COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – With the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) in the midst of celebrating its 10th season of competition, the NCHC has announced its All-Decade Second Team on Friday. The six-man squad, which includes former players from four NCHC teams, was revealed by position throughout the week on the NCHC’s social media accounts.
 
The Conference enlisted the help of fans to determine the NCHC’s two All-Decade Teams, with a two-week fan vote taking place from Jan. 18-31. The NCHC All-Decade First Team will be unveiled next week (Feb. 14-16), again by position on social media (@TheNCHC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram), with the goaltender revealed on Tuesday, Feb. 14, the defenseman pair on Feb. 15 and the trio of forwards on Feb. 16. In addition, the NCHC will name an Honorable Mention All-Decade Team once the First Team is announced.
 
Earning a spot on the NCHC All-Decade Second Team are (in alphabetical order by position):

• Forward – Noah Cates, Minnesota Duluth (2018-22)
• Forward – Jake Guentzel, Omaha (2013-16)
• Forward – Jordan Kawaguchi, North Dakota (2017-21)
• Defenseman – Jake Sanderson, North Dakota (2020-22)
• Defenseman – Jimmy Schuldt, St. Cloud State (2015-19)
• Goaltender – Charlie Lindgren, St. Cloud State (2013-16)

Cates earned NCHC honors all four seasons he played at Minnesota Duluth (2018-22), including First-Team All-NCHC as a sophomore in 2019-20 and Second-Team All-NCHC as a junior. The Stillwater, Minn. native was also named to the NCHC All-Rookie Team in 2018-19 and garnered Honorable Mention All-NCHC as a senior. Cates was also tabbed an All-American as a sophomore, earning Second-Team accolades after career bests of 14 goals and 33 points. The two-time UMD captain finished his college career with 99 career points in 139 games, including 39 goals and 60 assists. Cates helped the Bulldogs win the 2019 NCAA National Championship as a freshman, as well as two NCHC Frozen Faceoff crowns in his career, including as a captain in 2022. Now a member of the Philadelphia Flyers, Cates also represented Team USA at the 2022 Winter Olympics in China.
 
Guentzel was a three-year standout for the Mavericks from 2013-16, also collecting NCHC accolades all three seasons. The Woodbury, Minn. native earned All-Rookie Team honors as a freshman in 2013-14, was tabbed Honorable Mention All-NCHC as a sophomore and climbed to Second-Team All-NCHC as a junior in his final year with Omaha, when he recorded career highs of 19 goals and 46 points. The former UNO captain compiled 119 career points in 108 games with the Mavs, including 40 goals and 79 assists. His 119 career points rank 12th in NCHC history, while his 79 career assists are ninth. Guentzel helped lead Omaha to its first Frozen Four in program history as a sophomore. He has since gone on to be a star with the Pittsburgh Penguins, twice being named an NHL All-Star and helping the Penguins win the 2017 Stanley Cup.
 
Kawaguchi was a four-year star and two-time All-American at North Dakota from 2017-21, twice earning First-Team All-NCHC honors as a junior and a senior. The Abbotsford, B.C. native was tabbed First-Team All-American as a junior in 2019-20, when he had career bests of 15 goals and 45 points, while landing on the All-American Second Team as a senior. Kawaguchi also corralled NCHC Forward of the Year honors as a junior in 2019-20 when he was in the Hobey Hat Trick as one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award. The former UND captain guided the Fighting Hawks to back-to-back Penrose Cups his final two seasons, as well as the 2021 NCHC Frozen Faceoff title. Kawaguchi completed his college career with 126 career points in 136 games, which ranks third in NCHC career scoring. He racked up 40 goals and 86 assists in his four years, also ranking third in NCHC history in career assists. Kawaguchi closed his career by earning the Senior CLASS Award, given to the top senior on and off the ice in men’s college hockey. He is now a member of the Idaho Steelheads in the ECHL.
 
Sanderson dazzled in his two seasons at North Dakota from 2020-22, while battling through injuries to play in 45 career games. He totaled 41 points on 10 goals and 31 assists, finishing with a +25 plus/minus. The Whitefish, Mont. native was named to the NCHC All-Rookie team in 2020-21 and garnered Second-Team All-NCHC as a sophomore in 2021-22. The UND assistant captain was also tabbed a First-Team All-American as a sophomore, when he scored eight goals and tallied 26 points in 23 games from the blue line. Sanderson won a pair of Penrose Cups in his time at UND and was selected to the U.S. Olympic Team (with Noah Cates) for the 2022 Winter Games in China. He is now a staple in the Ottawa Senators lineup in his rookie season in the NHL.
 
Schuldt was a four-year standout at St. Cloud State from 2015-19, earning NCHC honors all four seasons. The three-time SCSU captain was a two-time First-Team All-NCHC selection as a junior and senior, while earning All-Rookie Team in 2015-16 and Honorable Mention All-NCHC in 2016-17. Schuldt was a two-time First-Team All-American in 2017-18 and 2018-19, as well, while landing NCHC Player of the Year and Defensive Defenseman of the Year honors as a senior. The Minnetonka, Minn. native led the Huskies to back-to-back Penrose Cups in his final two seasons too. Schuldt was a two-time Hobey Baker Award finalist and in the Hobey Hat Trick as a senior in 2019, when he had 10 goals and 35 assists. He tallied a career-best 38 points as a junior, with 10 goals exactly in three of his four seasons. Schuldt finished his career with 118 points, which are the most by a blue liner in NCHC history. Schuldt scored 38 goals and handed out 80 assists in 156 games as a Husky, with his 80 helpers the third-most ever by a NCHC defenseman. He is now playing for the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the AHL.
 
Lindgren was a teammate with Schuldt for one season, backstopping St. Cloud State from 2013-16. He collected First-Team All-NCHC honors as a junior in 2015-16, which was his final season in college, after earning Honorable Mention All-NCHC as a sophomore and All-Rookie Team accolades in 2013-14. Lindgren was selected a First-Team All-American his final year at SCSU, as well, when he also won NCHC Goaltender of the Year. The Lakeville, Minn. native played in 78 of his 88 career games over his final two seasons, including his junior year when he went 30-9-1 with career bests of a .925 save percentage, a 2.13 goals-against average and five shutouts. That season he also backstopped SCSU to the 2016 NCHC Frozen Faceoff title, while he won a Penrose Cup as a freshman. Lindgren finished his college career with a 51-29-3 record, a .921 save percentage, a 2.21 GAA and eight shutouts, ranking in the top 10 in NCHC history in all three of those categories, along with wins (51), win percentage (.633) and games started (82). Lindgren is in his first season with the Washington Capitals, where he has played 23 games in net so far.
 
NCHC All-Decade First Team Release Schedule on Social Media (@TheNCHC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram):

• Tuesday, Feb. 14 – Goaltender
• Wednesday, Feb. 15 – Defensemen
• Thursday, Feb. 16 – Forwards