald	---
1985-86	Scott Sandelin, Brian Williams, Glen Klotz	Mickey Krampotich, Ian Kidd
1986-87	Bob Joyce	Mickey Krampotch, Ian Kidd
1987-88	Steve Johnson	Scott Dub, Tom Benson
1988-89	Grant Paranica	S. Koberinski
1989-90	Lee Davidson	Russ Parent, Brent Bobyck
1990-91	D. Hakstol	Russ Romaniuk
1991-92	D. Hakstol, Greg Johnson	Dane Jackson, Dixon Ward
1992-93	Greg Johnson	Brad Bombardir, Chris Gotziaman
1993-94	Brad Bombardir	Kevin McKinnon, Chris Gotziaman
1994-95	Keith Murphy	Scott Kirton, Kevin Rappana
1995-96	Dane Litke	Teeder Wynne, Nick Naumenko
1996-97	Dane Litke	Kevin Hoogsteen, Mark Pivetz
1997-98	Mitch Vig	Curtis Murphy, Matt Henderson
1998-99	Adam Calder	David Hoogsteen, Brad Williamson
1999-00	Peter Armbrust	J. Ulmer, Lee Goren
2000-01	Jeff Panzer	Karl Goehring, Bryan Lundbohm
2001-02	Chad Mazurak	Ryan Bayda, Aaron Schneekloth
2002-03	Ryan Hale	David Hale, Kevin Spiewak
2003-04	Andy Schneider	Ryan Hale, David Lundbohm
2004-05	Matt Greene	Matt Jones, Andy Schneider, Rory McMahon
2005-06	Matt Smaby	Mike Prpich, Chris Porter
2006-07	Chris Porter	E. Fabian, Rylan Kaip, Jonathan Toews
2007-08	Rylan Kaip	Ryan Duncan, Taylor Chorney
2008-09	Ryan Duncan	Joe Finley, Zach Jones, Matt Watkins
2009-10	Chay Genoway	Chris VandeVelde, Darcy Zajac
2010-11	Chay Genoway	Derrick LaPoint, Jake Marto
2011-12	Mario Lamoureux	Ben Blood, Corban Knight,Andrew MacWilliam
2012-13	Andrew MacWilliam	Corban Knight, Danny Kristo, Carter Rowney
2013-14	Dillon Simpson	Michael Parks, Stephane Pattyn
2014-15	Stephane Pattyn	Connor Gaarder, Mark MacMillan, Michael Parks
2015-16	Gage Ausmus	Drake Caggiula, Bryn Chyzyk, Paul LaDue, Colten St. Clair, Troy Stecher
2016-17	Gage Ausmus	Brock Boeser, Austin Poganski, Tucker Poolman, Johnny Simonson
2017-18	Austin Poganski	Rhett Gardner, Trevor Olson, Johnny Simonson
2018-19	Colton Poolman	Rhett Gardner, Nick Jones, Hayden Shaw
2019-20	Colton Poolman	Jordan Kawaguchi, Matt Kiersted, Cole Smith

Bold indicates member of 2019-20 coaching staff