2020–21 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season

The 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began on November 14, 2020, and concluded with the Frozen Four on April 10, 2021. Due to the cancellation of the previous year's tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic, this was the 73rd season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held, and was US college hockey's 127th year overall.

Due to concerns related to the pandemic, the start of the season was delayed until what would have normally been the 8th week of play. Despite having to contend with contend with cancellations and delays due to the pandemic, the season was completed. Massachusetts won their first national championship, ending the 4-year run of NCHC teams.

Polls

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Regular season

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Due to difficulties in scheduling, Arizona State entered into a scheduling alliance with the Big Ten while LIU did the same with Atlantic Hockey. Both teams remained independent programs and will not be considered for conference championships.[1]

Standings

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Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OW OL SW PTS PT% GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#15 American International †* 12 11 1 0 1 0 0 32 .889 47 18 19 15 4 0 67 40
Army 15 10 4 1 3 1 1 30 .667 42 33 22 15 6 1 71 48
Robert Morris 15 10 5 0 2 1 0 29 .644 58 48 24 15 9 0 85 69
Canisius 13 8 5 0 1 1 0 24 .615 42 34 17 11 6 0 59 46
RIT 13 7 5 1 0 0 1 23 .590 43 40 20 9 9 2 68 70
Sacred Heart 13 6 6 1 1 2 0 20 .513 35 38 18 6 10 2 43 59
Mercyhurst 16 7 8 1 1 1 1 23 .479 54 50 21 8 12 1 64 67
Bentley 15 4 11 0 1 5 0 16 .356 35 48 16 5 11 0 42 51
Niagara 15 3 9 3 0 2 1 15 .333 39 53 22 7 12 3 57 70
Air Force 13 3 9 1 2 1 0 9 .231 32 49 14 3 10 1 35 56
Holy Cross 12 3 9 0 2 0 0 7 .194 22 38 16 4 12 0 30 52
Championship: March 20, 2021
† indicates conference regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL 3/SW PTS PT% GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#8 Wisconsin 24 17 6 1 1 1 0 52 .722 92 52 31 20 10 1 118 80
#7 Minnesota * 22 16 6 0 0 0 0 48 .727 69 44 31 24 7 0 117 64
#9 Michigan 20 11 9 0 1 0 0 32 .550 69 45 26 15 10 1 91 51
#17 Notre Dame 24 12 10 2 1 2 2 41 .542 65 53 29 14 13 2 84 78
Penn State 18 7 11 0 2 1 0 20 .389 48 68 22 10 12 0 65 81
Ohio State 22 6 16 0 0 2 0 20 .273 39 82 27 7 19 1 53 101
Michigan State 22 5 16 1 2 0 0 15 .250 32 70 27 7 18 2 40 77
Championship: March 16, 2021
† indicates conference regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll
Overall record
GP W L T GF GA
Arizona State 26 7 16 3 68 106
Long Island 13 3 10 0 23 55
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL 3/SW PTS PT% GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#11 Quinnipiac 18 10 4 4 1 1 3 37 .685 54 34 29 17 8 4 100 59
#20 Clarkson 14 6 4 4 1 2 2 25 .595 29 25 22 11 7 4 62 52
St. Lawrence * 14 4 8 2 1 1 1 15 .357 30 37 17 6 8 3 40 45
Colgate 18 5 9 4 1 0 1 16 .352 34 51 22 6 11 5 48 66
Brown 0 - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - -
Cornell 0 - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - -
Dartmouth 0 - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - -
Harvard 0 - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - -
Princeton 0 - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - -
Rensselaer 0 - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - -
Union 0 - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - -
Yale 0 - - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - -
Championship: March 20, 2021
† indicates conference regular season champion (Cleary Cup)
* indicates conference tournament champion (Whitelaw Cup)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SOW HEPI GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#6 Boston College 21 16 4 1 3 2 0 58.61 82 46 24 17 6 1 91 58
#11 Boston University 14 10 3 1 3 1 1 56.36 49 37 16 10 5 1 52 45
#1 Massachusetts * 22 13 5 4 1 1 1 55.44 76 42 29 20 5 4 103 48
Connecticut 22 10 10 2 1 4 2 52.01 69 63 23 10 11 2 70 69
#16 Providence 23 10 8 5 0 0 2 50.80 63 61 25 11 9 5 71 67
Northeastern 20 9 8 3 1 0 3 49.94 68 60 21 9 9 3 69 64
#19 Massachusetts–Lowell 16 7 8 1 1 1 0 48.00 46 53 20 10 9 1 59 63
Maine 15 3 10 2 0 1 2 46.66 41 61 16 3 11 2 43 68
Merrimack 18 5 11 2 0 1 0 45.38 47 66 18 5 11 2 47 66
New Hampshire 21 5 13 3 3 2 2 43.66 51 83 23 6 14 3 60 88
Vermont 12 1 9 2 0 0 0 38.02 17 37 13 1 10 2 20 42
Championship: March 20, 2021[2]
No Regular Season Champion Awarded[3]
* indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL 3/SW PTS PT% GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#5 North Dakota †* 24 18 5 1 2 1 0 54 .750 94 47 29 22 6 1 114 57
#2 St. Cloud State 24 15 9 0 3 3 0 45 .625 78 64 31 20 11 0 101 84
#3 Minnesota Duluth 24 13 9 2 1 2 1 43 .597 72 54 28 15 11 2 84 66
#13 Omaha 24 14 9 1 4 0 1 40 .556 79 69 26 14 11 1 85 81
Denver 22 9 12 1 0 2 1 31 .470 61 60 24 11 13 1 67 66
Western Michigan 24 10 11 3 1 0 1 33 .458 73 84 25 10 12 3 77 89
Colorado College 22 4 16 2 0 2 2 18 .273 35 77 23 4 17 2 36 79
Miami 24 5 17 2 0 1 0 18 .250 46 83 25 5 18 2 48 89
Championship: March 16, 2021
† indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup)
* indicates conference tournament champion (Frozen Faceoff Championship Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL 3/SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#4 Minnesota State 14 13 1 0 1 1 0 39 56 15 27 22 5 1 100 46
#14 Lake Superior State * 14 9 5 0 2 2 0 27 39 34 29 19 7 3 86 63
#18 Bowling Green 14 8 5 1 0 2 0 27 46 34 31 20 10 1 108 67
#10 Bemidji State 14 8 5 1 3 2 0 24 42 34 29 16 10 3 82 70
Michigan Tech 14 7 7 0 1 0 0 20 38 35 30 17 12 1 78 63
Northern Michigan 14 6 7 1 2 2 1 20 40 47 29 11 17 1 79 103
Alabama–Huntsville 14 3 11 0 1 0 0 8 18 49 22 3 18 1 31 80
Ferris State 14 0 13 1 0 1 1 3 28 59 25 1 23 1 55 103
Alaska 0 - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - -
Alaska Anchorage 0 - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - -
Championship: March 20, 2021
† indicates conference regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

