Kevin Fitzgerald
St. Cloud State men's hockey selected #4 in NCHC 2020-21 preseason poll
11/23/2020 10:19:00 AM | Men's Hockey
St. Cloud State University men's hockey, which has won NCHC regular season titles in 2014, 2018 and 2019, has been picked number four in the 2020-21 National Collegiate Hockey Conference Preseason Media Poll, which was revealed by the league office on Monday, Nov. 23.
The Huskies came in fourth in the poll with 126 points, 10 more than fifth place Western Michigan. North Dakota received 27 of a possible 28 first-place votes, totaling 223 points to sit in first in the poll. Denver was tabbed to finish as the runner-up in the NCHC, garnering the lone other first-place vote in the poll, while compiling 185 points. Minnesota Duluth (173 points) claimed the third spot 12 points back of DU. Omaha landed sixth in the poll with 96 points, while Colorado College (45 points) edged Miami (44) by a point for seventh place in the Preseason Poll.
St. Cloud State (13-15-6, 10-12-2 NCHC in 2019-20) is second among all NCHC teams with 20 letterwinners back in 2020-21, after placing fifth a season ago. The Huskies return Second-Team All-NCHC senior goaltender David Hrenak in net, and boast four NHL draft picks on their roster. This list includes Hrenak (a Los Angeles Kings draft pick), junior defenseman Nick Perbix (Tampa Bay), junior forward Sam Hentges (Minnesota) and freshman forward Veeti Miettien (Toronto).
On offense, the Huskies will return seven of its top 10 point producers from 2019-20. Senior forward Easton Brodzinski led the Huskies in 2019-20 with 12 goals and 27 points. Hentges added seven goals and 17 assists for the Huskies last year, while junior forward Micah Miller had seven goals and 11 assists.
Perbix is SCSU's top returning blueliner with four goals and 11 assists last winter, while sophomore forward Jami Krannila was SCSU's top scoring rookie in 2019-20 with five goals, nine assists and 14 points.
SCSU's leadership team this season will consist of team captain junior defenseman Spencer Meier and alternate captains senior defenseman Luke Jaycox, senior forward Kevin Fitzgerald and senior defenseman Seamus Donohue. SCSU's 2020-21 roster will also feature 14 upper classmen.
A total of 28 ballots were submitted by local media members from each school, as well as select national media. Points were awarded on a descending scale with a first-place vote worth eight points, a second-place vote worth seven points and so on.
The 2020-21 NCHC Preseason All-Conference Team, as selected by media, will be revealed on Tuesday.
The NCHC will begin the 2020-21 season in the Pod in Omaha, Neb., where all eight teams will compete from Dec. 1-20, playing 10 games each. Fans can watch all 40 games in the Pod anywhere in the world with a subscription to NCHC.tv.
SCSU will kickoff the Omaha pod with a game against Western Michigan on Dec. 1.
2020-21 NCHC Preseason Media Poll
The Huskies came in fourth in the poll with 126 points, 10 more than fifth place Western Michigan. North Dakota received 27 of a possible 28 first-place votes, totaling 223 points to sit in first in the poll. Denver was tabbed to finish as the runner-up in the NCHC, garnering the lone other first-place vote in the poll, while compiling 185 points. Minnesota Duluth (173 points) claimed the third spot 12 points back of DU. Omaha landed sixth in the poll with 96 points, while Colorado College (45 points) edged Miami (44) by a point for seventh place in the Preseason Poll.
St. Cloud State (13-15-6, 10-12-2 NCHC in 2019-20) is second among all NCHC teams with 20 letterwinners back in 2020-21, after placing fifth a season ago. The Huskies return Second-Team All-NCHC senior goaltender David Hrenak in net, and boast four NHL draft picks on their roster. This list includes Hrenak (a Los Angeles Kings draft pick), junior defenseman Nick Perbix (Tampa Bay), junior forward Sam Hentges (Minnesota) and freshman forward Veeti Miettien (Toronto).
On offense, the Huskies will return seven of its top 10 point producers from 2019-20. Senior forward Easton Brodzinski led the Huskies in 2019-20 with 12 goals and 27 points. Hentges added seven goals and 17 assists for the Huskies last year, while junior forward Micah Miller had seven goals and 11 assists.
Perbix is SCSU's top returning blueliner with four goals and 11 assists last winter, while sophomore forward Jami Krannila was SCSU's top scoring rookie in 2019-20 with five goals, nine assists and 14 points.
SCSU's leadership team this season will consist of team captain junior defenseman Spencer Meier and alternate captains senior defenseman Luke Jaycox, senior forward Kevin Fitzgerald and senior defenseman Seamus Donohue. SCSU's 2020-21 roster will also feature 14 upper classmen.
A total of 28 ballots were submitted by local media members from each school, as well as select national media. Points were awarded on a descending scale with a first-place vote worth eight points, a second-place vote worth seven points and so on.
The 2020-21 NCHC Preseason All-Conference Team, as selected by media, will be revealed on Tuesday.
The NCHC will begin the 2020-21 season in the Pod in Omaha, Neb., where all eight teams will compete from Dec. 1-20, playing 10 games each. Fans can watch all 40 games in the Pod anywhere in the world with a subscription to NCHC.tv.
SCSU will kickoff the Omaha pod with a game against Western Michigan on Dec. 1.
2020-21 NCHC Preseason Media Poll
- North Dakota – 223 points (27 first-place votes)
- Denver – 185 (1)
- Minnesota Duluth - 173
- St. Cloud State - 126
- Western Michigan -116
- Omaha - 96
- Colorado College - 45
- Miami – 44
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