This has become an annual exercise, one that began back in the old WCHA days.
There was a time where the all-league teams were decided by a vote from a large group of players, coaches, and media covering each team. I voted, and I often agonized over the decisions.
(I also got ripped limb from limb for picking Mike Connolly over Matt Frattin for WCHA Player of the Year. To be honest, I probably deserved to get ripped. It was a damn homer pick. While I tried to justify it at the time, I can admit ten years later it wasn’t my best decision. Anyway, onward.)
The NCHC announced its all-league honors this week, as the Frozen Faceoff begins in Grand Forks on Friday afternoon. Here are the choices made by their panel, which included all eight NCHC head coaches and one media member covering each team (that was not me for UMD). Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players, meaning 15 votes marked a unanimous choice.
First-Team All-NCHC
F – Shane Pinto, So., North Dakota – 45 points (15 first-place votes) unanimous
F – Jordan Kawaguchi, Sr., North Dakota – 40 (13)
F – Nick Swaney, Sr., Minnesota Duluth – 39 (12)
D – Matt Kiersted, Sr., North Dakota – 39 (12)
D – Ronnie Attard, So., Western Michigan – 29 (8)
G – Adam Scheel, Jr., North Dakota – 36 (11)
Second-Team All-NCHC
F – Veeti Miettinen, Fr., St. Cloud State – 15 (2)
F – Chayse Primeau, Jr., Omaha – 14 (2)
F – Noah Cates, Jr., Minnesota Duluth – 10 (3)
D – Nick Perbix, Jr., St. Cloud State – 26 (6)
D – Jacob Bernard-Docker, Jr., North Dakota – 19 (5)
G – Ludvig Persson, Fr., Miami – 14 (2)
NCHC All-Rookie
F – Veeti Miettinen, St. Cloud State – 45 points (15 first-team votes) unanimous
F – Carter Savoie, Denver – 45 (15) unanimous
F – Riese Gaber, North Dakota – 37 (11)
D – Jake Sanderson, North Dakota – 38 (12)
D – Wyatt Kaiser, Minnesota Duluth – 32 (9)
G – Ludvig Persson, Miami – 45 (15) unanimous
Without any further ado, here are my choices. All players are listed alphabetically.
First Team All-NCHC
Forwards
Jordan Kawaguchi, North Dakota
Shane Pinto, North Dakota
Nick Swaney, UMD
Defensemen
Ronnie Attard, Western Michigan
Nick Perbix, St. Cloud State
Goalie
Adam Scheel, North Dakota
Second Team All-NCHC
Forwards
Jackson Cates, UMD
Ethen Frank, Western Michigan
Chayse Primeau, Omaha
Defensemen
Jacob Bernard-Docker, North Dakota
Matt Kiersted, North Dakota
Goalie
Ludvig Persson, Miami
Apologies to
Forwards: Cole Koepke, UMD; Veeti Miettinen, St. Cloud State; Carter Savoie, Denver
Defensemen: Brandon Scanlin, Omaha
Goalie: Isaiah Saville, Omaha
NCHC All-Rookie Team
Forwards
Matthew Barbolini, Miami
Veeti Miettinen, St. Cloud State
Carter Savoie, Denver
Defensmen
Wyatt Kaiser, UMD
Jake Sanderson, North Dakota
Goalie
Ludvig Persson, Miami
I feel like Jackson Cates and Ethen Frank might be two of the more underrated players in the league based on their performances this season, and the fact neither made the first or second teams. Cates has helped drive UMD’s five-on-five offense through a time where the power play has been struggling mightily. Frank’s speed and skill makes him a gigantic problem for teams in all situations. Half of his goals (five power play and one shortie) came on special teams.
The incredible season North Dakota has put together is well-illustrated above. In fact, I agonized over not including Riese Gaber on my All-Rookie Team, choosing Barbolini possibly only because I got to see him play six times this season, and my UND viewings were more limited.
The hardest choice? Unquestionably, it was taking Kaiser over Antti Tuomisto for the All-Rookie Team. Tuomisto’s scoring numbers are more impressive, but Kaiser has played gigantic minutes in all situations from the get-go, and he doesn’t turn 19 until this summer. The overall, body-of-work season he’s put together is extremely impressive and gives him a slight edge, in my admittedly biased opinion.
UMD faces Western Michigan Saturday night. Coverage at 7pm on KDAL.
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