BATCH OF BULLDOGS

March 23, 2015

by Alan Cross – griffinshockey.com
_________________________________

Alexey Marchenko. Xavier Ouellet. Nick Jensen. Ryan Sproul.

When thinking about the defensive prospects in the Detroit Red Wings’ organization, these are the names that immediately come to mind. But when those touted prospects are called into action by the Wings, their absences must be filled by ready and able replacements.

Meet Scott Czarnowczan.

A Michigan boy hailing from the thumb-side town of Macomb, Czarnowczan (zahr-NOW-zehn) is a former Ferris State Bulldog who has proven this season that he’s a high-end defenseman with serious blue line presence. He’s split his time between the Griffins and their ECHL affiliate, the Toledo Walleye, and last week he rejoined the Walleye after Marchenko’s return from Detroit.

His consolation prize, however, was re-signing a one-year contract with Grand Rapids for the 2015-16 season.

“It’s good knowing that you’re going to play next year, that I’m coming back to Grand Rapids,” said Czarnowczan. “Being up [with the Griffins] for the last little bit has been fun, I’ve been learning a lot of new things. Hopefully I’ll take it to next year and play a lot better.”

In 27 games with the Griffins, he has tallied nine points (2-7—9), 26 penalty minutes and a plus-10 rating. Not bad for an undrafted first-year player. He’s been the man of choice in the case of injuries or call-ups, and he’s shown consistent improvement all season long.

Czarnowczan’s path to professional hockey began to be paved as an 18-year-old in the USHL. A member of the Green Bay Gamblers, his highly-successful squad won both the USHL’s 2009-10 regular season championship and the Clark Cup, fighting back from a 0-2 series deficit to beat the Fargo Force in the final three games of the five-game series.

Perhaps it was then that current Griffins head coach Jeff Blashill first took notice of Czarnowczan, as the Gamblers defeated Blashill’s then-Indiana Ice during the Clark Cup semifinals.

As a product of his hard work, Czarnowczan caught the attention of collegiate hockey programs throughout the country. With numerous schools calling, he had his pick of the litter.

As they say, though, home is where the heart is.

“Different schools were calling me, and then I just ended up choosing Ferris. It felt like home and just felt like the right place to go,” said Czarnowczan. “I had Boston College, Boston University, Wisconsin, Ohio State, so some good schools. I always wanted to go to a small school, and I always wanted a degree that I could fall back on. Ferris has a great criminal justice program, so that was one of the things that drew me there.”

He spent four years (2010-14) honing his defensive abilities at Ferris State, all the while completing his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice as a failsafe should his hockey career not take off. It was during his sophomore year that Czarnowczan began to see a real possibility in advancing his career, sparked by the Bulldogs’ journey to the Frozen Four during the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

“It kind of gave me a light when we went to the Frozen Four,” said Czarnowczan. “I played with Chad Billins; he was my D-partner for two years.”

Two years his elder, Billins took Czarnowczan under his wing during their time together at Ferris. And he was a good friend to have, as Billins graduated and went on to play for the Griffins during the 2012-13 season, helping the team to its first-ever Calder Cup championship.

Just as things were really taking off for the professional hopeful, Czarnowczan tore his ACL and meniscus during the championship game against Boston College. Naturally, he took a bit to recover.

“My junior year I was rehabbing that, then I came back early and bummed my shoulder. It was all going to depend on my senior year.”

In his final collegiate season as captain of the Bulldogs, Czarnowczan turned out his most productive campaign yet, notching six goals and 19 assists in 41 games and leading Ferris to a 29-11-3 regular season record. Following the end of his senior season, he made the leap to professional hockey and logged 10 playoff games with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads.

“I came back this summer, worked hard and ended up getting a call from my agent talking about the Griffins and Toledo,” said Czarnowczan. “I knew what it was all about because Billins had been here. We would come down from Ferris and watch him play.”

No strangers to one another, the Griffins and Bulldogs have had somewhat of a pipeline since Blashill’s tenure as head coach began in 2012. A 1998 graduate of Ferris State University, Blashill’s mark on his alma mater has been long-lasting, and he’s tapped several resources throughout his time in Grand Rapids.

At Ferris, everyone knows his name.

“You see Blash throughout the papers,” said Czarnowczan. “When the Griffins won the Calder Cup, we saw all of that success up there. We root him on, he’s a Ferris alumni, and his brother (Tim, FSU’s assistant director of facilities) is always up there around the rink, so we would always talk to him about how Blash was doing.”

From Blashill to Billins to Czarnowczan, the Ferris State bloodline continues to flow into professional hockey. While he’s made the leap into the pro ranks and proven his worth, Czarnowczan must continue to improve in order to secure his future beyond 2015-16.

“Going into this season, I wasn’t sure if I was going to stay in Grand Rapids or end up in Toledo. I knew there were a lot of defensemen here, it’s a great group of guys. I ended up in Toledo, which I was ok with. I just busted my butt and waited for my time, that’s what happened.

“No matter where I play, I’ve just been trying to do my best with the team I’m playing for.”

