Past NCHC All-Conference Teams
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After revealing its All-Rookie Team earlier Monday, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) unveiled its 2020-21 First and Second All-Conference Teams, led by five North Dakota Fighting Hawks on the two teams, including a record-tying four on the First Team. Three different NCHC teams are represented on the All-Conference First Team, while five schools make up the Second Team.
The only unanimous All-NCHC selection this season is North Dakota sophomore forward Shane Pinto, who received all 15 possible first-team votes for 45 points. His senior teammate Jordan Kawaguchi repeated on the All-NCHC First Team as the second-highest vote-getter with 40 points and 13 first-team votes, while Minnesota Duluth senior Nick Swaney is the third First-Team forward with 39 points and 12 first-team votes. UND senior Matt Kiersted (39 points/12 first-team votes), a Second-Team All-NCHC pick last season, and Western Michigan sophomore Ronnie Attard (29 points/8 first-team votes) make up the All-NCHC First-Team blue line, while UND junior netminder Adam Scheel is the fourth Fighting Hawk on the All-NCHC First Team, earning 11 first-team votes and 35 points. Pinto and Attard were NCHC All-Rookie Team honorees last season.
The four UND players on the First Team tie Minnesota Duluth last season and St. Cloud State in 2018-19 for the most First-Team All-NCHC selections.
Earning Second-Team All-NCHC honors are a pair who also earned unanimous All-Rookie Team honors in St. Cloud State forward Veeti Miettinen (15 points/2 first-team votes) and Miami goaltender Ludvig Persson (14 points/2 first-team votes). Omaha junior Chayse Primeau (14 points/2 first-team votes) and Minnesota Duluth junior Noah Cates (10 points/3 first-team votes), who was First-Team All-NCHC last season, are the other Second-Team forwards. SCSU junior Nick Perbix (26 points/6 first-team votes) and UND junior Jacob Bernard-Docker (19 points/5 first-place votes) make up the Second-Team blue line.
Pinto (Franklin Square, N.Y.) captured the NCHC scoring title with 28 points in 23 games and led the conference with 15 goals and 11 multi-point games, while adding 13 assists. The Ottawa Senators draft pick led the conference with seven power play goals and tied for second with three game-winners, while leading the NCHC with 308 faceoff wins and a .620 faceoff win percentage. His +15 plus/minus was second in the NCHC. Kawaguchi (Abbotsford, B.C.) and Swaney (Lakeville, Minn.) tied for second in the NCHC in scoring with 27 points each and were both +9. Kawaguchi led the conference with 20 assists in 23 games, while adding seven goals, including two game-winners. Swaney, a Minnesota Wild draft pick, was second behind Pinto with 13 goals, while dishing out 14 assists, as well, and was also second in the NCHC with 102 shots on goal, playing in all 24 games.
Attard (White Lake, Mich.) led all NCHC blue liners in scoring with 22 points in 24 games, including nine on the power play, while his eight goals also paced all NCHC defensemen. The Philadelphia Flyers prospect led blue liners with 71 shots on goal this season, as well, blocked 25 shots and handed out 14 assists. Kiersted (Elk River, Minn.) tied for second among NCHC defensemen in scoring with 19 points in 24 games, leading rearguards with 16 assists and potting three goals. His 44 blocked shots were fourth in the NCHC and he finished with a +7 plus/minus. Behind Kiersted, Scheel (Lakewood, Ohio) led the NCHC with a 1.80 goals-against average in 20 starts and was second with a .929 save percentage. His 16 wins (16-3-1), .825 win percentage and four whitewashes all led the conference, as well.
On the All-NCHC Second Team, Miettinen (Espoo, Finland) and Primeau (Margate City, N.J.) tied for fifth in scoring with 23 points each in 24 games. Miettinen, a Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick, scored 10 goals and added 13 assists, while Primeau notched nine goals and 14 assists. Cates (Stillwater, Minn.), another Flyers prospect, compiled 17 points on five goals and 12 helpers in 24 games.
Perbix (Elk River, Minn.) tied for second among NCHC defensemen in scoring with 19 points on five goals and 14 assists. The Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick blocked 30 shots and fired 57 shots on goal, while playing in all 24 games. Bernard-Docker (Canmore, Alta.), a Senators prospect, tallied 15 points (2g/13a) in 24 games with 31 shot blocks, while his +15 plus/minus tied for second in the NCHC. Persson (Hindas, Sweden) led the NCHC with a .930 save percentage and was third with a 2.40 GAA, while going 5-10-2 in his 17 starts with two shutouts.
Seven players also earned Honorable Mention All-NCHC, which is made up of the next highest point totals in voting at each position (plus ties) after the First and Second Teams. Receiving Honorable Mention All-NCHC at forward are UND senior Collin Adams, UMD junior Cole Koepke, Colorado College junior Grant Cruikshank and WMU senior Ethen Frank. Garnering Honorable Mention All-NCHC among defensemen are Omaha sophomore Brandon Scanlin and UMD freshman Wyatt Kaiser, who earned All-Rookie Team honors this season, as well. Scanlin’s classmate at Omaha, Isaiah Saville, is the Honorable Mention All-NCHC goaltender.
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, with the most points at each position earning the honors. 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 Sportsmanship Award and Three Stars Award winners on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the five individual positional playing awards will be announced, while Thursday’s awards announcement will include the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year, NCHC Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and the NCHC Senior Scholar-Athlete Award.
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)
Honorable Mention All-NCHC
F – Collin Adams, Sr., North Dakota – 8
F – ^Cole Koepke, Jr., Minnesota Duluth – 7
F – Grant Cruikshank, Jr., Colorado College – 4
F – Ethen Frank, Sr., Western Michigan – 4
D – %Brandon Scanlin, So., Omaha – 7
D – *Wyatt Kaiser, Fr., Minnesota Duluth – 4 (1)
G – Isaiah Saville, So., Omaha – 11 (2)
^ 2019-20 First-Team All-NCHC
# 2019-20 Second-Team All-NCHC
$ 2018-19 NCHC All-Rookie Team
% 2019-20 NCHC All-Rookie Team
* 2020-21 NCHC All-Rookie Team
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