2021-22 CCM/AHCA All-Americans

BOSTON – Five National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) players have been named All-Americans for the 2021-22 season, as the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) announced both the East and West CCM/AHCA All-American squads Friday night ahead of the Hobey Baker Award ceremony in Boston. Three NCHC players earned First-Team honors, while two landed on the Second Team with four different NCHC teams represented.

Western Michigan junior defenseman Ronnie Attard repeated as a First-Team All-American, one of only two players to do so, along with UMass forward Bobby Trivigno. Attard is joined by North Dakota sophomore Jake Sanderson on the First-Team blue line, while Denver junior forward Bobby Brink also garnered First-Team All-American. WMU grad student forward Ethen Frank and Minnesota Duluth junior goaltender Ryan Fanti were tabbed Second-Team West All-Americans, giving the Broncos two All-Americans this season.

Attard (White Lake, Mich.) recently signed an NHL contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, making his NHL debut on April 2. The former WMU assistant captain is a two-time NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year after winning the award again in 2022. Attard finished the season third in NCAA defenseman scoring with 36 points on 13 goals and 23 assists in 36 games. Attard’s 13 goals tie for fourth among blue liners nationally. In conference play, Attard was named First-Team All-NCHC for the second straight season this year after tallying 21 points in 24 NCHC games, with his eight goals tying for tops among defensemen. He was also selected First-Team All-CHN by College Hockey News last week and was a member of both the NCHC Frozen Faceoff and NCAA Northeast Region All-Tournament Teams this season.

Brink (Minnetonka, Minn.) is a Hobey Hat Trick Finalist as one of three up for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award, which will also be presented on Friday night. The 2021-22 NCHC Player of the Year and Forward of the Year leads the country in scoring with 57 points and tops the NCAA with 43 assists. The lone unanimous selection to the All-NCHC First Team this season, the Philadelphia Flyers draft pick captured the NCHC scoring title with 35 points (9g/26a) in conference play, 10 more than any other player, to help Denver win the Penrose Cup. The 35 points tied an NCHC single-season record in conference play, as well. Along with his 43 assists overall, Brink has scored 14 goals this season in 40 games, giving him seven more points than any other player nationally. The DU assistant captain also leads the NCAA averaging 1.43 points per game and 1.08 assists per game. Brink was the National Player of the Month for February and has helped lead his team to the NCAA National Championship Game tomorrow (Saturday) night.

Sanderson (Whitefish, Mont.) was one of the top blue liners in the country when healthy, leading all NCAA defensemen with a 1.13 points-per-game average in his 23 contests with UND this season. The first-round draft pick and now member of the Ottawa Senators racked up 26 points on eight goals and 18 assists, while posting a +5 plus/minus. Sanderson earned Second-Team All-NCHC honors this season, despite only appearing in 10 conference games due to injuries and time away representing Team USA at the World Junior Championship, where he served as captain of the National Junior Team, and the Winter Olympics in Beijing. He still racked up 12 points (4g/8a) in conference play and was a two-time NCHC Defenseman of the Week, helping lead UND to its third straight Penrose Cup.

Fanti (Thunder Bay, Ont.) recently signed an NHL contract with the Edmonton Oilers as an undrafted free agent. The 2021-22 NCHC Goaltender of the Year was stellar throughout the season, also earning First-Team All-NCHC honors and Most Outstanding Player of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff after recording back-to-back shutouts to backstop UMD to the championship. Fanti posted a 20-12-4 record in goal in 37 games this season, with his .929 save percentage tying for eighth nationally and his 1.83 goals-against average ranking fifth in the NCAA. He also totaled seven shutouts on the season, which were fourth in the country, twice logging three consecutive shutouts during the campaign. The Mike Richter Award Semifinalist was also the National Goaltender of the Month for November and named to the NCAA West Region All-Tournament Team with a shutout in the regional semifinals.

Frank (Papillion, Neb.), an undrafted free agent, finished as the nation’s top goal-scorer, potting 26 goals in 38 games this season, while his 0.68 goals per game were also first in the NCAA. The First-Team All-NCHC selection also chipped in 13 assists for 39 points on the year, ranking in the top 25 nationally in scoring. His six game-winning goals tied for second in the country. Frank was a finalist for NCHC Player of the Year after finishing tops in conference play with 16 goals, including four game-winners, and totaling 23 points in 23 NCHC games. The Broncos alternate captain was a two-time NCHC Forward of the Week and the NCHC November Player of the Month.

The five NCHC All-Americans this year are the second-most from one conference behind only Hockey East’s seven. Western Michigan was one of seven teams with multiple All-Americans, along with Michigan, Minnesota State, Harvard, Massachusetts, Northeastern and Quinnipiac. A total of 24 players were honored as All-Americans, with 12 on the East Teams and 12 on the West Teams.

The AHCA All-American teams are sponsored by CCM Hockey and chosen by members of the American Hockey Coaches Association, including the 59 NCAA Division I men’s head coaches. To see the complete AHCA All-American Teams, click here.

The NCHC has now produced 51 AHCA All-Americans in its nine-year history.

AHCA WEST ALL-AMERICAN FIRST TEAM
Goaltender: Dryden McKay, SR, Minnesota State
Defenseman: Ronnie Attard, JR, Western Michigan
Defenseman: Jake Sanderson, SO, North Dakota
Forward: Matty Beniers, SO, Michigan
Forward: Bobby Brink, JR, Denver
Forward: Nathan Smith, JR, Minnesota State

AHCA WEST ALL-AMERICAN SECOND TEAM
Goaltender: Ryan Fanti, JR, Minnesota Duluth
Defenseman: Luke Hughes, FR, Michigan
Defenseman: Owen Power, SO, Michigan
Forward: Ethen Frank, GR, Western Michigan
Forward: Brian Halonen, SR, Michigan Tech
Forward: Ben Meyers, JR, Minnesota

--#NCHChockey--