PairWise Rankings

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The PairWise Rankings (PWR) are a statistical tool designed to approximate the process by which the NCAA selection committee decides which teams get at-large bids to the 16-team NCAA tournament. Although the NCAA selection committee does not use the PWR as presented by USCHO, the PWR has been accurate in predicting which teams will make the tournament field.

For Division I men, all teams are included in comparisons starting in the 2013–14 season (formerly, only teams with a Ratings Percentage Index of .500 or above, or teams under consideration, were included). The PWR method compares each team with every other such team, with the winner of each “comparison” earning one PWR point. After all comparisons are made, the points are totaled up and rankings listed accordingly.

With 61 Division I men's teams, the greatest number of PWR points any team could earn is 60, winning the comparison with every other team. Meanwhile, a team that lost all of its comparisons would have no PWR points.

Teams are then ranked by PWR point total, with ties broken by the teams’ RPI ratings, which starting in 2013-14 is weighted for home and road games and includes a quality wins bonus (QWB) for beating teams in the top 20 of the RPI (it also is weighted for home and road).

When it comes to comparing teams, the PWR uses three criteria which are combined to make a comparison: RPI, record against common opponents and head-to-head competition. Starting in 2013–14, the comparison of record against teams under consideration was dropped because all teams are now under comparison.[4]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most teams played a very small selection of intraconference games, if any at all. As a result, the PairWise rankings would not be used as the primary measuring tool for determining which teams would receive at-large bids for the NCAA tournament. The ranking would only be used to differentiate between teams within their own conferences.[5] The PWR will likely be used as the primary ranking system once a full NCAA season is played.

NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Final PairWise Rankings[6]
Rank Team PWR RPI Conference
1 Minnesota State 60 .6037* WCHA
2 North Dakota 59 .5769 NCHC
3 American International 57 .5765* Atlantic Hockey
3 Minnesota 57 .5751 Big Ten
5 Boston College 56 .5672 Hockey East
6 Massachusetts 55 .5613* Hockey East
7 Lake Superior State 54 .5593 WCHA
8 Wisconsin 53 .5510 Big Ten
9 Bowling Green 52 .5476 WCHA
10 Bemidji State 51 .5463 WCHA
11 Canisius 50 .5430 Atlantic Hockey
12 Army 49 .5426 Atlantic Hockey
12 Quinnipiac 49 .5413 ECAC Hockey
14 Boston University 47 .5391 Hockey East
15 St. Cloud State 46 .5375 NCHC
16 Clarkson 45 .5364 ECAC Hockey
17 Michigan 44 .5311 Big Ten
18 Michigan Tech 43 .5303 WCHA
19 Minnesota Duluth 42 .5233 NCHC
20 Robert Morris 41 .5137 Atlantic Hockey
21 Connecticut 40 .5136 Hockey East
22 Providence 39 .5123 Hockey East
23 Omaha 38 .5100 NCHC
24 Massachusetts–Lowell 37 .5096 Hockey East
25 Notre Dame 36 .5092 Big Ten
26 Denver 35 .5086 NCHC
27 RIT 34 .5026 Atlantic Hockey
28 St. Lawrence 33 .4976 ECAC Hockey
29 Northeastern 32 .4934 Hockey East
30 Arizona State 30 .4920 Independent
30 Northern Michigan 30 .4914 WCHA
32 Western Michigan 29 .4825 NCHC
33 Sacred Heart 28 .4814 Atlantic Hockey
34 Mercyhurst 27 .4784 Atlantic Hockey
35 Niagara 26 .4782 Atlantic Hockey
35 Penn State 26 .4725 Big Ten
37 Colgate 24 .4701 ECAC Hockey
38 Merrimack 22 .4669 Hockey East
38 Bentley 22 .4669 Atlantic Hockey
40 New Hampshire 21 .4513 Hockey East
41 Maine 20 .4559 Hockey East
42 Ohio State 19 .4495 Big Ten
43 Colorado College 18 .4435 NCHC
44 Michigan State 17 .4396 Big Ten
45 Miami 16 .4375 NCHC
46 Long Island 15 .4331 Independent
47 Air Force 14 .4260 Atlantic Hockey
48 Holy Cross 13 .4198 Atlantic Hockey
49 Alabama–Huntsville 12 .4139 WCHA
50 Vermont 11 .4014 Hockey East
51 Ferris State 10 .4007 WCHA
52 Alaska 0 .0000 WCHA
52 Alaska Anchorage 0 .0000 WCHA
52 Brown 0 .0000 ECAC Hockey
52 Cornell 0 .0000 ECAC Hockey
52 Dartmouth 0 .0000 ECAC Hockey
52 Harvard 0 .0000 ECAC Hockey
52 Princeton 0 .0000 ECAC Hockey
52 Rensselaer 0 .0000 ECAC Hockey
52 Union 0 .0000 ECAC Hockey
52 Yale 0 .0000 ECAC Hockey
*A team's RPI has been adjusted to remove negative effect from defeating a weak opponent
Note: A team's record is based only on games against other Division I hockey schools which are eligible for the NCAA tournament
Final PairWise Rankings

Player stats

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Scoring leaders

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[7]
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

Player Class Team GP G A Pts PIM
Cole Caufield Sophomore Wisconsin 31 30 22 52 4
Odeen Tufto Senior Quinnipiac 29 8 39 47 22
Linus Weissbach Senior Wisconsin 31 12 29 41 2
Jordan Kawaguchi Senior North Dakota 28 10 26 36 24
Dylan Holloway Sophomore Wisconsin 23 11 24 35 19
Collin Adams Senior North Dakota 29 14 20 34 10
Bobby Trivigno Junior Massachusetts 29 11 23 34 12
Brandon Kruse Senior Bowling Green 31 11 23 34 26
Joseph Nardi Senior Northern Michigan 29 12 21 33 0
Shane Pinto Sophomore North Dakota 28 15 17 32 4
Alex Steeves Junior Notre Dame 29 15 17 32 8

