COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Three teams and four countries are represented on the 2022-23 NCHC Preseason All-Conference Team, with Denver claiming four of the six spots, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) unveiled Tuesday, two days ahead of its annual Media Day. Along with the quartet of Pioneers, North Dakota and St. Cloud State captured the other two spots on the six-man team selected by media.

UND junior forward Riese Gaber and Denver sophomore forward Carter Mazur were the top vote-getters on the Preseason All-NCHC Team, each receiving 22 of a possible 23 votes. SCSU senior forward Jami Krannila rounds out the forward group, picking up eight votes. The blue line is all Denver with junior Mike Benning (18 votes) and sophomore Sean Behrens (eight votes) claiming those positions, while DU senior goaltender Magnus Chrona backstops the Preseason All-NCHC Team, earning 21 votes.

Gaber (Gilbert Plains, Manitoba) was a First-Team All-NCHC selection last season, finishing in the top 10 in the NCHC in overall scoring with 37 points and in goals with 15. In conference play last year, he tied for seventh with 23 points in only 19 games, tallying nine goals and 14 assists. Gaber will serve as an assistant captain for UND this season.

Mazur (Jackson, Mich.) was the NCHC Rookie of the Year a season ago and earned unanimous NCHC All-Rookie Team honors, while helping the Pioneers win the national championship. The Detroit Red Wings draft pick tallied 38 points in 41 games as a freshman, tying for eighth in the conference, including 14 goals and 24 assists. In conference play, Mazur tied for fifth with 24 points in 24 games (10g/14a).

Krannila (Nokia, Finland) powered the Huskies last season, ranking third on the team with 30 points and second with 15 goals in 37 games. In conference action, the Finn picked up 19 points on nine goals and 10 assists in 24 games.

Benning (St. Albert, Alta.) was a Second-Team All-NCHC pick last year as a sophomore, when he tied for second among blue liners with 21 points in conference play. He also tied for first among defensemen with eight goals in 24 NCHC games. In all games, Benning led all NCHC blue liners with both 38 points and 15 goals a season ago. The Florida Panthers draft pick earned 2022 Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player honors to end last year, while helping DU win its ninth national title.

Behrens (Barrington, Ill.) joined Mazur on the NCHC All-Rookie Team last year, racking up 18 points, including 16 assists, in 20 NCHC games, both tops among rookie blue liners. The Colorado Avalanche draft pick was sixth among all NCHC defensemen in overall scoring as a freshman with 29 points (3g/26a) in 37 games.

Chrona (Stockholm, Sweden) garnered Honorable Mention All-NCHC a season ago, while backstopping DU to a share of the Penrose Cup and the national championship. He was named to the Frozen Four All-Tournament Team along with Benning. The San Jose Sharks prospect posted a 28-8-1 record in net last season, with a 2.11 goals-against average (second in the NCHC) and a .911 save percentage. His six shutouts ranked second in the NCHC. In 22 conference starts, Chrona went 16-6-0 with a .907 save percentage and a 2.16 GAA.

Media members voted for three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender on their ballot with each vote worth one point. The top three vote-getters at forward, top two defensemen and highest vote-getting goaltender made up the preseason all-conference team. A total of 23 ballots were submitted by media members covering each team.
 
On Wednesday afternoon, the 2022-23 NCHC Preseason Poll will be revealed. It will first be counted down on the NCHC’s Twitter account, @TheNCHC, beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET.
 
NCHC Media Day then takes place the following day on Thursday, Sept. 22 at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn., the home of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. Fans will be able to take part in 2022 NCHC Media Day by asking questions for student-athletes during ‘Twitter Takeovers’ in the morning, streaming the State of the Conference address for free on NCHC.tv and more. Details of fan activities during Media Day will be announced later on Tuesday.
 
2022-23 NCHC Preseason All-Conference Team
F: Riese Gaber, Jr., North Dakota – 22 votes
F: Carter Mazur, So., Denver – 22 votes
F: Jami Krannila, Sr., St. Cloud State – 8 votes
D: Mike Benning, Jr., Denver – 18 votes
D: Sean Behrens, So., Denver – 8 votes
G: Magnus Chrona, Sr., Denver – 21 votes