The lure of playing for his hometown team with his younger brother was enough to convince Tucker Poolman to stay in school for one final season.

After Poolman helped the UND Fighting Hawks capture the 2016 Frozen Four national men's hockey title, there was plenty of speculation the mobile defenceman was going to turn pro and sign an entry-level contract with the Winnipeg Jets.

That was definitely an option Poolman considered, but ultimately he opted to go back to UND for his junior season.

“It's something I had discussed with my family, my teammates, the coaches. I thought about it for a while and just decided that I wanted to stay another year and keep preparing,” said Poolman, whose younger brother Colton will be part of the Fighting Hawks defence corps next season after suiting up for the Penticton Vees of the BCHL in 2015-16. “Obviously, one of the big reasons I went back was to have the opportunity to play with (Colton). I'm pretty excited for it.”

Having the chance to try and defend the NCAA title factored into the decision to return as well.

Had Poolman, who is six-foot-three and weighs 210 pounds, decided to go pro, chances are good that he would have started the season with the Manitoba Moose in the American Hockey League.

Poolman, who turned 23 last month, was chosen as one of the Fighting Hawks alternate captains for the upcoming season and is sure to take on an enhanced role this fall.

“He had a great year and he's coming back to hopefully lead us to another Frozen Four,” Fighting Hawks head coach Brad Berry said in a telephone interview on Monday. “He moves extremely well for a big man. He's very agile and has very good mobility and he has tremendous power in his stride. He has a very strong shot from the point and he uses that quite a bit at five-on-five and on the power play.

“He's a big, powerful guy who thinks the game really well and hopefully, that will translate really well for him at the next level.”

Because of his versatility and a rash of injuries the team endured, Poolman was used as a forward for a good chunk of his freshman season at UND before returning to defence full-time in 2015-16.

During the run to the Frozen Four title, Poolman showed his ability to play on his off-side, which is something that should serve him well with all of the right-shot depth the Jets have in the organization on defence.

Playing in important games is something Poolman relishes and he's just as likely to throw himself in front of a puck to block a shot as he is to lead the rush on the offensive attack.

“I like playoff games and playing in the games that count,” said Poolman, who grew up in East Grand Forks, Minn. “That's why you put in the work. It takes a lot of people (to win). Teammates, coaches, staff and everyone has got to pull the rope the same direction. It's something you work for all year, it's the goal at the beginning of the year, so it's pretty special to get it done.”

Berry is a great resource for Poolman to bounce ideas off, since he's played in the NHL and the minors and served as an assistant coach in both the AHL and NHL.

The benefits of Poolman sticking around were obvious to Berry, who was more than happy to see the minute-munching D-man return.

“I know he'll come back and be one of our top defencemen, if not our top defenceman. That's huge in development,” said Berry. “The biggest thing for me is that it's not just about getting to the NHL. It's about getting there and staying there. We feel, that with (Poolman) coming back, it will only make him the complete package, when he leaves a year from now to play in Winnipeg.

“You might say he's ready to play (pro) right now, but it's going to make him a better player coming back here because he's going to round his game out and then hopefully, he'll be a 15-to-20 year player in the NHL.”

Poolman is admittedly a late bloomer, but if he continues to progress the way he has since the Jets chose him in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Draft, chances are good that his arrival in the professional ranks is going to be worth the wait.

Tucker Poolman

Chosen in fifth round (127th overall) by Winnipeg Jets in 2013

Position: Defence

Height:six-foot-3

Weight:210 pounds

2015-16 stats: 40 GP, 5 G, 19 A, 24 P, 4 PIM for UND Fighting Hawks (NCAA)