Previous NCHC All-Conference Teams

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Four Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs headline the 2019-20 NCHC All-Conference First Team, while six players repeated all-conference honors as the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) revealed its All-Conference First and Second Teams Wednesday. Six NCHC teams placed at least one player on one of the two all-conference teams, with North Dakota and Denver each placing one student-athlete on both teams, while St. Cloud State has two representatives on the Second Team.
 
Earning First-Team All-NCHC honors for the third straight season is UMD junior defenseman Scott Perunovich, who becomes the first NCHC player to achieve the feat. Joining him as a repeat winner on the First Team is his teammate in senior goaltender Hunter Shepard, who is also now a three-time all-conference selection (Second Team in 2017-18). The other Bulldogs to claim First Team All-NCHC are sophomore forwards Noah Cates, an All-Rookie Team pick last year, and Cole Koepke. Joining them up top is North Dakota junior Jordan Kawaguchi and Western Michigan senior Hugh McGing, as four forwards made the First Team due to a tie in voting. On the First-Team blue line with Perunovich is Denver junior Ian Mitchell, who earned Second-Team honors last year, as did McGing. Minnesota Duluth joins St. Cloud State last year as the only NCHC teams to place four players on the All-Conference First Team.
 
Making up the five-man All-NCHC Second Team are Denver sophomore forward Emilio Pettersen and Miami senior forward Gordie Green up top, with four forwards on the First Team, while UND junior Matt Kiersted and St. Cloud State senior Jack Ahcan make up the Second-Team blue line. In goal is SCSU junior David Hrenak, with both Ahcan and Hrenak repeating Second-Team All-NCHC honorees. Pettersen, Green and Kiersted collected their first All-NCHC honors.
 
Perunovich became the first defenseman to capture the NCHC scoring title, racking up a conference-best 28 assists and 32 points in 24 conference games (all-conference awards based on conference-only statistics). The St. Louis Blues draft pick also blocked 43 shots and posted a +12 plus/minus from the blue line. He was a five-time NCHC Defenseman of the Week, as well, this season. Kawaguchi was second in NCHC scoring, leading all forwards with 30 points on seven goals and 23 assists in 22 games. His 1.36 points per game in NCHC play led the league. The undrafted free agent was a three-time Forward of the Week and two-time NCHC Player of the Month, leading UND to the Penrose Cup.
 
Cates and Koepke finished third and fourth in conference scoring with 27 and 26 points, respectively, both playing in all 24 NCHC games. Koepke, a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, led all NCHC players with both 14 goals and 128 shots on goal in conference play, while Cates, a Philadelphia Flyers draft pick, tied for second with 11 goals and added 16 helpers. Both were +10 on the year. McGing racked up 22 points in 23 conference games for the Broncos, while the Blues draft pick scored nine goals and posted a +10 plus/minus, as well.
 
Mitchell finished third in conference scoring among defensemen with 20 points in 24 games. The Chicago Blackhawks prospect was second among NCHC blue liners with seven goals and first with 63 shots on goal, while posting a +5 plus/minus. Shepard was once again rock solid in net, posting a 17-5-2 record with one shutout, as he was the only goalie to start all 24 conference games. He finished second with both a .923 save percentage and a 2.13 goals-against average in conference play, but first in both among goalies who played at least half the NCHC games. Shepard was a seven-time Goalie of the Week this season.
 
On the second team, Pettersen, a Calgary Flames draft pick, tied for fifth in conference scoring with 23 points in 24 games and led the league with five power play goals, while scoring 11 goals overall. Green had one less point, tallying 22 points in 24 games for the RedHawks on eight goals and 14 assists.
 
Defensively, Kiersted was second among NCHC blue liners in scoring with 23 points in 22 games, including 18 assists and a +7 plus/minus. Ahcan finished fourth in NCHC rearguard scoring with 17 points (5g, 12a) in 23 games, while blocking 41 shots. Hrenak started 22 of 24 NCHC games in net and appeared in 23, posting a 10-9-2 record, while his two shutouts tied for the conference lead. His .915 save percentage was fourth in the NCHC, while the L.A. Kings draft pick compiled a 2.60 GAA.
 
Shepard led all vote-getters in balloting with 43 points, while he, Perunovich and Kawaguchi all received 14 of a possible 15 first-place votes. Cates received 29 points and nine first-place votes, while Koepke and McGing each earned six first-place votes and 24 points. Mitchell also collected six first-place votes but had 26 points. Complete voting totals for all-conference honorees are below.
 
Seven players also earned Honorable Mention All-NCHC, which is made up of the next highest point totals in voting at each position (plus ties) after the First and Second Teams. Receiving Honorable Mention All-NCHC at forward are Colorado College senior Chris Wilkie, SCSU senior Nick Poehling, UND senior Westin Michaud and Omaha sophomore Taylor Ward, while WMU sophomore Mattias Samuelsson and UND senior Colton Poolman make up the Honorable Mention blue line. Poolman earned Honorable Mention for a third straight season. North Dakota sophomore Adam Scheel was the Honorable Mention goaltender.
 
Voting was conducted by the eight head coaches at each institution and eight media members, one covering each member school. Coaches and media voted for six forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders, awarding first-team votes for six players (three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender) and second-team votes for the other six selections. Three points were awarded for a first-team vote while one point was awarded for a second-team vote. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players, making 15 first-place votes the maximum a player can receive.
 
The NCHC announced its All-Rookie Team on Tuesday and will announce its individual award finalists on Thursday, March 12. Individual award winners will be announced at the NCHC Awards Celebration in Saint Paul, Minn. on Thursday, March 19 on the eve of the 2020 NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
 
First-Team All-Conference
F: Jordan Kawaguchi, Jr., North Dakota – 42 points (14 first-place votes)
#F: Noah Cates, So., Minnesota Duluth – 29 points (9)
F: Cole Koepke, So., Minnesota Duluth – 24 points (6)
^F: Hugh McGing, Sr., Western Michigan – 24 points (6)
*D: Scott Perunovich, Jr., Minnesota Duluth – 42 points (14)
^D: Ian Mitchell, Jr., Denver – 26 points (6)
*G: Hunter Shepard, Sr., Minnesota Duluth – 43 points (14)
 
Second-Team All-Conference
F: Emilio Pettersen, So., Denver – 20 points (5)
F: Gordie Green, Sr., Miami – 14 points (3)
D: Matt Kiersted, Jr., North Dakota – 24 points (6)
^D: Jack Ahcan, Sr., St. Cloud State – 19 points (4)
^G: Dávid Hrenák, Jr., St. Cloud State – 11 points (2)
 
Honorable Mention All-Conference
F: Chris Wilkie, Sr., Colorado College – 12 points (2)
F: Nick Poehling, Sr., St. Cloud State – 7 points (2)
F: Westin Michaud, Sr., North Dakota – 4 points
#F: Taylor Ward, So., Omaha – 4 points
D: Mattias Samuelsson, So., Western Michigan – 7 points (1)
D: Colton Poolman, Sr., North Dakota – 5 points (1)
#G: Adam Scheel, So., North Dakota – 4 points

* 2018-19 NCHC First-Team All-Conference (Perunovich also First Team in 2017-18, Shepard Second Team in 2017-18)
^ 2018-19 NCHC Second-Team All-Conference (Mitchell and Hrenak also All-Rookie Team in 2017-18)
# 2018-19 NCHC All-Rookie Team

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