COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – For the second straight week, one team is home to three of four KJ Branding National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Players of the Week, as Colorado College collected a trio of awards for the week of Feb. 12-18, 2024, while Denver picked up the fourth. After leading their teams to series sweeps, the KJ Branding NCHC Week 18 honorees are:

• Forward – Zaccharya Wisdom, Colorado College, Fr.
• Defenseman – Sean Behrens, Denver, Jr.
• Goaltender – Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College, So.
• Rookie – Klavs Veinbergs, Colorado College, Forward

These are the first career NCHC weekly honors for both Wisdom and Veinbergs, while Wisdom becomes the first freshman to earn NCHC Forward of the Week since Denver’s Jared Wright for the second week of November in 2022. Behrens bagged his sixth career NCHC Defenseman of the Week award, but first this season. Mbereko gloved his fifth Goaltender of the Week nod this season and the eighth of his career.
 
FORWARD OF THE WEEK
Zaccharya Wisdom, Colorado College
Freshman Forward
Toronto, Ontario
 
Wisdom had a record-setting weekend, while leading the Tigers to a series and regular-season sweep of then-No. 2 North Dakota. The Seattle Kraken draft pick led the NCHC with seven points over the weekend, including tying the NCHC single-game record with four goals in Friday’s 7-1 win. Wisdom tallied a career-high five points in the series-opening victory, only the third NCHC player with a five-point game this season. Three of his four goals came on the power play, the first Tiger with a trio of power play tallies in a game since William Rapuzzi on Jan. 22, 2010, with Wisdom’s first goal putting CC up, 3-1, in the second period. Wisdom then scored the Tigers’ final three goals to cap a hat trick and become only the seventh player and second freshman ever to score four goals in an NCHC conference game. He also had the primary assist, thanks to a strong forecheck, on Gleb Veremyev’s game-winning goal that broke a 1-1 tie in the first frame. Wisdom easily earned First Star of the Game on Friday.
 
On Saturday, Wisdom dished out two more assists on Veremyev goals, both in the third period, as the Tigers rolled to a 6-2 victory. Wisdom finished the weekend with four goals and three assists, with his four-goal game the first by an NCHC player this season. The last NCHC player with a four-goal game was Denver’s Jack Devine on March 10, 2023. Wisdom fired seven shots on goal in the series with UND, including a career-high six on Friday, and posted a +6 plus/minus on the weekend. The freshman now has 10 goals and 16 points in 24 games this season.
 
DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
Sean Behrens, Denver
Junior Defenseman
Barrington, Ill.
 
Behrens was a big-time contributor at both ends of the ice in Denver’s sweep at Minnesota Duluth. The Colorado Avalanche draft pick handed out assists both nights against the Bulldogs, including a pair of helpers in Friday’s win. Behrens dished out the primary assist on DU’s fourth goal in the opener, then helped set up Aidan Thompson’s overtime, game-winner as the Pioneers prevailed, 5-4. Behrens was named the game’s Third Star on Friday. The next night, the junior doled out the lone assist on DU’s second goal early in the first period, as the Pioneers rolled to a 5-2 victory. Behrens also tied a career high with four blocked shots in the series finale.
 
Behrens finished with three assists in the series and was +3 each night to end the weekend +6, tops among NCHC blueliners. He also fired four shots on goal at UMD, with two each night. With his four blocked shots, Behrens leads the Pioneers with 45 blocks this season. Offensively, he now has 23 points, including 21 assists, in 30 games, with the 23 points fifth among NCHC defensemen.
 
GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College
Sophomore Goaltender
Aspen, Colo.
 
Mbereko continued his stellar sophomore season by backstopping CC to a series sweep of then-No. 2 North Dakota, which completed the Tigers’ first-ever four-game, regular-season sweep of UND. The Mike Richter Award Semifinalist racked up 66 saves to lead all NCHC netminders on the weekend, while allowing only three goals. In Friday’s 7-1 rout, Mbereko totaled 23 saves, including six short-handed and 12 in the first period, to earn Third Star of the Game. A night later, he was even better, making a career-high 43 saves, including 19 in the first period, to allow the Tigers to rally for a 6-2 victory. Mbereko earned First Star of the Game in the series finale, while making 18 short-handed saves Saturday as CC ‘s penalty kill went 4-for-5.
 
In addition to leading the NCHC with 66 saves last weekend, Mbereko also led the conference with a .957 save percentage and a 1.50 goals-against average. Of his 66 saves, 24 came short-handed to help CC’s penalty kill finish 7-for-9, while 31 were made in the first period. Mbereko improved to 18-9-1 in goal this season, with the 18 wins tops in the NCHC and fourth nationally. He upped his season save percentage to an NCHC-best .917 on the year, while dropping his GAA to 2.44, which now ranks second in the conference.
 
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Klavs Veinbergs, Colorado College
Freshman Forward
Jelgava, Latvia
 
Veinbergs had a breakout weekend to help CC sweep then-No. 2 North Dakota. Entering with three points all season, the Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick more than doubled that in Friday’s game alone with a career-high four points. Veinbergs opened the scoring with a power play goal, then dished out three assists, all on Zaccharya Wisdom goals. His first two helpers were primary assists on the power play, while he also set up Wisdom’s fourth and final tally to cap the 7-1 win. The next night, Veinbergs doled out the primary assist on Logan Will’s game-winning goal in the third period, which broke a 2-2 tie and led to a 6-2 victory.
 
Veinbergs finished the series with five points, trailing only Wisdom on the weekend among NCHC players. He tallied a goal and four assists, including a trio of primary apples, while posting a +2 plus/minus. After his big weekend, Veinbergs now has two goals, six assists and eight points in 10 games this season.
 
OTHER NOMINEES:
 
Forward of the Week
Sam Harris, Denver, Fr.
 
Defenseman of the Week
Nicklas Andrews, Colorado College, Sr.
Owen Gallatin, Minnesota Duluth, Jr.
 
Goaltender of the Week
Matt Davis, Denver, Jr.
 
Rookie of the Week
Zeev Buium, Denver, Defenseman
Sam Harris, Denver, Forward
Abram Wiebe, North Dakota, Defenseman