COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – With the 2025-26 National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) season less than three weeks away, the NCHC announced its Preseason All-Conference Team on Wednesday, as selected by media.
 
Five different teams are represented on the six-man squad, with Denver the lone team to place two players on the Preseason All-NCHC Team. North Dakota junior defenseman Jake Livanavage led all players with 25 of a possible 30 votes, while Denver junior forward Sam Harris was second with 22 votes. Fellow DU junior Eric Pohlkamp rounds out the blue line, earning 16 votes. Livanavage was also named to last year’s Preseason All-NCHC Team and book-ended it with First-Team honors.
 
The other half of the 2025-26 Preseason All-Conference Team consists of sophomores who were all on the 2024-25 NCHC All-Rookie Team. Arizona State’s Cullen Potter (19 votes) and Minnesota Duluth’s Max Plante (15 votes) complete the forward group with Harris, while Western Michigan goaltender Hampton Slukynsky (21 votes) backstops the Preseason All-NCHC Team.
 
Harris (San Diego, Calif.) was a Third-Team All-NCHC selection last season, after tying for second in the NCHC with 23 goals as a sophomore. The 23 goals lead all returning NCHC skaters. The Montreal Canadiens draft pick led the NCAA with 11 power play goals a season ago, while dishing out 12 assists on the year. In 43 games, Harris finished with 35 points, ranking 13th in the NCHC and fourth among returning forwards.
 
Potter (Minneapolis, Minn.) garnered NCHC All-Rookie Team accolades last year after tallying 13 goals and adding nine assists in 35 games. The 13 goals were second among NCHC freshmen, while his 22 points were ninth among rookies. Potter was selected in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft by the Calgary Flames this past summer, the highest draft pick in ASU program history.
 
Plante (Hermantown, Minn.) was a finalist for NCHC Rookie of the Year a season ago, along with All-Rookie Team honors. He totaled 28 points on nine goals and 19 assists in only 23 games due to injury. The Detroit Red Wings second round draft pick averaged 1.22 points per game in 2024-25, which was fourth in the NCHC and tops among freshmen. Plante also helped the U.S. win gold at the 2025 World Junior Championship in January and will serve as an assistant captain for the Bulldogs this coming season.
 
Livanavage (Phoenix, Ariz.) was a First-Team All-NCHC pick and Second-Team All-American a season ago. He tallied 28 points, which was sixth among NCHC blueliners, playing in all 38 games for UND. The undrafted free agent handed out 24 assists last year, while scoring four goals. His 68 blocked shots a season ago were second in the NCHC. Livanavage will be an alternate captain for North Dakota this season.
 
Pohlkamp (Baxter, Minn.) was a Third-Team All-NCHC selection last year, ranking second among NCHC blueliners with 35 points. The San Jose Sharks draft pick scored 11 goals, which were fifth nationally among defensemen, and added 24 assists in 44 games. Pohlkamp led all NCAA rearguards with a +31 plus/minus last season and finished the year being named to the All-Region Team in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Slukynsky (Warroad, Minn.) garnered Second-Team All-NCHC and All-Rookie Team honors in 2024-25. The Los Angeles Kings draft pick backstopped Western Michigan to its first National Championship, as well as first Penrose Cup and NCHC Frozen Faceoff titles. Slukynsky posted a 19-5-1 record in 25 starts as a freshman. His 1.90 goals-against average led the NCHC, while his .922 save percentage was fifth. Slukynsky also helped Team USA win gold medals at the 2025 World Junior Championship and 2025 Men’s World Championship earlier this year.
 
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 made up the preseason all-conference team. A total of 30 ballots were submitted by media members covering each team, as well as select national college hockey media.
 
On Thursday, the 2025-26 NCHC Preseason Poll will be revealed. It will first be counted down on the NCHC’s X/Twitter account, @TheNCHC, beginning at 12:15 p.m. ET.
 
2025-26 NCHC Preseason All-Conference Team
F: Sam Harris, Denver, Jr.                                    
F: Cullen Potter, Arizona State, So. 
F: Max Plante, Minnesota Duluth, So. 
D: Jake Livanavage, North Dakota, Jr.
D: Eric Pohlkamp, Denver, Jr. 
G: Hampton Slukynsky, Western Michigan, So.