Leading goaltenders

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The following goaltenders lead the NCAA in goals against average, minimum 1/3 of team's minutes played.[7]
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
Filip Lindberg Junior Massachusetts 15 918:43 10 1 4 19 5 .949 1.24
Dryden McKay Junior Minnesota State 26 1522:07 21 4 0 39 10 .924 1.54
Adam Scheel Junior North Dakota 26 1590:38 20 4 1 46 4 .931 1.74
Jack LaFontaine Senior Minnesota 29 1705:52 22 7 0 51 5 .934 1.79
Blake Pietila Sophomore Michigan Tech 24 1393:58 14 9 0 42 3 .934 1.81
Strauss Mann Junior Michigan 21 1205:00 11 9 1 38 5 .930 1.89
Keith Petruzzelli Senior Quinnipiac 29 1715:45 17 8 4 54 5 .926 1.89
Trevin Kozlowski Senior Army 20 1253:29 14 4 1 40 2 .922 1.91
Mareks Mitens Senior Lake Superior State 25 1380:55 14 6 3 45 2 .930 1.96
Matt Murray Senior Massachusetts 14 850:57 10 4 0 28 3 .917 1.97

Tournament bracket

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Regional semifinals
March 26–27
Regional Finals
March 27–28
Semifinals
April 8
Championship
April 10
            
1 North Dakota (1) 5
4 American International 1
1 North Dakota (1) 2
MidwestFargo – Fri/Sat
3 Minnesota Duluth 3*****
2 Michigan
3 Minnesota Duluth
MW3 Minnesota Duluth 2
E2 Massachusetts 3*
1 Wisconsin (4) 3
4 Bemidji State 6
4 Bemidji State 0
EastBridgeport – Fri/Sat
2 Massachusetts 4
2 Massachusetts 5
3 Lake Superior State 1
E2 Massachusetts 5
NE2 St. Cloud State 0
1 Minnesota (3) 7
4 Omaha 2
1 Minnesota (3) 0
WestLoveland – Sat/Sun
2 Minnesota State 4
2 Minnesota State 4*
3 Quinnipiac 3
W2 Minnesota State 4
NE2 St. Cloud State 5
1 Boston College (2)
4 Notre Dame
1 Boston College (2) 1
NortheastAlbany – Sat/Sun
2 St. Cloud State 4
2 St. Cloud State 6
3 Boston University 2

* denotes overtime period
† Michigan and Notre Dame were removed from the tournament due to positive COVID-19 test results.[8][9]

Awards

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Atlantic Hockey

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Round Pick Player College Conference NHL team
1 1 Owen Power Michigan Big Ten Buffalo Sabres
1 2 Matty Beniers Michigan Big Ten Seattle Kraken
1 4 Luke Hughes Michigan Big Ten New Jersey Devils
1 5 Kent Johnson Michigan Big Ten Columbus Blue Jackets
1 10 Tyler Boucher Boston University Hockey East Ottawa Senators
1 13 Matthew Coronato Harvard ECAC Hockey Calgary Flames
1 18 Chaz Lucius Minnesota Big Ten Winnipeg Jets
1 24 Mackie Samoskevich Michigan Big Ten Florida Panthers
1 25 Corson Ceulemans Wisconsin Big Ten Columbus Blue Jackets
2 36 Shai Buium Denver NCHC Detroit Red Wings
2 37 Josh Doan Arizona State Independent Arizona Coyotes
2 40 Scott Morrow Massachusetts Hockey East Carolina Hurricanes
2 54 Jack Peart St. Cloud State NCHC Minnesota Wild
2 57 Matthew Knies Minnesota Big Ten Toronto Maple Leafs
2 58 Tristan Broz Minnesota Big Ten Pittsburgh Penguins
2 61 Sean Behrens Denver NCHC Colorado Avalanche
3 66 Sasha Pastujov Notre Dame Big Ten Anaheim Ducks
3 70 Carter Mazur Denver NCHC Detroit Red Wings
3 73 Ayrton Martino Clarkson ECAC Hockey Dallas Stars
3 79 Justin Ertel Cornell ECAC Hockey Dallas Stars
3 80 Brent Johnson North Dakota NCHC Washington Capitals
3 88 Stiven Sardarian New Hampshire Hockey East Buffalo Sabres
3 91 Taige Harding Providence Hockey East Chicago Blackhawks
3 92 Andrei Buyalsky Vermont Hockey East Colorado Avalanche
3 94 Aidan Hreschuk Boston College Hockey East Carolina Hurricanes
4 98 Josh Lopina Massachusetts Hockey East Anaheim Ducks
4 101 Guillaume Richard Providence Hockey East Washington Capitals
4 104 Brody Lamb Minnesota Big Ten New York Rangers
4 109 Jackson Blake North Dakota NCHC Carolina Hurricanes
4 114 Red Savage Miami NCHC Detroit Red Wings
4 115 Ryan Ufko Massachusetts Hockey East Nashville Predators
4 119 Joaquim Lemay Omaha NCHC Washington Capitals
4 125 Cameron Berg Omaha NCHC New York Islanders
4 126 Dylan Duke Michigan Big Ten Tampa Bay Lightning
5 137 Aku Koskenvuo Harvard ECAC Hockey Vancouver Canucks
5 138 Jack Bar Harvard ECAC Hockey Dallas Stars
5 158 Ty Murchison Arizona State Independent Philadelphia Flyers
6 162 Kyle Kukkonen Michigan Tech CCHA Anaheim Ducks
6 164 Viktor Hurtig Michigan State Big Ten New Jersey Devils
6 171 Cal Thomas Vermont Hockey East Arizona Coyotes
6 182 Nate Benoit North Dakota NCHC Minnesota Wild
6 183 Chase Clark Quinnipiac ECAC Hockey Washington Capitals
6 186 Shane Lachance Boston University Hockey East Edmonton Oilers
6 192 Alex Gagne New Hampshire Hockey East Tampa Bay Lightning
7 195 Justin Janicke Notre Dame Big Ten Seattle Kraken
7 204 Connor Kelley Minnesota Duluth NCHC Chicago Blackhawks
7 205 Arsenii Sergeev Connecticut Hockey East Calgary Flames
7 206 Owen McLaughlin Penn State Big Ten Philadelphia Flyers
7 208 Hank Kempf Cornell ECAC Hockey New York Rangers
7 211 Robert Flinton Dartmouth ECAC Hockey Tampa Bay Lightning
7 213 Andre Gasseau Boston College Hockey East Boston Bruins
7 215 Daniel Laatsch Wisconsin Big Ten Pittsburgh Penguins
7 216 Ty Gallagher Boston University Hockey East Boston Bruins
7 220 Taylor Makar Massachusetts Hockey East Colorado Avalanche
7 223 Samuel Lipkin Quinnipiac ECAC Hockey Arizona Coyotes

