Previous NCHC All-Rookie Teams
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – With postseason play starting this weekend, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) revealed its 2019-20 All-Rookie Team on Tuesday, which includes members from four different teams. Denver and Omaha each placed two student-athletes on the six-man squad, while Western Michigan and North Dakota are also represented.
Denver forward Bobby Brink and Western Michigan defenseman Ronnie Attard were both unanimous selections on the All-Rookie Team, while UND’s Shane Pinto and Omaha’s Joey Abate were the other forwards on the squad. UNO’s Brandon Scanlin is Attard’s blue line partner on the All-Rookie Team, while Denver’s Magnus Chrona earned the nod at goaltender.
Brink and Attard both received the maximum 45 points and 15 first-place votes, while Pinto was the next-highest point-getter, earning 39 points and 13 first-place votes. Abate picked up 26 points and seven first-place votes, while his teammate Scanlin garnered 23 points and six first-place votes. Chrona received 10 of a possible 15 first-place votes and totaled 31 points.
The top two rookie point-scorers in conference play headline the forward group as Pinto (Franklin Square, N.Y.) led all NCHC rookies with both 11 goals (five more than any other freshman) and 19 points in 23 conference games. Brink (Minnetonka, Minn.) was second with 16 points, including a freshman-best 10 assists in only 17 conference games, while his 0.94 points per game in NCHC play led all rookies. Pinto, an Ottawa Senators draft pick, also led NCHC rookies with a .650 faceoff win percentage. He was a three-time NCHC Rookie of the Week and February Rookie of the Month, while Brink, a Philadelphia Flyers prospect, was a two-time Rookie of the Week and two-time Rookie of the Month this season. Abate (Bloomingdale, Ill.) tied for third in NCHC rookie scoring with 11 points on four goals and seven assists in 19 conference games.
On the blue line, Attard (White Lake, Mich.) led all NCHC freshman defensemen with 11 points (4g, 7a) in 18 NCHC games, tying for third overall in rookie scoring. The fellow Flyers draft pick led all NCHC rookies with a +15 plus/minus in conference play (Pinto was next best at +10), while he also blocked 18 shots. Scanlin (Hamilton, Ont.) played in all 24 conference games on the UNO blue line, scoring a goal and adding four assists, while blocking 28 shots to rank third among NCHC rookies. Both Attard and Scanlin earned Rookie of the Week once this season, while Attard was also NCHC Defenseman of the Week once.
Protecting the net on the All-Rookie Team is Chrona (Skelleftea, Sweden), who posted a 7-5-4 record (.562 win percentage), while starting 16 of 24 conference games and playing in 17. The Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick led a quartet of rookie goalies who all started at least 17 NCHC games with both a .920 save percentage and a 2.17 goals-against average. Chrona is a one-time Rookie of the Week and was the NCHC’s Goaltender of the Month in October.
Voting was conducted by the eight head coaches at each institution and eight media members, one covering each member school. Coaches and media voted for six forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders, awarding first-team votes for six players (three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender) and second-team votes for the other six selections. Three points were awarded for a first-team vote while one point was awarded for a second-team vote. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players, making 15 first-place votes the maximum a player can receive.
The NCHC will announce its All-Conference Teams on Wednesday and its individual award finalists on Thursday. Individual award winners will be announced at the NCHC Awards Celebration in Saint Paul, Minn. on Thursday, March 19 on the eve of the 2020 NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
2019-20 NCHC All-Rookie Team
F: Bobby Brink, Denver – 45 points (15 first-place votes) - unanimous
F: Shane Pinto, North Dakota – 39 points (13)
F: Joey Abate, Omaha – 26 points (7)
D: Ronnie Attard, Western Michigan – 45 points (15) - unanimous
D: Brandon Scanlin, Omaha – 23 points (6)
G: Magnus Chrona, Denver – 31 points (10)
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