Previous NCHC All-Rookie Teams
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – For the first time in National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) history, only two teams are represented on the NCHC All-Rookie Team as co-Penrose Cup champions Denver and North Dakota make up the entire 2021-22 All-Rookie Team. Denver placed a record four players on the All-Rookie squad, the most ever by one NCHC team, while a pair of Fighting Hawks claimed the other two spots.
Denver captured the top two forward spots on the NCHC All-Rookie Team in Carter Mazur and Massimo Rizzo, while UND’s Matteo Costantini rounds out the group up front. DU also makes up the entire All-Rookie blue line with defensemen Sean Behrens and Shai Buium on the squad, while UND’s Jakob Hellsten lands the goaltender position on the All-Rookie Team. The previous record for most All-Rookie Team members from one team was St. Cloud State placing three on the 2017-18 squad.
Mazur was the top vote-getter on the All-Rookie Team, earning 42 of a possible 45 points and 14 first-place votes. Rizzo was next among forwards with 34 points (10 first-place votes), while Costantini picked up eight first-place votes and 30 points. Behrens received 39 points and 12 first-place votes as the second-highest vote-getter on the squad, while Buium earned 29 points and seven first-place votes. Hellsten was the lone freshman goaltender on the ballot, making him a unanimous, unopposed selection.
Mazur (Jackson, Mich.) and Rizzo (Burnaby, B.C.) tied for the overall NCHC rookie scoring lead with 32 points each. In conference play, Mazur led all freshmen with 24 points and 10 goals in 24 games, while he tallied 13 goals overall this season. The Detroit Red Wings draft pick was a two-time NCHC Rookie of the Month and two-time Rookie of the Week. Rizzo, a Carolina Hurricanes draft pick, finished with 20 points in 24 NCHC games, second among freshmen, including leading all NCHC rookies with 17 assists. Costantini (St. Catharines, Ont.) totaled 16 points (6g/10a) in 22 conference games. Rizzo was the October NCHC Rookie of the Month, while Costantini, a Buffalo Sabres draft pick, was a two-time Rookie of the Week.
On the blue line, Behrens (Barrington, Ill.) was third among all rookies in conference scoring and tops among freshman defensemen with 18 points, including 16 assists, in only 20 NCHC games. The Colorado Avalanche prospect was a three-time NCHC Defenseman of the Week this season, as well. Behrens’ blue line teammate, Buium (San Diego, Calif.), finished with 11 points (2g/9a) in 22 NCHC games, while the Red Wings draft pick has 15 points overall this year. In goal, Hellsten (Ljusdal, Sweden) played in six conference games, starting five, while posting a 2-2-1 record with a 2.93 goals-against average and an .884 save percentage.
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 (45 points) 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 17 on the eve of the 2022 NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
2021-22 NCHC All-Rookie Team
F: Carter Mazur, Denver – 42 (14 first-team votes)
F: Massimo Rizzo, Denver – 34 (10)
F: Matteo Costantini, North Dakota – 30 (8)
D: Sean Behrens, Denver – 39 (12)
D: Shai Buium, Denver – 29 (7)
G: Jakob Hellsten, North Dakota – 45 (15) – unopposed/unanimous
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