BOSTON — Three players from the NCHC, two from the CCHA and one from the Big Ten were named to the AHCA West All-American First Team on Friday.
The CCHA players are Minnesota State University-Mankato teammates and both were top 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award: goalie Dryden McKay and forward Nathan Smith. The Mavericks (38-5-0) play Denver (30-9-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday for the NCAA Division I championship (ESPN2).
McKay, an undrafted senior from Downers Grove, Ill., is 38-4-0 with a 1.27 goals-against average, .934 save percentage and 10 shutouts this season. He is a three-time All-American and won the Hobey Baker Award on Friday night.
Smith, a junior from Hudson, Fla., and third-round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets, has 19 goals, 50 points and is a plus-25 in 37 games this season. Smith, who is second in the nation in points, is the CCHA Forward of the Year and played for Team USA in the Olympics.
Joining them on the first team are defensemen Ronnie Attard (Western Michigan) and Jake Sanderson (North Dakota) and forwards Matty Beniers (Michigan) and Bobby Brink (Denver).
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Brink, a 20-year-old junior from Minnetonka, leads the nation in assists (43) and points (57) in 40 games and was a top three finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. A Philadelphia Flyers draft pick, he was also the NCHC Player of the Year and Forward of the Year.
Sanderson, a 19-year-old sophomore from Whitefish, Mont., had 26 points and was a plus-5 in 23 games for the Fighting Hawks this season. The Ottawa Senators first round draft pick and signee was an All-NCHC Second Team pick.
Attard, a junior from White Lake, Mich., had 23 assists, 36 points and was a plus-20 in 39 games for the Broncos. A Flyers draft pick and signee, Attard is a two-time All-American First Team pick and was named the NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year his last two seasons in college.
Beniers, a 19-year-old sophomore from Hingham, Mass., had 20 goals and 43 points in 37 games for Michigan. A Seattle Kraken first-round draft pick, Beniers played for Team USA in the Olympics and was an All-Big 10 First Team pick and a top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
Second Team
Minnesota Duluth goalie Ryan Fanti, Michigan defensemen Luke Hughes and Owen Power, Western Michigan forward Ethen Frank, Michigan Tech forward Brian Halonen and Minnesota forward Ben Meyers were named to the AHCA West All-American Second Team.
Fanti, an undrafted junior from Thunder Bay, Ontario, was 20-12-4 with a 1.83 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and seven shutouts in 37 games. He was the NCHC Goaltender of the Year and had two shutouts in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff to lead the Bulldogs to the conference tournament title. Fanti recently signed a pro contract with the Edmonton Oilers.
Hughes, an 18-year-old freshman and first-round draft pick of the New Jersey Devils from Manchester, N.H., had 17 goals, 39 points and was a plus-26 in 41 games for the Wolverines. He was a top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award and an All-Big 10 second team selection.
Power, a 19-year-old sophomore from Mississauga, Alberta, had 29 assists, 32 points and was a plus-27 in 33 games for the Wolverines. Power, the top overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft and signee of the Buffalo Sabres, played for Canada in the Olympics and was an All-Big 10 First Team pick.
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Frank, an undrafted graduate student from Papillion, Neb., led the nation in goals (26), had 39 points and was a plus-15 in 38 games for the Broncos. Frank was an All-NCHC First Team pick.
Meyers, an undrafted junior from Delano, Minn., had 17 goals, 41 points and was a plus-16 in 34 games for the Gophers. Meyers was the Big 10 Player of the Year and a top three finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
Halonen, an undrafted senior also from Delano, had 21 goals, 44 points and was a plus-21 in 37 games this season for the Huskies. Halonen, who recently made his AHL debut with the Utica Comets, was a top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award and an All-CCHA First Team pick.
The nation's top college hockey players — representing 15 schools — were named Friday, April 8.
The following players were selected as 2022 CCM/AHCA Men's Division I All Americans.
East First Team
| G | Devon Levi | So | Northeastern | Dollard des Ormeaux, PQ |
| D | Zach Metsa | Sr | Quinnipiac | Delafield, WI |
| D | Scott Morrow | Fr | Massachusetts | Darien, CT |
| F | Nick Abruzzese | Jr | Harvard | Slate Hill, NY |
| F | Aidan McDonough | Sr | Northeastern | Milton, MA |
| F | Bobby Trivigno | Sr | Massachusetts | Setauket, NY |
West First Team
| G | Dryden McKay | Sr | Minnesota State | Downers Grove, IL |
| D | Ronnie Attard | Jr | Western Michigan | WhiteLake,MI |
| D | Jake Sanderson | So | North Dakota | Whitefish,MT |
| F | Matty Beniers | So | Michigan | Hingham, MA |
| F | Bobby Brink | Jr | Denver | Minnetonka, MN |
| F | Nathan Smith | Sr | Minnesota State | Hudson, FL |
East Second Team
| G | Yaniv Perets | So | Quinnipiac | Dollard des Ormeaux, PQ |
| D | Jordan Harris | Sr | Northeastern | Haverhill, MA |
| D | Jordan Harris | Jr | Harvard | Southborough, MA) |
| F | Colin Bilek | Sr | Army West Point | Brighton, MI |
| F | Jack McBain | Sr | Boston College | Toronto, ON |
| F | Ryan Tverberg | So | Connecticut | Richmond Hills, ON |
West Second Team
| G | Ryan Fanti | Jr | Minnesota Duluth | Thunder Bay, ON |
| D | Luke Hughes | Fr | Michigan | Canton, MI |
| D | Owen Power | So | Michigan | Mississauga, ON |
| F | Ethen Frank | Grad | Western Michigan | Papillion, NE |
| F | Brian Halonen | Sr | Michigan Tech | Delano, MN |
| F | Ben Meyers | Jr | Minnesota | Delano, MN |
Players by:
Country — 18 U.S., six Canadian
Class — 2 freshman, six sophomores, seven juniors, eight seniors, one graduate student
Conference — seven from Hockey East, five from NCHC, four from both Big Ten and ECAC Hockey, three from CCHA, one from Atlantic Hockey
