COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After a six-point sweep on the road, North Dakota collected three of four KJ Branding National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Players of the Week for the week of Jan. 19-25, 2026, with Omaha earning the other. Two seniors and two freshmen are among the NCHC Week 16 honorees presented by KJ Branding:

• Forward – Ellis Rickwood, North Dakota, Sr.
• Defenseman – Keaton Verhoeff, North Dakota, Fr.
• Goaltender – Simon Latkoczy, Omaha, Sr.
• Rookie – Will Zellers, North Dakota, F

These are the first career NCHC weekly honors for the North Dakota trio of Rickwood, Verhoeff and Zellers, though Zellers was the NCHC Rookie of the Month in November. Latkoczy gloved his second NCHC Goaltender of the Week award this season and the eighth of his four-year career.

FORWARD OF THE WEEK
Ellis Rickwood, North Dakota
Senior Forward
Brantford, Ont.
 
Rickwood rolled in No. 4 North Dakota’s sweep at Arizona State, racking up six points to lead all NCHC players on the weekend. The Clarkson transfer recorded multiple points both nights, including a career-high-tying four points in Friday’s 7-4 win. Rickwood scored his first career short-handed goal in the series opener to give UND a 2-0 lead in the first period, before dishing out a trio of primary assists in the final frame to help the Fighting Hawks pull away. He was named First Star of the Game on Friday.
 
The next night, Rickwood handed out two more primary helpers in a 5-3 comeback win. Down 2-0, he set up UND’s first goal on the power play, then assisted on Will Zellers’ goal 42 seconds into the third period that tied the game at 3-3. He also went 9-for-14 on faceoffs in Saturday’s win.
 
Rickwood finished the series with a goal and five assists, all primary, to pace all NCHC players in helpers on the weekend. His +4 plus/minus was also tops among NCHC forwards last weekend. Rickwood went 17-11 in the center circle against ASU, while firing three shots on goal. On the season, he is now third on North Dakota with 24 points (6g/18a), including 16 points (5g/11a) in his last 10 games.

DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
Keaton Verhoeff, North Dakota
Freshman Defenseman
Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta
 
Verhoeff posted his best offensive weekend to date as a Fighting Hawk, racking up five points in a sweep at Arizona State. The 17-year-old, draft-eligible freshman recorded multiple points both nights against ASU. In Friday’s opener, he scored a power play goal early in the third period to push UND’s lead to 4-2, before assisting on its sixth goal in a 7-4 victory.
 
The next night, Verhoeff tallied a career-high three points in a 5-3 win. Down 2-0, he opened the scoring for NoDak with another power play goal, before assisting on North Dakota’s final two goals in the third period, including the game-winner, to break a 3-3 tie. He was tabbed Third Star of the Game both nights at ASU.
 
Verhoeff’s five points on the weekend led all NCHC blueliners by three points, finishing with two power play goals and a trio of assists. He posted a +2 plus/minus in the series, while firing four shots on goal and blocking a shot. In 22 games this season, Verhoeff has 17 points, which leads all rookie defensemen nationally, on 11 assists and six goals, with the latter second among NCAA freshman blueliners.

GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Simon Latkoczy, Omaha
Senior Goaltender
Trencin, Slovakia
 
In his first full weekend of work back from injury, Latkoczy led Omaha to a split with Colorado College. In Friday’s series opener, the senior compiled 25 saves on 26 shots against (.962 save percentage) in a 3-1 victory, while helping the Mavericks go 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. The next night, Latkoczy recorded 32 saves, while allowing only two goals in a tough-luck, 3-1 loss. The Mavs co-captain stopped 14 shots in the second period Saturday, and made eight short-handed saves as Omaha went 5-for-6 on the penalty kill in the finale.
 
Latkoczy finished the series with a 1-1-0 record, while totaling 57 saves on 60 shots faced. His .950 save percentage and 1.52 goals-against average against the Tigers led all NCHC netminders with two games played on the weekend. In doing so, Latkoczy improved his season save percentage to .903 in 15 games and lowered his season GAA to 3.17.
 
Saturday marked Latkoczy’s 100th career appearance in net for Omaha, becoming the fifth active NCAA men’s goaltender to reach the milestone and the second active netminder to play 100 games in the NCHC, along with CC’s Kaidan Mbereko. In those 100 games, Latkoczy is 49-43-5 in his Omaha career with a .916 save percentage and a 2.69 GAA.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Will Zellers, North Dakota
Freshman Forward
Maple Grove, Minn.
 
Zellers was a force all weekend for No. 4 North Dakota, racking up four points in a sweep at Arizona State. In Friday’s 7-4 victory, the Boston Bruins prospect recorded a career-high three points, including his third multi-goal game of the season. Zellers assisted on Ellis Rickwood’s short-handed goal in the first period of the opener, before scoring UND’s final two goals in the third period to seal the win. He was named Second Star of the Game on Friday. The next night, Zellers tied the game at 3-3 just 42 seconds into the third period, sparking a three-goal third period for NoDak in a 5-3 comeback win.
 
Zellers ended the series with three goals, the most by any NCHC skater last weekend and his most in a weekend for North Dakota, to go with one assist. He fired seven shots on goal in the desert, while posting a +2 plus/minus. Zellers is now sixth among Fighting Hawks and second among NCHC freshmen with 21 points this season, while his 13 goals are third for NoDak and tops among NCHC rookies.
 
OTHER NOMINEES:
 
Forward of the Week
Connor Hvidston, Colorado College
Gavyn Thoreson, St. Cloud State
Liam Valente, Western Michigan

Defenseman of the Week
Philippe Blais-Savoie, Colorado College
Eric Pohlkamp, Denver
Samuel Sjolund, Western Michigan

Goaltender of the Week
Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College
Hampton Slukynsky, Western Michigan
 
Rookie of the Week
Bobby Cowan, Western Michigan, F
Johnny Hicks, Denver, G
Connor Hvidston, Colorado College, F
Yan Shostak, St. Cloud State, G