COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – One day before NCHC Media Day, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) unveiled its 2023-24 Preseason Media Poll on Tuesday, with Denver being selected to win the Penrose Cup for a third straight year. This marks the second straight season the Pioneers were picked atop the NCHC Preseason Poll.

Denver totaled 199 points in this year’s poll, while picking up 11 of a possible 28 first-place votes. North Dakota came in second in the poll with 175 points, despite garnering one more first-place vote than DU (12). St. Cloud State was slotted third in the poll with 155 points and a pair of first-place votes. Western Michigan also received two first-place votes to land fourth with 126 points. Right behind the Broncos in the poll is Minnesota Duluth with 123 points, only three fewer than WMU, and one first-place vote. Omaha was picked sixth (113 points), while Colorado College (89 points) and Miami (28 points) round out the NCHC Preseason Poll, respectively.

Denver won the Penrose Cup outright last season, posting a 19-5-0 record in NCHC play, while going 30-10-0 overall to live up to the preseason poll expectations. The year before (2021-22), DU shared the Penrose Cup with North Dakota. The Pioneers have won three Penrose Cups overall (2016-17) and have now topped the NCHC Preseason Poll three times (also 2017-18). DU boasts a pair of Preseason All-NCHC selections in junior forward Massimo Rizzo and junior defenseman Sean Behrens, both of whom earned All-NCHC accolades last season.

North Dakota is looking to bounce back from tying for fifth place in the NCHC last season, after going 10-10-4 in conference play. UND has won five Penrose Cups in NCHC history, last doing so in 2021-22 when it shared the Cup with Denver. The Fighting Hawks bring back two Preseason All-NCHC forwards in senior captain Riese Gaber and sophomore Jackson Blake. Both earned Second-Team All-NCHC accolades last season after helping UND to an 18-15-6 overall record.

St. Cloud State is coming off an NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship, after finishing fourth in the regular season last year with a 12-9-3 mark in NCHC play. The Huskies have won the Penrose Cup three times in their history, including the inaugural 2013-14 season and most recently in 2018-19. SCSU is buoyed by junior defenseman Jack Peart, who landed on the 2023-24 NCHC Preseason All-Conference Team, as well as fifth-year senior captain Dylan Anhorn, who returns from a season-ending injury last year. Anhorn, a defenseman, and fellow fifth-year Zach Okabe, a forward, were both Honorable Mention All-NCHC selections a season ago when the Huskies finished 25-13-3 overall.

Western Michigan is coming off its best-ever finish in the NCHC, earning runner-up last season with a 15-8-1 record in conference play. The Broncos, picked fourth in this year’s preseason poll, went 23-15-1 overall a year ago while making a second straight NCAA Tournament. WMU looks to replace All-American, NCHC Player of the Year and NCHC single-season goal-scoring record holder Jason Polin, but returns several key pieces on the blue line and senior goaltender Cameron Rowe in net.

Minnesota Duluth finished tied for fifth a season ago and is predicted to finish in the same spot again in 2023-24. Omaha tied its best-ever finish in the NCHC last season, placing third with a 13-9-2 mark in conference play. Colorado College ended in seventh place last year, the same spot they’re predicted to finish this 2023-24 season, but made a run to its first NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship game in 2023 and returns Preseason All-NCHC goaltender Kaidan Mbereko. Miami rounds out the poll in eighth place, where the RedHawks have finished each of the last two seasons. All four teams in the bottom half of the preseason poll are still searching for their first Penrose Cup.

A total of 28 ballots were submitted by local media members from each school, as well as select national media. Points were awarded on a descending scale with a first-place vote worth eight points, a second-place vote worth seven points and so on.  
 
Tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 13, NCHC Media Day takes place at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn., the home of the 2024 NCHC Frozen Faceoff. Fans can take part in 2023 NCHC Media Day by asking questions of student-athletes during the Twitter Takeovers in the morning, watching Instagram Live interviews in the afternoon, and streaming the State of the Conference address for free on NCHC.tv.
 
While Media Day serves as the unofficial start of the 2023-24 season, the NCHC officially drops the puck on its 11th season on Saturday, Oct. 7 with four non-conference contests and a quartet of exhibition games, as all eight NCHC teams are in action. Fans can watch more than 150 games live this season on NCHC.tv, including four games opening weekend. To subscribe to NCHC.tv and save with Early Bird pricing, click here.
 
2023-24 NCHC PRESEASON MEDIA POLL (28 ballots)

1. Denver – 199 points (11 first-place votes)
2. North Dakota – 175 (12)
3. St. Cloud State – 155 (2)
4. Western Michigan – 126 (2)
5. Minnesota Duluth – 123 (1)
6. Omaha – 113
7. Colorado College – 89
8. Miami – 28