Off the ice, all but one of Crookshank's classes are in-person which he describes as being "a lot more beneficial than being online." His fellow students are wearing masks and being socially-distant in the classroom and around campus. Heading into this third year, Crookshank is a double-major in political science and justice studies and once his professional hockey career is over, has his eye on going to law school.
Speaking of hockey, Crookshank enjoyed a career high 16 goals last season for the Wildcats, who at the time of the season's cancellation, were ninth in the Hockey East Division with a 15-15-4 record.
As of now, NCAA men's hockey seems on track for a November return. One benefit the H-East division has is geography as all teams can bus to games and avoid unnecessary nights away that will hopefully allow all 11 member teams to complete its 2020-21 season.
A fifth-round pick of the Senators in 2018, his assists slipped from 13 as a freshman to just six last year. But his commitment to his development has been crucial, talking extensively with Senators player development coaches Shean Donovan, Clarke MacArthur and Jesse Winchester about his game.
"They've helped my game a lot but it's just continuing to do the right things and implementing the habits to make it to the next level," Crookshank said. "At the end of the day, stuff that works in college won't work in the pros so I'm generating the habits that will help me make that adjustment to the next level."
The Wildcats are a historic program that hasn't made the NCAA tournament since 2013 and have not had a winning season since 2014-15. A two-time Hockey East Champion (2002, 2003), Crookshank is looking to lead the team back to the team's heyday.
"There's a lot of motivation there," he said. "This is a program that has known excellence since it started and it's not acceptable for us to be around or under .500.
"I think there's a lot of determination pent up, everyone is fired up and ready to go, everyone is dialed in, everyone knows what they need to do to make the team successful and at the end of the day that's all matters in hockey."