2023–24 NCHC season
Sports season
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The 2023–24 NCHC season was the 11th season of play for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference and took place during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season. The season began on October 7, 2023, and concluded on March 9, 2023.[1]
| 2023–24 NCHC season | |
|---|---|
| Season | 2023–24 |
| Conference | NCHC |
| Division | Division I |
| Sport | ice hockey |
| Duration | October 7, 2023– March 9, 2023 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| NHL Entry Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Zeev Buium |
| Picked by | Minnesota Wild |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | North Dakota |
| Season MVP | Jackson Blake |
| Top scorer | Jackson Blake |
| NCHC Tournament | |
| Tournament champions | Denver |
| Runners-up | Omaha |
| Tournament MVP | McKade Webster |
| Top scorer | Jackson Blake |
| NCAA Tournament | |
| Bids | 4 |
| Record | 4–3 |
| Best Finish | National Champion |
| Team(s) | Denver North Dakota Omaha Western Michigan |
| NCHC seasons « 2022–23 2024–25 » | |
Coaches
Records
| Team | Head coach | Season at school | Record at school | NCHC record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado College | Kris Mayotte | 3 | 22–46–6 | 12–32–3 |
| Denver | David Carle | 6 | 116–53–13 | 68–42–9 |
| Miami | Chris Bergeron | 5 | 28–90–13 | 17–71–9 |
| Minnesota Duluth | Scott Sandelin | 24 | 444–368–96 | 127–93–21 |
| North Dakota | Brad Berry | 9 | 180–92–31 | 112–62–19 |
| Omaha | Mike Gabinet | 7 | 94–101–12 | 61–74–9 |
| St. Cloud State | Brett Larson | 6 | 106–60–16 | 66–42–12 |
| Western Michigan | Pat Ferschweiler | 3 | 49–27–2 | 29–18–2 |
Standings
| Conference record | Overall record | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | |||
| #8 North Dakota † | 24 | 15 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 49 | 87 | 67 | 40 | 26 | 12 | 2 | 151 | 105 | ||
| #1 Denver * | 24 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 45 | 110 | 80 | 44 | 32 | 9 | 3 | 202 | 120 | ||
| #18 St. Cloud State | 24 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 41 | 77 | 74 | 38 | 17 | 16 | 5 | 121 | 114 | ||
| #15 Colorado College | 24 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 66 | 56 | 37 | 21 | 13 | 3 | 111 | 93 | ||
| #12 Omaha | 24 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 40 | 68 | 74 | 40 | 23 | 13 | 4 | 117 | 112 | ||
| #14 Western Michigan | 24 | 11 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 35 | 78 | 64 | 38 | 21 | 16 | 1 | 136 | 97 | ||
| Minnesota Duluth | 24 | 8 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 65 | 80 | 37 | 12 | 20 | 5 | 103 | 125 | ||
| Miami | 24 | 1 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 44 | 100 | 36 | 7 | 26 | 3 | 78 | 135 | ||
| Championship: March 23, 2024 † indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Frozen Faceoff Championship Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll Updated: April 1, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||
Non-Conference record
Only one conference member (St. Cloud State) ended up with a losing record in non-conference play. While this, ordinarily, would put the NCHC in good standing, several of the teams had very weak opponents. This was typified by Western Michigan, whose strongest opponent on the season was St. Lawrence (48th in the pairwise). The result was that, despite finishing 33 games over .500, the NCHC finished behind the Big Ten and Hockey East in ranking average.
Regular season record
| Team | Atlantic Hockey | Big Ten | CCHA | ECAC Hockey | Hockey East | Independent | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado College | 1–0–0 | 1–1–0 | 0–1–0 | 2–0–0 | 0–0–0 | 2–1–1 | 6–3–1 |
| Denver | 3–0–0 | 0–0–0 | 0–0–1 | 2–0–0 | 1–1–0 | 3–1–0 | 9–2–1 |
| Miami | 4–2–0 | 0–0–0 | 1–1–0 | 0–0–0 | 0–0–0 | 1–0–1 | 6–3–1 |
| Minnesota Duluth | 1–0–0 | 0–1–1 | 3–0–2 | 0–2–0 | 0–1–0 | 0–0–0 | 4–4–3 |
| North Dakota | 1–0–0 | 2–1–0 | 3–0–1 | 0–0–0 | 1–1–0 | 2–0–0 | 9–2–1 |
| Omaha | 2–0–0 | 0–1–1 | 2–0–0 | 0–0–0 | 1–0–0 | 2–1–0 | 7–2–1 |
| St. Cloud State | 0–0–0 | 0–1–1 | 3–3–0 | 0–0–0 | 0–0–0 | 1–1–0 | 4–5–1 |
| Western Michigan | 0–0–0 | 0–0–0 | 3–0–1 | 2–0–0 | 0–0–0 | 4–0–0 | 9–0–1 |
| Overall | 12–2–0 | 3–5–3 | 15–5–5 | 6–2–0 | 3–3–0 | 15–4–2 | 54–21–10 |
Statistics
Leading scorers
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes[2]
| Player | Class | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Blake | Sophomore | North Dakota | 23 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 14 |
| Zeev Buium | Freshman | Denver | 24 | 6 | 25 | 31 | 14 |
| Noah Laba | Sophomore | Colorado College | 24 | 16 | 12 | 28 | 23 |
| Jack Devine | Junior | Denver | 24 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 8 |
| Shai Buium | Junior | Denver | 24 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 10 |
| Cameron Berg | Junior | North Dakota | 23 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 4 |
| Sam Colangelo | Senior | Western Michigan | 24 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 21 |
| Luke Grainger | Senior | Western Michigan | 24 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 13 |
| Tristan Broz | Junior | Denver | 24 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 13 |
| Massimo Rizzo | Sophomore | Denver | 16 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 8 |
Leading goaltenders
Minimum 1/3 of team's minutes played in conference games.
