Logan O’Connor, Dylan Gambrell and Will Butcher used their time at the University of Denver to achieve many of their childhood hockey dreams.
They became national champions together for the Pioneers. They all moved on to the NHL.
There was also another, less-publicized pursuit during their time as roommates. The trio of future pros, plus a few other Pios teammates, competed for another prestigious honor: King of Catan.
O’Connor & Co. became fervent combatants during a two-year war for house bragging rights. Their battlefield? Settlers of Catan, a popular strategy-based board game.
“We had a crown, like a typical college thing, in the middle of the living room,” O’Connor told The Denver Post. “We had photos with some goofy faces of us, or something embarrassing, laminated for the leaderboard. You’d have a King of Catan once a week, and then the peasants underneath. So if we didn’t play for a week or two, you’d be up there, or you’d be down low in the peasant category.”
The crew included three future NHL players, plus a trio of defensemen: Adam Plant, Blake Hillman and Sean Mostrom. They typically played on Monday or Tuesday nights.
The house, a triplex on High Street, wasn’t the only location for these showdowns. David Carle, then an assistant for the Pios, said he remembers seeing the Catan board make a few appearances in the players’ lounge at Magness Arena.
“They spend all their time together,” said Carle, now the head coach of the Pios. “We see them for two, three hours a day, but they’re with each other 24/7 — in the classroom, at their homes. That’s all they know. There’s a reason why they call themselves ‘brothers.’ They spend so much time with each other and end up being best men and groomsmen at weddings and such.
“From all that time spent together, when they get back together you’d think they’d be talking about like, real stuff, but they’re going to talk about their Catan games. It might seem super trivial, but it’s a camaraderie. They’re competitive people, so anytime they’re away from here, they want to keep those juices going.”
O’Connor and Gambrell both agreed that they were most consistently the best of the bunch. They played so much that, over time, everyone learned one another’s tendencies. One guy was known for trying to collect the most Knight cards. Another always tried to earn the Longest Road card.
That further fueled everyone’s competitive juices.
“There were a lot of frustrations,” O’Connor said. “It definitely got … probably more intense than what people would think. I guess it was just a competitive environment. Everyone wanted to win, and there were stakes there for sure.
“We had one guy (Mostrom) who never won. It became a running joke. It almost came to a point where the rest of us would do whatever we could to not let it happen.”
Settlers of Catan was released as a strategy-based game for up to four players in 1995. It has become one of the most popular board games of all time, with numerous expansions and updates.
The objective of the game is to be the first to gain 10 victory points, which can be achieved in a variety of ways.
“I had never heard of it. It just gradually … like a couple of us started playing, then it kind of started turning into a weekly or even every couple days we would play,” Gambrell said. “I think it was just that there is more strategy involved compared to a lot of other board games, I guess. With video games, you’re kind of talking to each other, you’re kind of together. But (Catan) was nice, because it was the simplicity of a board game, but also the strategy of it.”
O’Connor played a lot of card games with his family growing up. There are typically card games happening on the plane for NHL players to pass the time traveling on the road.
Ryan Johansen introduced a board game, Super Tock 4, last season on the Avalanche plane. O’Connor quickly became part of another board game crew. Super Tock 4 is a card-based, two-on-two game where the players try to move tokens around the board.
O’Connor’s normal partner is Josh Manson. Parker Kelly replaced Johansen as Ross Colton’s partner.
“I love board games. I love card games, all that stuff,” Kelly said. “It also makes your time go a little bit faster on the plane. You just get to chop it up with the boys and pass the time that way. I really like it, but this board game has a lot going on.
“Me and (Colton) came out hot. In my first three games, we went 3-0. Then they slowly crawled their way back. (Manson) … they call him the closer, because you need to get your last marble in and that guy just has all the luck in the world, and always seems to have the card.”
O’Connor said he doesn’t believe the King of Catan crown is in the possession of anyone from those DU teams, but it could be hiding in a corner or a closet somewhere at the house on High Street.
That group of Pios will always be remembered for winning the 2017 NCAA championship, which was the eighth of an NCAA-record 10 titles for the program. Butcher won the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player.
O’Connor has gone from undrafted free agent to a key glue guy for the Avalanche with a contract that runs through 2031. It won’t show up on any of their hockey cards, but that group of Pioneers greatly values the memories — and the victories — building their settlements on the Catan board.
“The guys now, I think they got into this farming game on their phones that they’re really into. It’s like roller coaster tycoon, but it’s for farming,” Carle said, referencing FarmVille. “Each group kind of has something a little bit different that they do and enjoy. I know last year one house played cribbage a bunch. They all get into different things.
“I think it’s great. It keeps the competition going away from the rink as well.”
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