COLORADO SPRINGS Colo. – With the first month of the 2023-24 season in the books, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) announced its October Players of the Month on Tuesday. Garnering the NCHC’s first monthly honors of the season are:

• Player – Massimo Rizzo, Denver, Jr.
• Goaltender – Ludvig Persson, North Dakota, Sr.
• Rookie – Boston Buckberger, Denver, defenseman

This is Rizzo’s first NCHC Player of the Month honor, but second career monthly award after earning NCHC Rookie of the Month in October of 2021. Persson picks up his third career NCHC Goaltender of the Month nod, earning his first two while at Miami as a freshman in December of 2020 and as a junior in February of last season (2023). Buckberger bagged his first NCHC monthly award in his first opportunity, becoming only the fourth defenseman ever to win NCHC Rookie of the Month.

All three NCHC monthly honorees – Rizzo, Persson and Buckberger – are now eligible for Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) October National Player, Goaltender and Rookie of the Month, respectively. HCA national monthly honors are scheduled to be announced tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 1.
 
PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Massimo Rizzo, Denver
Junior Forward
Burnaby, B.C.
 
Rizzo started his junior campaign on fire, tallying points in all six games Denver played in October, including five multi-point games. His 14 points and nine assists in the first month both lead the NCHC, while his five goals tie for third in the conference. The Philadelphia Flyers prospect is second in the NCHC averaging 2.33 points per game, while leading the NCHC with a +10 plus/minus in October. Nationally, his 14 points tie for third in the NCAA while his nine assists tie for second.
 
Along with opening the season on a six-game point streak, Rizzo is currently on a four-game goal-scoring streak (Oct. 20-28), tying his career long, with all five of his goals coming in that span. He started the season by setting up goals, handing out seven assists in a sweep of Alaska in Fairbanks on Oct. 7-8, including a career-high four in Saturday’s finale (Oct. 8). Rizzo then started his goal streak Oct. 20 at then-No. 10 Providence with a two-point night, while scoring again the next night in a 4-3 win at then-No. 3 and now-No. 1 Boston College. This past weekend, he tallied a goal and an assist against Augustana on Oct. 27, before notching his first multi-goal game of the year in a 4-0 win against Air Force a night later, including scoring the game-winner.
 
Rizzo was named NCHC Forward of the Week after his three-goal, four-point outing Oct. 27-28. He fired 15 shots on goal in October, giving him an impressive .333 shooting percentage during the month. Rizzo also won 45 of 94 faceoffs taken in October, including going 37-26 in the circle over his final three games of the month.
 
GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH
Ludvig Persson, North Dakota
Senior Goaltender
Hindas, Sweden
 
After a strong three seasons in net at Miami, Persson started his North Dakota career no differently, backstopping UND to a 4-1-1 record while starting all six games this month. He allowed two goals or less in five of six games so far this season, while winning three straight NCHC Goaltender of the Week awards, the second time in his career he’s done so. Persson leads the NCHC with a .933 save percentage, while ranking second with a 1.65 goals-against average (having played four more games) and fourth with 140 saves in October.
 
Persson recorded his first shutout of the season on Oct. 14 against Wisconsin, making 29 saves in the Ice Breaker Tournament title game. It was the sixth shutout of his college career, while he was one of only four NCHC netminders to record a clean sheet in October. The following Saturday, the Swede stopped 21 of 22 shots in a 2-1 win over then-No. 1 Minnesota on Oct. 21. He then limited Minnesota State to two goals each night on Oct. 27-28, totaling 51 saves.
 
ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
Boston Buckberger, Denver
Freshman Defenseman
Saskatoon, Sask.
 
Buckberger opened his college career with a bang, compiling two goals, five assists and seven points from the blue line to help Denver to a 4-1-1 record in October. The Saskatchewan native recorded points in five of six games in his first month, including a pair of multi-point outings. His seven points tie for the NCHC lead among all defensemen and lead all NCHC rookies regardless of position, while his two goals tie for the NCHC defenseman lead and are one off the NCHC rookie lead. Buckberger’s five helpers tie for first among freshman blueliners nationally.
 
Buckberger recorded his first collegiate goal and points in his debut, potting a goal and adding an assist on Oct. 7 in a win at Alaska. He dished out an assist each night in Denver’s trip to New England on Oct. 20-21, including in a win at then-No. 3 Boston College, to earn NCHC Defenseman of the Week honors. The following weekend Buckberger collected NCHC Rookie of the Week after scoring the opening goal against Augustana on Oct. 27 and adding two assists for his first multi-assist game on Oct. 28 in a shutout of Air Force.
 
Buckberger posted a +8 plus/minus in October, which tied for the NCHC rookie lead and was tops among NCHC defensemen. He also blocked three shots during the month.
 
OTHER NOMINEES:
 
Player of the Month
Matthew Barbolini, Miami, Sr., F
Luke Grainger, Western Michigan, Sr., F
Garrett Pyke, North Dakota, 5th-Yr., D
Ben Steeves, Minnesota Duluth, So., F
 
Goaltender of the Month
Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College, So.
Logan Neaton, Miami, Gr.
 
Rookie of the Month
Jayden Perron, North Dakota, F
Zaccharya Wisdom, Colorado College, F