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
| Player | Class | Team | GP | Min | W | L | T | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiden Mbereko | Sophomore | Colorado College | 24 | 1448:51 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 52 | 0 | .927 | 2.15 |
| Cameron Rowe | Senior | Western Michigan | 24 | 1433:01 | 11 | 13 | 0 | 61 | 1 | .903 | 2.55 |
| Ludvig Persson | Senior | North Dakota | 22 | 1362:32 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 62 | 3 | .898 | 2.73 |
| Dominic Basse | Senior | St. Cloud State | 16 | 956:20 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 45 | 2 | .894 | 2.82 |
| Matt Davis | Junior | Denver | 16 | 925:09 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 44 | 1 | .907 | 2.85 |
Conference tournament
Teams are reseeded for the semifinals.
| Quarterfinals March 15–17 | Semifinals March 22 | Championship March 23 | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | North Dakota | 5 | 7 | - | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Miami | 1 | 1 | - | ||||||||||||
| 1 | North Dakota | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | Omaha | 6 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Denver | 4 | 5 | - | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Minnesota Duluth | 0 | 2 | - | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Omaha | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Denver | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | St. Cloud State | 5 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Western Michigan | 2 | 6 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Denver | 5* | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | St. Cloud State | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Colorado College | 4* | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Omaha | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||||||||||||
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
NCAA tournament
Ranking
USCHO
| Team | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado College | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 20 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 15 |
| Denver | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Miami | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
| Minnesota Duluth | 17 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 18 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
| North Dakota | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
| Omaha | NR | NR | NR | 20 | NR | NR | NR | NR | 20 | NR | NR | NR | NR | 19 | NR | 20 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 |
| St. Cloud State | 8 | 10 | 20 | NR | NR | NR | 19 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 |
| Western Michigan | 12 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 |
USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25.[3]
USA Hockey
| Team | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado College | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 20 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Denver | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Miami | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
| Minnesota Duluth | 17 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 18 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
| North Dakota | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Omaha | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 19 | NR | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| St. Cloud State | 7 | 9 | 18 | NR | NR | NR | 17 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 |
| Western Michigan | 10 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.[4]
Pairwise
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado College | 32 | 18 | 7 | 18 | 20 | 16 | 26 | 25 | 29 | 24 | 23 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 11 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 15 |
| Denver | 1 | 14 | 21 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Miami | 11 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 31 | 36 | 43 | 43 | 41 | 43 | 45 | 41 | 40 | 44 | 43 | 44 | 47 | 47 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 49 | 49 |
| Minnesota Duluth | 23 | 30 | 22 | 35 | 28 | 41 | 41 | 47 | 39 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 30 | 30 |
| North Dakota | 32 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Omaha | 32 | 45 | 44 | 33 | 43 | 38 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
| St. Cloud State | 15 | 37 | 41 | 52 | 23 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 |
| Western Michigan | 32 | 16 | 2 | 16 | 12 | 30 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Note: Teams ranked in the top-10 automatically qualify for the NCAA tournament. Teams ranked 11-16 can qualify based upon conference tournament results.[5]
Awards
NCAA
| Award | Recipient | |
|---|---|---|
| Tournament Most Outstanding Player | Matt Davis, Denver | |
| AHCA All-American Teams[6] | ||
| West First Team | Position | |
| Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College | G | |
| Zeev Buium, Denver | D | |
| Jackson Blake, North Dakota | F | |
| Jack Devine, Denver | F | |
| West Second Team | Position | |
| Dylan Anhorn, St. Cloud State | D | |
| Noah Laba, Colorado College | F | |
| Massimo Rizzo, Denver | F | |
| NCAA All-Tournament team | ||
| Matt Davis, Denver | G | |
| Sean Behrens, Denver | D | |
| Zeev Buium, Denver | D | |
| Tristan Broz, Denver | F | |
| Rieger Lorenz, Denver | F | |
NCHC
2024 NHL entry draft
| Round | Pick | Player | College | NHL team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Zeev Buium | Denver | Minnesota Wild |
| 1 | 18 | Sacha Boisvert † | North Dakota | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 1 | 30 | E. J. Emery † | North Dakota | New York Rangers |
| 2 | 42 | Adam Kleber † | Minnesota Duluth | Buffalo Sabres |
| 2 | 47 | Max Plante † | Minnesota Duluth | Detroit Red Wings |
| 2 | 48 | Colin Ralph † | St. Cloud State | St. Louis Blues |
| 3 | 76 | William Zellers † | North Dakota | Colorado Avalanche |
| 4 | 101 | Tanner Henricks † | St. Cloud State | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| 4 | 121 | Jake Fisher † | Denver | Colorado Avalanche |
| 4 | 128 | Hagen Burrows † | Denver | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 5 | 132 | Louka Cloutier † | Omaha | Colorado Avalanche |
| 6 | 175 | Joona Vaisanen † | Western Michigan | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 6 | 182 | Austin Burnevik † | St. Cloud State | Anaheim Ducks |
| 6 | 185 | Tory Pitner † | Denver | Colorado Avalanche |
| 7 | 198 | James Reeder † | Denver | Los Angeles Kings |
| 7 | 207 | Mac Swanson † | North Dakota | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 7 | 208 | Fisher Scott † | Colorado College | Detroit Red Wings |
† incoming freshman [10]