COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Four teams are represented on the 2023-24 NCHC Preseason All-Conference Team selected by media, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) announced Monday, two days ahead of its annual Media Day. Denver and North Dakota each placed two players on the six-man Preseason All-NCHC Team, while St. Cloud State and Colorado College each have one student-athlete on the squad.
 
The leading vote-getter on the Preseason All-NCHC Team was North Dakota sophomore forward Jackson Blake, who earned 25 of a possible 27 votes. Denver junior forward Massimo Rizzo collected 24 votes, while UND senior Riese Gaber rounds out the forward group with 17 votes. St. Cloud State junior Jack Peart leads the blue line with 23 votes, while fellow junior defenseman Sean Behrens (19 votes) of Denver completes the preseason D-pair. Colorado College sophomore netminder Kaidan Mbereko backstops the team in goal, garnering 23 votes.
 
Gaber and Behrens are both repeat selections to the NCHC Preseason All-Conference Team, also being selected to the 2022-23 squad.
 
Blake (Eden Prairie, Minn.) was the NCHC’s Rookie of the Year last season, also picking up Second-Team All-NCHC and NCHC All-Rookie Team accolades. The two-time NCHC Rookie of the Month led UND with 42 points last season, which ranked fifth in the NCHC and second among freshmen, while playing in all 39 games. In conference play, the Carolina Hurricanes draft pick’s 29 points tied for second among all skaters. Blake scored 16 goals as a freshman last year, including 10 in NCHC play, while dishing out 26 assists overall.
 
Rizzo (Burnaby, B.C.) was a First-Team All-NCHC selection as a sophomore last year, after leading all skaters with 31 points in 24 NCHC conference games. His 20 assists in NCHC play were tops, while his 11 goals ranked 10th as he helped Denver win a second straight Penrose Cup. Overall, the two-time NCHC Forward of the Week last year finished third in NCHC scoring with 46 points in 38 games, including 17 goals and 29 assists, with the latter second in the NCHC. Rizzo was a draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, before having his rights traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in August.
 
Gaber (Gilbert Plains, Manitoba) joined Blake on the All-NCHC Second Team last season, tallying 37 points while playing in all 39 games. His 20 goals led UND and ranked seventh in the NCHC. Named North Dakota’s captain for 2023-24, Gaber enters the year with 95 career points, tying for the most among active NCHC players. In conference play only, his 23 points and 13 goals both ranked in the top 10 in the NCHC a season ago.
 
Like Blake and Gaber, Peart (Grand Rapids, Minn.) was also named Second-Team All-NCHC a season ago. He played in all 39 games for the Huskies as a sophomore, scoring three goals and dishing out 21 assists for 24 points, which was sixth among NCHC defensemen. He racked up 20 of his points in NCHC play last season, tied for second among blue liners. Peart was a finalist for NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year last season and was named to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff All-Tournament Team after helping lead the Huskies to the title. The Minnesota Wild draft pick posted a +14 plus/minus on the season last year with 42 blocked shots.
 
Behrens (Barrington, Ill.) collected Honorable Mention All-NCHC accolades last season as a sophomore, helping DU repeat as Penrose Cup champions. A two-time NCHC Defenseman of the Week last season, Behrens compiled 21 points, including 18 assists, in 31 games, tying for ninth in NCHC defenseman scoring. The Colorado Avalanche draft pick also potted three goals, while posting a +11 plus/minus and blocking 55 shots on the year, which ranked fourth in the NCHC. Behrens posted 12 of his 21 points in 20 NCHC games last season.
 
Mbereko (Aspen, Colo.) had a stellar freshman season last year, garnering Second-Team All-NCHC and NCHC All-Rookie Team honors along with Blake. The two-time NCHC Goaltender of the Month and one-time Rookie of the Month last season went 9-16-2 in 30 appearances in net, while backstopping CC to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship game. Mbereko’s .925 save percentage led the NCHC last year, while his 2.30 goals-against average (GAA) was third. His four shutouts tied for the NCHC lead. In conference play only, Mbereko posted a .930 save percentage and a 2.26 GAA, both in the top three in the NCHC.
 
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 27 ballots were submitted by media members covering each team, as well as select national college hockey media.
 
On Tuesday afternoon, the 2023-24 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 Wednesday, Sept. 13 at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn., the home of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. Fans will be able to take part in 2023 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. Click HERE for more on Media Day activities.
 
2023-24 NCHC PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM (out of 27 ballots)
F – Jackson Blake, North Dakota – 25 votes
F – Massimo Rizzo, Denver – 24 votes
F – Riese Gaber, North Dakota – 17 votes
D – Jack Peart, St. Cloud State – 23 votes
D – Sean Behrens, Denver – 19 votes
G – Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College – 23 votes