COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – With the college hockey season less than three weeks away, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) unveiled its 2026-27 Preseason All-Conference Team on Tuesday, as selected by media. Three Minnesota Duluth juniors and a trio of North Dakota sophomores make up the six-man squad.
 
Minnesota Duluth juniors and brothers Max and Zam Plante, along with North Dakota sophomore Cole Reschny make up the forwards on the Preseason All-NCHC Team. On the blue line are UMD junior Ty Hanson and NoDak sophomore Keaton Verhoeff, while UND sophomore goaltender Jan Špunar rounds out the 2026-27 NCHC Preseason All-Conference Team.
 
Max Plante was a unanimous selection to this year’s Preseason All-NCHC Team, collecting all 33 votes possible. He was named to last year’s (2025-26) Preseason All-Conference Team, as well. Zam Plante received 18 votes for this year’s Preseason All-NCHC team, while Reschny picked up 17. Hanson was the second-highest vote-getter in 2026-27 with 26 votes, while Verhoeff earned 23 votes. Špunar garnered 17 of 33 votes to nab the goalie spot.
 
Max Plante (Hermantown, Minn.) returns to Minnesota Duluth and will serve as co-captain after winning the 2026 Hobey Baker Award, as well as being named NCHC Player and Forward of the Year, along with First-Team All-NCHC and First-Team All-America. The Detroit Red Wings draft pick led the NCHC with 52 points and 25 goals in 40 games last season, while dishing out 27 assists. His six game-winning goals tied for the NCHC lead. In conference play, he posted 25 points (12g/13a) in 24 games a season ago, tops among returning NCHC players.
 
Zam Plante (Hermantown, Minn.) will be an alternate captain for the Bulldogs this season after collecting Third-Team All-NCHC accolades last season. The Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick finished second in the NCHC behind Max with 51 points a year ago. Zam’s 20 goals tied for third in the NCHC, while his 31 assists tied for second in the conference. In NCHC play only, he posted 24 points (9g/15a) in 24 games in 2025-26.
 
Reschny (Macklin, Sask.) garnered NCHC Rookie of the Year and All-Rookie Team honors last season. The Calgary Flames first round draft pick led all NCHC rookies a season ago with 35 points in 36 games. His 29 assists were sixth in the conference, while he scored six goals as a freshman. Reschny posted 23 points (4g/19a) in 22 conference games last year, as well, which was eighth among all NCHC players.
 
Hanson (Hermantown, Minn.) will co-captain the Bulldogs with Max Plante in 2026-27 after earning Second-Team All-NCHC and Second-Team All-America honors as a sophomore. The undrafted free agent racked up 36 points in 40 games last year, which was second among NCHC blueliners. His 26 assists were tops among NCHC defensemen a season ago, while his 10 goals tied for second among blueliners. In conference play, Hanson was third with 18 points (6g/12a) in 24 games a year ago.
 
Verhoeff (Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta) landed on the NCHC All-Rookie Team a season ago after posting 14 points (3g/11a) in 22 conference games last year. The San Jose Sharks first round draft pick compiled 20 points in 36 games overall, which was eighth among NCHC defensemen. Verhoeff’s six goals tied for fourth among NCHC rearguards.
 
Špunar (Olomouc, Czechia) returns to North Dakota after being named NCHC Goaltender of the Year as a freshman last year, while also garnering First-Team All-NCHC and All-Rookie Team honors. A season ago, Špunar backstopped UND to the Penrose Cup while posting a 20-5-1 record in 27 games overall. His 1.91 goals-against average and .919 save percentage both ranked second in the NCHC a year ago with his six shutouts first in the conference. In conference play, Špunar was 12-3-1 with a 2.15 GAA and .910 save percentage as a rookie.
 
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 make up the NCHC Preseason All-Conference Team. A total of 33 ballots were submitted by media members covering each NCHC team, as well as select national college hockey media.
 
On Wednesday, the 2026-27 NCHC Preseason Media Poll will be revealed. It will first be counted down on the NCHC’s X/Twitter account, @TheNCHC, beginning at 1 p.m. ET, and will be fully revealed by 2 p.m. ET.
 
2026-27 NCHC Preseason All-Conference Team
F: Max Plante, Minnesota Duluth, Jr. - 33 votes (unanimous)
F: Zam Plante, Minnesota Duluth, Jr. – 18 votes
F: Cole Reschny, North Dakota, So. – 17 votes
D: Ty Hanson, Minnesota Duluth, Jr. – 26 votes
D: Keaton Verhoeff, North Dakota, So. – 23 votes
G: Jan Špunar, North Dakota, So. – 17 votes