COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Seven goaltenders from the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) have been named to the 2023 Mike Richter Award Watch List, which was announced by the Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) on Thursday. The Watch List includes 41 netminders from NCAA Division I men’s hockey, who will aim to win the Mike Richter Award, presented annually to the top goaltender in D-I men’s hockey since 2014.

The seven NCHC netminders hail from six different schools, with St. Cloud State placing a pair on the list. The NCHC goalies landing on the Watch List include SCSU junior Dominic Basse, fellow Husky senior Jaxon Castor, Denver senior Magnus Chrona, Omaha senior Jake Kucharski, Colorado College freshman Kaidan Mbereko, Miami junior Ludvig Persson and Minnesota Duluth senior Matthew Thiessen.

The NCHC’s seven members of the Watch List tie with the Big Ten for second-most of any conference, behind only Hockey East’s nine. St. Cloud State is one of only four teams to have two netminders on the list, along with Connecticut, Mercyhurst and Merrimack. Of the NCHC’s seven on the Watch List, four are American, two are Swedish and one is Canadian. Four of the seven are seniors, while two are juniors and one is a freshman. Mbereko is one of only five freshmen nationally on the Watch List.

Basse (Alexandria, Va.) was the NCHC and HCA National Goaltender of the Month for October. He was also NCHC Goalie of the Week in mid-November. The Chicago Blackhawks draft pick ranks third nationally and first in the NCHC with a .930 save percentage, while his 1.79 goals-against average is fourth in the NCAA and first in the NCHC. He also has two shutouts in nine starts this year (7-2-0).

Basse has shared the Huskies crease with Castor (Phoenix, Ariz.), who has one shutout in 11 starts (8-3-0) this season. Castor is tied for fourth in the NCAA with a .927 save percentage, while he sits eighth with a 1.90 GAA. Castor is the reigning NCHC Goaltender of the Week after his first-career whitewash last Saturday.

Chrona (Stockholm, Sweden) has earned NCHC Goaltender of the Week once this year. The San Jose Sharks prospect has started 18 games for the Pioneers, posting a 13-5-0 record and one shutout. The reigning national champion carries a .911 save percentage and a 2.29 GAA into this weekend’s series with Miami.

Kucharski (Erie, Pa.) has made an immediate impact in his first year with the Mavericks. The senior has appeared in 14 games, starting 13, while going 5-7-2 with one shutout. The AIC transfer is a two-time NCHC Goaltender of the Week and has compiled a .904 save percentage and a 2.80 GAA.

Mbereko (Aspen, Colo.) is the two-time reigning NCHC Goalie of the Month, winning it for both November and December. Despite missing time as part of the 2023 U.S. National Junior Team, Mbereko has started 13 games and appeared in 16, going 6-6-1 with an NCHC-best three shutouts. His .927 save percentage ties with Castor for fourth nationally, while his 2.26 GAA is fourth in the NCHC and 20th nationally.

Persson (Hindas, Sweden) is a two-time NCHC Goaltender of the Week this season and has started 19 of Miami’s 20 games on the year, posting a 7-10-2 record. Persson has two shutouts on the season, while posting a .901 save percentage and a 3.21 GAA.

Thiessen (Steinbach, Manitoba) has impressed in his first year with the Bulldogs, making 10 starts and 13 appearances, while going 5-6-0 in net. The Maine transfer has one shutout on the year, while compiling a .918 save percentage and a 2.21 GAA, the latter of which is third in the NCHC. He has also earned NCHC Goalie of the Week once this season.

A committee of voters — made up of a cross section of coaches, administrators, scouts and media — will pare the Watch List down to approximately 15 names within the next three weeks and then ultimately choose the winner, who will be announced on Friday, April 7 during the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four in Tampa, Fla.

The NCHC is home to two previous Mike Richter Award winners, with North Dakota’s Zane McIntyre winning the second annual Richter Award in 2015 and Denver’s Tanner Jaillet claiming the honor in 2017.

NCHC Goaltenders on 2023 Richter Award Watch List

• Dominic Basse, St. Cloud State (JR - Alexandria, VA)
• Jaxon Castor, St. Cloud State (SR - Phoenix, AZ)
• Magnus Chrona, Denver (SR - Stockholm, Sweden)
• Jake Kucharski, Omaha (SR - Erie, PA)
• Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College (FR - Aspen, CO)
• Ludvig Persson, Miami (JR - Hindas, Sweden)
• Matthew Thiessen, Minnesota Duluth (SR - Steinbach, MB)