COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Twenty-four (24) National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) student-athletes earned a place on the 2025-2026 Academic All-District Men’s At-Large Team for their performance in the classroom and on the ice during the past season. College Sports Communicators (CSC), which selects the Academic All-District Teams, announced the 2026 Men’s At-Large Team on Tuesday.
 
The 24 recipients from the NCHC represent seven different member schools, led by six from Western Michigan for the second straight year. Minnesota Duluth had five players earn Academic All-District honors, while St. Cloud State saw four earn the accolade. Colorado College placed a trio on the Academic All-District Team, while Arizona State, Denver and North Dakota each had two members recognized.
 
The Academic All-District Men’s At-Large Team distinguishes the nation’s top student-athletes in a variety of sports for their combined performances in competition and in the classroom. The 24 CSC Academic All-District Team members from the NCHC in 2025-26 are (listed alphabetically):

• *Kent Anderson, Denver, Sr., D
• *Boston Buckberger, Denver, Jr., D
• *Ty Hanson, Minnesota Duluth, So., D
• Dylan James, North Dakota, Sr., F
• *Adam Kleber, Minnesota Duluth, So., D
• Ryan Koering, Colorado College, So., D
• Finn Loftus, St. Cloud State, So., D
• *Cruz Lucius, Arizona State, Sr., F
• Drew Montgomery, Colorado College, Jr., F
• Joey Pierce, Minnesota Duluth, Sr., D
• *Max Plante, Minnesota Duluth, So., F
• *Zam Plante, Minnesota Duluth, So., F
• Mason Reiners, St. Cloud State, Sr., D
• Ryan Rosborough, St. Cloud State, R-Sr., F
• Samuel Sjolund, Western Michigan, Sr., D
• *Grant Slukynsky, Western Michigan, Jr., F
• *Hampton Slukynsky, Western Michigan, So., G
• Kyle Smolen, Arizona State, Jr., F
• Garrett Szydlowski, Western Michigan, Jr., F
• Liam Valente, Western Michigan, Sr., F
• Klavs Veinbergs, Colorado College, Jr., F
• William Whitelaw, Western Michigan, Jr., F
• *Abram Wiebe, North Dakota, Jr., D
• Josh Zinger, St. Cloud State, Sr., D

Ten of those 24 NCHC student-athletes were selected as CSC Academic All-America® finalists (denoted with an asterisk above) and will advance to the national ballot: Arizona State’s Cruz Lucius, Denver’s Kent Anderson and Boston Buckberger, the Minnesota Duluth quartet of Ty Hanson, Adam Kleber, Max Plante and Zam Plante, North Dakota’s Abram Wiebe, and Western Michigan brothers Grant and Hampton Slukynsky. The 2026 Men’s At-Large Academic All-America Teams (First, Second and Third), as voted by CSC members, will be announced on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

Hanson and Max Plante both earned AHCA All-American honors this past season for their on-ice performance. Plante also won the 2026 Hobey Baker Award and was the NCHC Player of the Year. Lucius, Hanson, both Plante brothers, both Slukynsky brothers, Buckberger and Wiebe all garnered All-NCHC honors in 2025-26, while Anderson was the NCHC’s Senior Scholar-Athlete Award winner and Kleber was named NCHC Defensive Defenseman of the Year in 2026.
 
Two NCHC student-athletes landed CSC Academic All-District honors for the third time in Denver senior captain Kent Anderson and Western Michigan senior defenseman Samuel Sjolund. Four others collected Academic All-District for the second straight year in Denver’s Boston Buckberger, UMD captain Joey Pierce, St. Cloud State senior Mason Reiners and WMU junior Grant Slukynsky.
 
To be eligible for Academic All-District honors, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his/her current institution (plus former institution if a transfer). Nominated student-athletes must have participated in at least 90 percent of their team’s games this season or started 66 percent of the games (50 percent for goaltenders).
 
Each school is limited to six nominees for the Men’s At-Large Academic All-District Team, which includes athletes from the NCAA men’s sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, volleyball, water polo and wrestling.
 
CSC, previously known as CoSIDA, serves as the voting body for all Academic All-America Teams. Last year, three NCHC student-athletes were selected to the Academic All-America Team in former Denver standouts Matt Davis and Jack Devine, along with former WMU captain Tim Washe.