St. Cloud State Men’s Hockey’s Hentges and Perbix Named to U.S. Olympic Team
1/13/2022 3:17:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Hentges and Perbix will be the eighth and ninth Huskies to play in the Olympics
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – St. Cloud State Men's Hockey's senior forward Sam Hentges (New Brighton, Minn.) and senior defenseman Nick Perbix (Elk River, Minn.) have been named to the 2022 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team, announced by USA Hockey on Thursday. The duo will join head coach Brett Larson, who was announced as an assistant coach on Feb. 6, at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, China from Feb. 2-20.
Hentges and Perbix are the eighth and ninth Huskies to be named Olympians, with eight of the nine representing Team USA. They are the second and third to do so while currently competing for the Huskies, following Will Borgen who competed in the 2018 Olympics. The duo joins fellow Husky Olympians Bret Hedican (Team USA – 1992 Albertville, 2006 Turin), Mark Parrish (Team USA – 2006 Turin), Matt Cullen (Team USA – 2006 Turin), Ryan Malone (Team USA – 2010 Vancouver), Andres Nodl (Team Austria – 2014 Sochi), Will Borgen (Team USA – 2018 PyeongChang) and Garrett Roe (Team USA – 2018 PyeongChang).
Hentges, a seventh-round pick by the Minnesota Wild in 2018 (210th overall), has been a four-year point-producer for the Huskies, recording 70 points with 29 goals and 41 assists in 101 games. He contributed immediately upon arriving in St. Cloud, as he recorded 20 points (10g/10a) and a +14 mark in his freshman campaign (2018-19). In just his sixth collegiate game, Hentges recorded the 62nd hat trick in program history in a 7-0 win over Boston College on Oct. 25, 2018. The New Brighton, Minn., native followed up his debut performance with a career-high 24-point season in 2019-20, as he scored seven goals and had 10 assists.
Through seven games in 2021-22, Hentges has scored nine points (4g/5a), including a two-goal performance at Bemidji State on Dec. 31, 2021, his first game back after missing nine games due to injury. He has scored multiple points in four games this season, including in each of his last three games.
Prior to St. Cloud State, Hentges played junior hockey for the Des Moines Buccaneers and the Tri-City Story of the USHL in 2017-18, where he scored eight goals and had 10 assists. He is a 2017 graduate of Totino-Grace High School where he earned three letters and All-Conference honors.
"I am extremely honored to be named to the Olympic team," said Hentges. "It's something I've dreamed of since I was a kid watching the movie Miracle."
Perbix, a sixth-round pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017 (169th overall), has been one of the nation's top blue liners since joining the Huskies. In his 2018-19 All-NCHC Rookie Team campaign, Perbix helped lead the Huskies to a Penrose Cup, playing in 39 games while recording five goals, 15 assists, 52 blocks and a +24 mark. He earned Second Team All-NCHC and Third Team All-USCHO honors in 2020-21 after appearing in 31 games with seven goals and a team-leading 16 assists for 23 points. Among NCAA defenseman, he finished fourth in points (23) and goals (seven). He was a three-time NCHC Defenseman of the Week in the regular season and garnered NCHC Frozen Four All-Tournament Team and NCAA Northeast Region All-Tournament Team honors in his junior campaign.
In 2021-22, Perbix has scored one goal and 11 assists for 12 points with a +5 mark and 24 blocks. His 11 assists rank second on the Huskies and 20th among defenseman nationally. The senior defenseman recorded a career-high four assists in St. Cloud State's 8-1 win over North Dakota on Dec. 3, marking the first time a Husky defenseman recorded four assists since Jack Ahcan had four against Alaska Fairbanks on Oct. 13, 2018.
Prior to St. Cloud State, Perbix played for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL in 2017-18 where he scored four goals and 27 assists. He is a 2017 graduate of Elk River High School where he was a four-year letterwinner and team captain in hockey, earning First Team All-Metro honors and was a Minnesota Mr. Hockey finalist.
"My reaction (to being named an Olympian) is a mix of not knowing how to react and a lot of excitement," said Perbix. "The magnitude of this has definitely not set in yet, and it and potentially might not hit me until I get to put on the jersey for the first time. I've grown up watching both the summer and Winter Olympics every chance I got, so to eventually be able to call myself an Olympian is still the craziest thing in the world to me."
