Trio of Denver standouts earn first team all-NCHC status for 2022-23 season

Mike Benning and Denver are out to defend their NCAA national championship (photo: Isaiah Vazquez/Clarkson Creative Photography).

After unveiling its all-rookie team on Tuesday, the NCHC announced its two all-conference teams on Wednesday, with four different teams represented on the first team, including a trio of Denver players.

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, with the most points at each position earning the honors. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players, making 15 first-place votes the maximum a player can receive.

2022-23 First-Team All-NCHC
F: Jason Polin, Sr., Western Michigan – 43 points (14 first-team votes)
F: Massimo Rizzo, So., Denver – 36 (12)
F: Jami Krannila, Sr., St. Cloud State – 30 (9)
D: Mike Benning, Jr., Denver – 35 (11)
D: Chris Jandric, Gr., North Dakota – 24 (7)
G: Magnus Chrona, Sr., Denver – 26 (8)

2022-23 Second-Team All-NCHC
F: Carter Mazur, So., Denver – 27 (7)
F: Jackson Blake, Fr., North Dakota – 16 (2)
F: Riese Gaber, Jr., North Dakota – 10 (1)
D: Jack Peart, So., St. Cloud State – 19 (5)
D: Wyatt Kaiser, Jr., Minnesota Duluth – 12 (3)
G: Kaidan Mbereko, Fr., Colorado College – 25 (6)

2022-23 Honorable Mention All-NCHC
F: Hunter McKown, Jr., Colorado College – 6 (1)
F: Ben Steeves, Fr., Minnesota Duluth – 5 (1)
F: Jack Randl, Sr., Omaha – 4 (1)
F: Ryan McAllister, Fr., Western Michigan – 4 (0)
F: Zach Okabe, Sr., St. Cloud State – 4 (0)
D: Sean Behrens, So., Denver – 10 (2)
D: Dylan Anhorn, Sr., St. Cloud State – 7 (1)
G: Simon Latkoczy, Fr., Omaha – 7 (1)

The NCHC will announce its individual award finalists on Thursday. Individual award winners will be announced at the NCHC awards celebration in Saint Paul, Minn. on March 16 on the eve of the 2023 NCHC Frozen Faceoff.