The NCHC announced its individual player awards Thursday night.
After being named a Hobey Baker Award finalist on Wednesday, Denver junior forward Bobby Brink earned player of the year and forward of the year. Brink was the lone unanimous selection to the all-NCHC first team this season. The Philadelphia Flyers draft pick captured the NCHC scoring title with 35 points (nine goals, 26 assists) in conference play, 10 more than any other player, to help lead Denver to the Penrose Cup. The 35 points tied an NCHC single-season record in conference play, as well.
Overall, he leads the NCAA with 55 points (14 goals, 41 assists) this season in 36 games, seven more points than any other player. Brink also leads the country averaging 1.53 points per game, while his 41 assists this year are eight more than any other player nationally.
For the third straight season, North Dakota head coach Brad Berry was selected the recipient of the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year. It’s his fourth time winning the award in seven seasons. Berry led UND to a third straight Penrose Cup as regular-season co-champions, despite adding 14 new players to the roster this year and being picked third in the NCHC preseason poll. The Fighting Hawks finished 17-6-1 in NCHC play and are 24-12-1 heading into this weekend’s Frozen Faceoff.
Western Michigan senior forward Drew Worrad garnered the senior scholar-athlete award, becoming the second straight Bronco to win the award (Kale Bennett). The WMU assistant captain collected second-team all-NCHC honors this season and was a finalist for NCHC defensive forward of the year. Worrad put up 25 points in NCHC play, tying for second in the conference, and has compiled a career-best 42 points this season. The accountancy major boasts a 3.90 GPA and is a four-time NCHC distinguished scholar-athlete and four-time member of the academic all-NCHC team.
The rookie of the year is Denver forward Carter Mazur, who led all freshmen in conference-only scoring with 24 points and 10 goals in 24 games and has 14 goals and 35 points overall this season, both in the top four nationally among rookies. The Detroit Red Wings draft pick was a two-time NCHC rookie of the month and two-time rookie of the week during the season, while earning near unanimous NCHC all-rookie team honors.
Goaltender of the Year honors go to Minnesota Duluth junior Ryan Fanti, who was named first-team all-NCHC, leading the NCHC in all games with both a .921 save percentage and a 1.99 GAA, including four shutouts. The Mike Richter Award semifinalist was second in conference-only save percentage at .918 and first with a 2.13 GAA in 23 starts. Fanti was a two-time goalie of the week this year and the national goaltender of the month for November.
North Dakota grad student Connor Ford made an immediate impact in his first year with the Fighting Hawks, becoming the second straight UND player to win defensive forward of the year (Shane Pinto). Ford earned honorable mention all-NCHC this season after leading the conference with 537 faceoff wins overall in the regular season and 359 wins in conference play. His 62.4 win percentage in the center circle overall is tied for the NCHC lead among centers, as well. Offensively, Ford is second on UND with 27 points and leads the team with 23 assists.
For the second straight season, Western Michigan junior Ronnie Attard earned NCHC offensive defenseman of the year. A finalist for NCHC player of the year, Attard was named first-team all-NCHC for the second straight season this year after tallying 21 points in 24 NCHC games, with his eight goals tying for tops among defensemen. The Philadelphia Flyers prospect leads NCHC defensemen in all games with 35 points, which ranks second among all NCAA blue liners. Attard was a two-time defenseman of the week during the season and recorded two hat tricks in the year, the first NCHC blueliner to do so.
North Dakota junior Ethan Frisch became the third straight Fighting Hawk to win NCHC defensive defenseman of the year, following Jacob Bernard-Docker and Colton Poolman. Frisch helped guide UND to its third-straight Penrose Cup, logging nearly 30 minutes of ice time per game down the stretch as the Fighting Hawks were plagued by injuries. He posted a plus-3 plus/minus in 21 NCHC games, while blocking 37 shots, and blocked 58 shots overall on the season, seventh in the NCHC. Frisch also chipped in nine goals and 15 points in 34 games from the blue line.
Denver junior goaltender Magnus Chrona is the fourth netminder in seven seasons to win the three stars award. The Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick was named first star of the game five times in conference play, the most of any player this season. The honorable mention all-NCHC selection compiled 35 three Stars of the game points in NCHC action to earn the honor. Chrona started 22 NCHC games in net, posting a 16-6-0 record with a 2.16 GAA and a .907 save percentage, while helping DU win the Penrose Cup.
North Dakota senior forward Mark Senden serves as captain for UND this season after earning UND’s unsung hero award previously. He has never been called for a major penalty in his career and committed only eight minor penalties all season. In addition, Senden helped raise money through an auction for military families that have family members deployed over Christmas this year. He is a four-time member of the NCHC academic all-conference team and has 16 points overall this season.
The fifth annual NCHC media excellence award went to Alex Heinert of Midco Sports and CBS Sports Network, who also co-hosted the NCHC awards celebration Thursday night. Heinert has been the longtime television voice of North Dakota hockey, bringing great knowledge of the game and boundless enthusiasm to each broadcast. He played a prominent role in coverage of the NCHC pod in Omaha last season for Midco Sports and NCHC.tv, calling nearly 20 games over three weeks. Earlier this season, he transitioned into the role as the lead play-by-play voice of NCHC hockey on CBS Sports Network, bringing valuable experience and awareness of the NCHC to the national broadcasts. The media excellence award is voted on by the conference’s sports information directors (SIDs).
For most of the year-end awards, winners were determined based on voting by the conference’s head coaches and media covering each team. The senior scholar-athlete and postgraduate scholarship winners were determined in a vote by the conference’s faculty athletics representatives, while the NCHC staff selected the sportsmanship award. Athletic directors at each NCHC school had a vote on the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year, as well. The three stars award goes to the player who accumulates the most three stars points during conference play.
