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The Herald's preseason top 20 NCHC players

brad elliott schlossman, grand forks herald
·4 min read

Oct. 7—GRAND FORKS — Here's a look at the Herald's list of the top National Collegiate Hockey Conference players entering the 2023-24 season.

1. Jackson Blake, F, North Dakota: Blake is a magician with the puck on his stick. The Carolina Hurricanes fourth-round draft pick tallied 42 points as a freshman and has added strength entering his sophomore year.

2. Massimo Rizzo, F, Denver: The Philadelphia Flyers traded for Rizzo's rights in the summer, but Rizzo opted to return to Denver instead of signing. After a 47-point sophomore year, he's set up for a big season.

3. Dylan Anhorn, D, St. Cloud State: Anhorn suffered a season-ending injury in late January. At the time of his injury, he may have been the leading candidate for NCHC MVP. He's back for his final year of college eligibility.

4. Sean Behrens, D, Denver: The Colorado Avalanche draft pick is an elite skater and puck mover. He should be one of college hockey's biggest point producers from the back end.

5. Riese Gaber, F, North Dakota: There aren't a lot of pure goal-scorers in hockey — at any level — these days. Gaber is one of them. When he gets a clean look, he beats goaltenders with high frequency. He's coming off a 20-goal season.

6. Jayden Perron, F, North Dakota: It's not often that freshmen make this list, but Perron is different. He could be one of the league's most high-end playmakers from Day 1.

7. Blake Biondi, F, Minnesota Duluth: Biondi suffered a season-ending injury last season, but when healthy, he is a high-end goal-scorer. The Montreal pick had 17 goals two seasons ago.

8. Ben Steeves, F, Minnesota Duluth: Speaking of pure goal-scorers, that's Steeves' game. Only nine 20-goal scorers from last season are returning to college hockey this season. Steeves is one of them.

9. Jack Peart, D, St. Cloud State: The Minnesota Wild draft pick had a breakout sophomore season, showing why he was Minnesota's Mr. Hockey Award winner at Grand Rapids. He should build on that as a junior.

10. Joquim Lemay, D, Omaha: The Washington Capitals draft pick has excellent feet and elusiveness. His point total should increase significantly this season (he had 12 a year ago) as he replaces Jonny Tychonick as the go-to guy on the power play.

11. Kaidan Mbereko, G, Colorado College: The preseason all-NCHC goalie pick posted a .925 save percentage as a freshman and anchored a Tigers team that made a run to the NCHC finals last season.

12. Aidan Thompson, F, Denver: Thompson missed the start of last season due to injury but had no problem jumping into college hockey after that. The Chicago Blackhawks pick averaged a point per game as a freshman.

13. Shai Buium, D, Denver: Buium, a Detroit Red Wings draft pick, made major strides as a sophomore last season and is ready to enter the upper echelon of NCHC defensemen.

14. Jack Randl, F, Omaha: Randl had 14 goals in his first three seasons of college hockey combined. He had 18 alone last season. He should be the driving force up front for the Mavericks.

15. Zak Galambos, D, Western Michigan: The 6-foot-2, right-handed shooting defenseman was a major threat on the power play for the Broncos last season, scoring 11 goals.

16. Sam Colangelo, F, Western Michigan: The second-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks should be a major goal-scoring threat for the Broncos after coming over from Northeastern in the transfer portal.

17. Zach Okabe, F, St. Cloud State: Okabe's production has increased every year on campus — nine points to 22 to 28 to 36. He's back for a fifth season.

18. Jack Devine, F, Denver: Two years ago, Devine was the youngest player in college hockey. It took him a while to get things going, but he had a breakout sophomore season, notching 31 points in 38 games.

19. Matthew Barbolini, F, Miami: The RedHawks have struggled offensively, but Barbolini has produced nonetheless. He's coming off back-to-back, double-digit goal seasons. The speedy winger is now a senior.

20. Tristan Broz, F, Denver: Broz transferred from Minnesota to Denver before last season and fit in with the Pioneers. The Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick tallied 28 points for Denver and will be a first-liner this season.