# 2023–24 NCHC season

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.

## 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

2023–24 National Collegiate Hockey Conference Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall 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 | 42 | 30 | 9 | 3 | 198 | 119 |
| #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 | 1–0–0 | 3–0–1 | 1–1–0 | 0–0–0 | 2–0–0 | 8–1–1 |
| 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 | 2–4–3 | 15–5–5 | 7–3–0 | 2–2–0 | 15–4–2 | 53–20–10 |

## Statistics
### Leading scorers

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
| 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 | Quarterfinals March 15–17 | Quarterfinals March 15–17 | Quarterfinals March 15–17 | Quarterfinals March 15–17 | Semifinals March 22 | Semifinals March 22 | Semifinals March 22 | Championship March 23 | Championship March 23 | Championship March 23 |
| 1 | North Dakota | 5 | 7 | - | | | | | | |
| 8 | Miami | 1 | 1 | - | | | | | | |
| 8 | Miami | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | North Dakota | 3 | | | |
| | | | | | 5 | Omaha | 6 | | | |
| 2 | Denver | 4 | 5 | - | 5 | Omaha | 6 | | | |
| 7 | Minnesota Duluth | 0 | 2 | - | | | | | | |
| 7 | Minnesota Duluth | 0 | 2 | - | | | | 5 | Omaha | 1 |
| | | | | | | | | 2 | Denver | 4 |
| 3 | St. Cloud State | 5 | 1 | 5 | | | | | | | 2 | Denver | 4 |
| 6 | Western Michigan | 2 | 6 | 1 | | | | | | |
| 6 | Western Michigan | 2 | 6 | 1 | 2 | Denver | 5* | | | |
| | | | | | 3 | St. Cloud State | 4 | | | |
| 4 | Colorado College | 4* | 1 | 1 | 3 | St. Cloud State | 4 | | | |
| 5 | Omaha | 3 | 3 | 2 | | | | | | |
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

## 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 | 25 | 26 | Final |
| Colorado College | NR | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Denver | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Miami | NR | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Minnesota Duluth | 17 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| North Dakota | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Omaha | NR | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| St. Cloud State | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Western Michigan | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |

### USA Hockey

| Team | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | Final |
| Colorado College | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Denver | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Miami | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Minnesota Duluth | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| North Dakota | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Omaha | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| St. Cloud State | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Western Michigan | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |

### 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.

## Awards
### NCAA

| Award | Recipient |
| Tournament Most Outstanding Player | Matt Davis, Denver |
| AHCA All-American Teams ||
| 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

| Award | Award | Recipient |
| Player of the Year | Player of the Year | Jackson Blake, North Dakota |
| Rookie of the Year | Rookie of the Year | Zeev Buium, Denver |
| Goaltender of the Year | Goaltender of the Year | Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College |
| Forward of the Year | Forward of the Year | Jackson Blake, North Dakota |
| Defensive Defenseman of the Year | Defensive Defenseman of the Year | Sean Behrens, Denver |
| Offensive Defenseman of the Year | Offensive Defenseman of the Year | Zeev Buium, Denver |
| Defensive Forward of the Year | Defensive Forward of the Year | Noah Laba, Colorado College |
| Scholar-Athlete of the Year | Scholar-Athlete of the Year | Luke Grainger, Western Michigan |
| Three Stars Award | Three Stars Award | Noah Laba, Colorado College |
| Sportsmanship Award | Sportsmanship Award | Darian Gotz, Minnesota Duluth |
| Herb Brooks Coach of the Year | Herb Brooks Coach of the Year | Kris Mayotte, Colorado College |
| Frozen Faceoff MVP | Frozen Faceoff MVP | McKade Webster, Denver |
| All-NCHC Teams |||
| First Team | Position | Second Team |
| Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College | G | Ludvig Persson, North Dakota |
| Zeev Buium, Denver | D | Shai Buium, Denver |
| Dylan Anhorn, St. Cloud State | D | Jack Peart, St. Cloud State |
| Jackson Blake, North Dakota | F | Luke Grainger, Western Michigan |
| Jack Devine, Denver | F | Massimo Rizzo, Denver |
| Noah Laba, Colorado College | F | Ben Steeves, Minnesota Duluth |
| Honorable Mention | Position | Rookie Team |
| Simon Latkoczy, Omaha | G | Isak Posch, St. Cloud State |
| Sean Behrens, Denver | D | Zeev Buium, Denver |
| Jake Livanavage, North Dakota | D | Jake Livanavage, North Dakota |
| Garrett Pyke, North Dakota | D | |
| Cameron Berg, North Dakota | F | Miko Matikka, Denver |
| Sam Colangelo, Western Michigan | F | Alex Bump, Western Michigan |
| Riese Gaber, North Dakota | F | Tanner Ludtke, Omaha |
| Frozen Faceoff All-Tournament Team |||
| Simon Latkoczy, Omaha | G |
| Zeev Buium, Denver | D |
| Griffin Ludtke, Omaha | D |
| McKade Webster, Denver | F |
| Zach Urdahl, Omaha | F |
| Miko Matikka, Denver | F |

## 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