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Men's Hockey, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Tickets for the 2021-22 season are available for purchase at www.scsutickets.com, downloading the St. Cloud State Huskies app or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX / 320-308-2137.
Hentges and Perbix are the eighth and ninth Huskies to be named Olympians, with eight of the nine representing Team USA. They are the second and third to do so while currently competing for the Huskies, following Will Borgen who competed in the 2018 Olympics. The duo joins fellow Husky Olympians Bret Hedican (Team USA – 1992 Albertville, 2006 Turin), Mark Parrish (Team USA – 2006 Turin), Matt Cullen (Team USA – 2006 Turin), Ryan Malone (Team USA – 2010 Vancouver), Andres Nodl (Team Austria – 2014 Sochi), Will Borgen (Team USA – 2018 PyeongChang) and Garrett Roe (Team USA – 2018 PyeongChang).
Hentges, a seventh-round pick by the Minnesota Wild in 2018 (210th overall), has been a four-year point-producer for the Huskies, recording 70 points with 29 goals and 41 assists in 101 games. He contributed immediately upon arriving in St. Cloud, as he recorded 20 points (10g/10a) and a +14 mark in his freshman campaign (2018-19). In just his sixth collegiate game, Hentges recorded the 62nd hat trick in program history in a 7-0 win over Boston College on Oct. 25, 2018. The New Brighton, Minn., native followed up his debut performance with a career-high 24-point season in 2019-20, as he scored seven goals and had 10 assists.
Through seven games in 2021-22, Hentges has scored nine points (4g/5a), including a two-goal performance at Bemidji State on Dec. 31, 2021, his first game back after missing nine games due to injury. He has scored multiple points in four games this season, including in each of his last three games.
Prior to St. Cloud State, Hentges played junior hockey for the Des Moines Buccaneers and the Tri-City Story of the USHL in 2017-18, where he scored eight goals and had 10 assists. He is a 2017 graduate of Totino-Grace High School where he earned three letters and All-Conference honors.
"I am extremely honored to be named to the Olympic team," said Hentges. "It's something I've dreamed of since I was a kid watching the movie Miracle."
Perbix, a sixth-round pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017 (169th overall), has been one of the nation's top blue liners since joining the Huskies. In his 2018-19 All-NCHC Rookie Team campaign, Perbix helped lead the Huskies to a Penrose Cup, playing in 39 games while recording five goals, 15 assists, 52 blocks and a +24 mark. He earned Second Team All-NCHC and Third Team All-USCHO honors in 2020-21 after appearing in 31 games with seven goals and a team-leading 16 assists for 23 points. Among NCAA defenseman, he finished fourth in points (23) and goals (seven). He was a three-time NCHC Defenseman of the Week in the regular season and garnered NCHC Frozen Four All-Tournament Team and NCAA Northeast Region All-Tournament Team honors in his junior campaign.
In 2021-22, Perbix has scored one goal and 11 assists for 12 points with a +5 mark and 24 blocks. His 11 assists rank second on the Huskies and 20th among defenseman nationally. The senior defenseman recorded a career-high four assists in St. Cloud State's 8-1 win over North Dakota on Dec. 3, marking the first time a Husky defenseman recorded four assists since Jack Ahcan had four against Alaska Fairbanks on Oct. 13, 2018.
Prior to St. Cloud State, Perbix played for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL in 2017-18 where he scored four goals and 27 assists. He is a 2017 graduate of Elk River High School where he was a four-year letterwinner and team captain in hockey, earning First Team All-Metro honors and was a Minnesota Mr. Hockey finalist.
"My reaction (to being named an Olympian) is a mix of not knowing how to react and a lot of excitement," said Perbix. "The magnitude of this has definitely not set in yet, and it and potentially might not hit me until I get to put on the jersey for the first time. I've grown up watching both the summer and Winter Olympics every chance I got, so to eventually be able to call myself an Olympian is still the craziest thing in the world to me."
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Men's Hockey, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Tickets for the 2021-22 season are available for purchase at www.scsutickets.com, downloading the St. Cloud State Huskies app or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX / 320-308-2137.
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