Men's Ice Hockey

Smith named CCHA Preseason Player of the Year

Minnesota State junior forward Nathan Smith has been selected as the Central Collegiate Hockey Association’s (CCHA) Preseason Player of the Year, according to the league’s head coaches.

Smith, 22, is a prospect of the NHL's Winnipeg Jets after being selected in the third-round (91st overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft. The Tampa, Fla. native finished 10th in the league last season with 25 points (9G, 16A) in 28 games and was second on the Mavericks’ roster. Smith also led the league with 13 power-play points (5G, 8A) and has been a member of the last two MacNaughton Cup regular season championship teams at Minnesota State.

Prior to arriving at Minnesota State, Smith racked up 100 points (35G, 65A) in 110 Junior A games with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the United States Hockey League (USHL). Smith played high school hockey in Florida for Mitchell where he amassed 86 points (41G, 45A) in just 15 games. He played his youth hockey in Florida with the Tampa Scorpions.

Smith was selected to the 2019-20 WCHA All-Rookie Team, the 2020-21 NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team and All-WCHA Second Team.

The CCHA Media Day will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, Sep. 21, 2021, beginning at 9 a.m. CT / 10 a.m. ET. Along with CCHA Commissioner Don Lucia and CCHA Director of Officiating Kevin Langseth, all eight CCHA Head Coaches will preview the upcoming season and be available to answer questions from local, regional and national media outlets virtually via a Zoom video conference.

The CCHA officially drops the puck on their first season since the 2012-13 campaign Saturday, Oct. 2. All eight CCHA teams will be in action with four non-conference games and three exhibition contests scheduled. The first CCHA conference game will take place on Friday, Oct. 8 when the St. Thomas Tommies visit the Northern Michigan Wildcats. The first time all eight CCHA teams will face each other in one weekend will be Nov. 18-20

About the CCHA:
The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) competes in the highest level of NCAA Division I Hockey and is regarded as one of the top player development leagues in the world for the National Hockey League (NHL). The CCHA consists of eight member institutions, four in the state of Michigan: Ferris State University, Lake Superior State University, Michigan Technological University and Northern Michigan University. Three in the State of Minnesota: Minnesota State University-Mankato, Bemidji State University and University of St. Thomas. One in Ohio: Bowling Green State University.
 

For media inquires, contact:

Dominic Hennig
Director of Strategic Communications & Brand Advancement
Central Collegiate Hockey Association
Hennig@ccha.com
(586) 925-6095
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