March 23, 2015

by Alan Cross – griffinshockey.com
_________________________________

Alexey Marchenko. Xavier Ouellet. Nick Jensen. Ryan Sproul.

When thinking about the defensive prospects in the Detroit Red Wings’ organization, these are the names that immediately come to mind. But when those touted prospects are called into action by the Wings, their absences must be filled by ready and able replacements.

Meet Scott Czarnowczan.

A Michigan boy hailing from the thumb-side town of Macomb, Czarnowczan (zahr-NOW-zehn) is a former Ferris State Bulldog who has proven this season that he’s a high-end defenseman with serious blue line presence. He’s split his time between the Griffins and their ECHL affiliate, the Toledo Walleye, and last week he rejoined the Walleye after Marchenko’s return from Detroit.

His consolation prize, however, was re-signing a one-year contract with Grand Rapids for the 2015-16 season.

“It’s good knowing that you’re going to play next year, that I’m coming back to Grand Rapids,” said Czarnowczan. “Being up [with the Griffins] for the last little bit has been fun, I’ve been learning a lot of new things. Hopefully I’ll take it to next year and play a lot better.”

In 27 games with the Griffins, he has tallied nine points (2-7—9), 26 penalty minutes and a plus-10 rating. Not bad for an undrafted first-year player. He’s been the man of choice in the case of injuries or call-ups, and he’s shown consistent improvement all season long.

Czarnowczan’s path to professional hockey began to be paved as an 18-year-old in the USHL. A member of the Green Bay Gamblers, his highly-successful squad won both the USHL’s 2009-10 regular season championship and the Clark Cup, fighting back from a 0-2 series deficit to beat the Fargo Force in the final three games of the five-game series.

Perhaps it was then that current Griffins head coach Jeff Blashill first took notice of Czarnowczan, as the Gamblers defeated Blashill’s then-Indiana Ice during the Clark Cup semifinals.

As a product of his hard work, Czarnowczan caught the attention of collegiate hockey programs throughout the country. With numerous schools calling, he had his pick of the litter.

As they say, though, home is where the heart is.

“Different schools were calling me, and then I just ended up choosing Ferris. It felt like home and just felt like the right place to go,” said Czarnowczan. “I had Boston College, Boston University, Wisconsin, Ohio State, so some good schools. I always wanted to go to a small school, and I always wanted a degree that I could fall back on. Ferris has a great criminal justice program, so that was one of the things that drew me there.”

He spent four years (2010-14) honing his defensive abilities at Ferris State, all the while completing his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice as a failsafe should his hockey career not take off. It was during his sophomore year that Czarnowczan began to see a real possibility in advancing his career, sparked by the Bulldogs’ journey to the Frozen Four during the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

“It kind of gave me a light when we went to the Frozen Four,” said Czarnowczan. “I played with Chad Billins; he was my D-partner for two years.”

Two years his elder, Billins took Czarnowczan under his wing during their time together at Ferris. And he was a good friend to have, as Billins graduated and went on to play for the Griffins during the 2012-13 season, helping the team to its first-ever Calder Cup championship.

Just as things were really taking off for the professional hopeful, Czarnowczan tore his ACL and meniscus during the championship game against Boston College. Naturally, he took a bit to recover.

“My junior year I was rehabbing that, then I came back early and bummed my shoulder. It was all going to depend on my senior year.”

In his final collegiate season as captain of the Bulldogs, Czarnowczan turned out his most productive campaign yet, notching six goals and 19 assists in 41 games and leading Ferris to a 29-11-3 regular season record. Following the end of his senior season, he made the leap to professional hockey and logged 10 playoff games with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads.

“I came back this summer, worked hard and ended up getting a call from my agent talking about the Griffins and Toledo,” said Czarnowczan. “I knew what it was all about because Billins had been here. We would come down from Ferris and watch him play.”

No strangers to one another, the Griffins and Bulldogs have had somewhat of a pipeline since Blashill’s tenure as head coach began in 2012. A 1998 graduate of Ferris State University, Blashill’s mark on his alma mater has been long-lasting, and he’s tapped several resources throughout his time in Grand Rapids.

At Ferris, everyone knows his name.

“You see Blash throughout the papers,” said Czarnowczan. “When the Griffins won the Calder Cup, we saw all of that success up there. We root him on, he’s a Ferris alumni, and his brother (Tim, FSU’s assistant director of facilities) is always up there around the rink, so we would always talk to him about how Blash was doing.”

From Blashill to Billins to Czarnowczan, the Ferris State bloodline continues to flow into professional hockey. While he’s made the leap into the pro ranks and proven his worth, Czarnowczan must continue to improve in order to secure his future beyond 2015-16.

“Going into this season, I wasn’t sure if I was going to stay in Grand Rapids or end up in Toledo. I knew there were a lot of defensemen here, it’s a great group of guys. I ended up in Toledo, which I was ok with. I just busted my butt and waited for my time, that’s what happened.

“No matter where I play, I’ve just been trying to do my best with the team I’m playing for.”