† incoming freshman [25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "ASU/Big Ten Agree to Schedule Arrangement for 2020-21". thesundevils.com. October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  2. ^ "Hockey East Unveils 2021 Tournament and Seeding Format - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  3. ^ "2021 Hockey East Women's Tournament Field Set". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  4. ^ "PairWise Rankings explanation".
  5. ^ "PairWise won't answer these NCAA bubble and seeding questions". Star Tribune. February 24, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  6. ^ "Rankings".
  7. ^ a b "NCAA - 2020-2021". Elite Prospects. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  8. ^ "Notre Dame Hockey Removed from NCAA Tournament". Notre Dame Athletics. March 25, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  9. ^ "Ice Hockey Removed from NCAA Tournament Due to COVID Protocols". Michigan Athletics. March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  10. ^ "Boston College, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin lead way with three All-American college hockey players apiece for '20-21 season". USCHO.com. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Hockey Postseason Honors Announced". Big Ten. March 16, 2021. Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Atlantic Hockey Names 2020-21 Regular Season Award Winners". Atlantic Hockey. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Atlantic Hockey Announces All-Conference and All-Rookie Winners". Atlantic Hockey. March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  14. ^ "ECAC Hockey Announces First Team All-League". ecachockey.com. March 17, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  15. ^ "ECAC Hockey Announces 2021 All-Rookie Team". ecachockey.com. March 17, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  16. ^ "Spencer Knight Named Hockey East Player of the Year - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  17. ^ "Hockey East Names 2020-21 Men's All-Star Teams - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  18. ^ "Hockey East Names Men's Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  19. ^ "North Dakota's Berry, Pinto Garner NCHC's Top Honors for 2020-21". NCHC. March 11, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  20. ^ "North Dakota Paces 2020-21 NCHC All-Conference Teams". nchchockey.com. March 8, 2021. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  21. ^ "Five Teams Represented on 2020-21 NCHC All-Rookie Team". nchchockey.com. March 8, 2021. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  22. ^ "Minnesota State's Dryden McKay Named 2020-21 WCHA Player Of The Year". WCHA.com. March 12, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  23. ^ "WCHA announces individual award winners". The Sault News. March 11, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  24. ^ "WCHA Announces 2020-21 All-League Teams". WCHA.com. March 10, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  25. ^ "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2021 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 9, 2022.