The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) has announced the finalists for 2025-26 Defensive Defenseman of the Year, Defensive Forward of the Year and Rookie of the Year and nine student-athletes from six different programs have been recognized. Blueliners Jack Anderson (Michigan Tech), Hayden Hennen (Augustana) and Mason Wheeler (Minnesota State) are up for top Defensive Defenseman, while Hunter Bischoff (Augustana), Max Koskipirtti (Michigan Tech) and Lucas Wahlin (St. Thomas) are vying for Defensive Forward honors. Oliver Auyeung-Ashton (Northern Michigan), Brayden Crampton (Bowling Green) and Lucas Van Vliet (St. Thomas) are the finalists for Rookie of the Year. The winners of each award will be announced next week.
Notable Links:
CCHA Defensive Forward of the Year Finalist: Hunter Bischoff, Jr., Augustana (Grand Rapids, Minn.)
Bischoff played in 20 CCHA contests this season, scoring three goals with seven assists for 10 points. He was a +8 with 43 shots and eight blocks defensive and was charged with only two minor penalties for four minutes. Overall, he has appeared in 28 games for the Vikings, scoring seven goals with nine assists for 16 points. A +8 on the season, he 58 shots and 12 blocks across an average of 17:06 minutes per contest.
CCHA Defensive Forward of the Year Finalist: Max Koskipirtti, Jr., Michigan Tech (Espoo, Finland)
Koskipirtti played in all 26 conference games for Michigan Tech, scoring 10 goals with 16 assists for 26 points, which was good for sixth-most in the league. Also fifth in plus-minus at +11, he had three power-play goals and three game winners, with 45 shots and 20 blocks. Averaging 18:58 minutes per game, he won 50.2% of his 526 face-offs, while being assessed just two minor penalties for four minutes.
CCHA Defensive Forward of the Year Finalist: Lucas Wahlin, Sr., St. Thomas (Woodbury, Minn.)
Wahlin appeared in all 26 CCHA games for the Tommies, notching 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points, which was the second-highest total in the league. He was a +9 with a league-high 101 shots, netting one power-play goal and two shorthanded tallies. Defensively, he blocked 17 shots and won 48.2% of his face-offs. Overall, he has played in 32 games, scoring 19 goals with 16 assists for 35 points.
CCHA Defensive Defenseman of the Year Finalist: Jack Anderson, Sr., Michigan Tech (St. Louis, Mo.)
Anderson played in all 26 conference games for Michigan Tech this season, averaging 23:07 minutes per game, which ranked fifth among CCHA defensemen. His 48 blocked shots ranked seventh and he was a +11, which was second-best. Scoring six goals and dishing out 11 assists for 17 points, he had a five-game goal streak, which is the second longest in the nation in over 20 years. He blocked at least one shot in 20 games and had five blocks in a game twice. Overall, he has played in 36 contests, totaling 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points.
CCHA Defensive Defenseman of the Year Finalist: Hayden Hennen, Jr., Augustana (Hallock, Minn.)
Hennen appeared in all 26 league games for the Vikings and averaged a league-high 25:58 minutes per game. Posting a +9 rating, he recorded eight assists for eight points, with 57 shots and 48 blocks defensively, which ranked seventh in the CCHA. He helped Augustana to a league-best 1.90 team goals-against average and 89.4% penalty kill. On the season, he has played in 34 games with three goals and 11 assists for 14 poitns and is a +13.
CCHA Defensive Defenseman of the Year Finalist: Mason Wheeler, Sr., Minnesota State (Rosemount, Minn.)
Wheeler played in all 26 conference games for Minnesota State, finishing third in blocked shots with 52. He had six assists for six points, posting a +8 with 32 shots on goal. Averaging 20:41 minutes per contest, he was assessed only three minor penalties for six minutes. Helping the Mavericks allow just 2.0 goals per game, which ranked second in the CCHA, he has seven assists across 34 total games on the season with a +6 rating.
CCHA Rookie of the Year Finalist: Oliver Auyeung-Ashton, Fr., Northern Michigan (Coquitlam, B.C.)
Auyeung-Ashton played in 13 CCHA games this season, going 2-9-1 with a 2.63 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage, which was second-highest in the country among rookie netminders. Stopping 251-of-262 shots in conference play, he played 685:19 minutes, with one shutout. His season was highlighted by posting a 38-save shutout in a 2-0 victory over Bemidji State on January 30. Overall, he went 2-13-1 in 18 games, posting a 2.67 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.
CCHA Rookie of the Year Finalist: Brayden Crampton, Fr., Bowling Green (Chilliwack, B.C.)
Crampton led conference rookie defensemen with 12 points on three goals and nine assists across 25 CCHA contests, posting a +7 rating. He also led first-year blueliners with 70 shots on goal, while blocking 21 shots defensively and averaging 21:14 minutes per game. Overall, he has played in 33 games, scoring three goals with 14 assists for 17 points. Posting a +5, he has blocked 25 shots at the defensive end.
CCHA Rookie of the Year Finalist: Lucas Van Vliet, Fr., St. Thomas (Livonia, Mich.)
Van Vliet led all CCHA rookies in assists (17) and points (27), while playing in 25 of 26 conference games for the Tommies. Posting a +3 rating, he had five power-play tallies, one shorthanded goal and three game winners. His 78 shots were second-most among conference first-year skaters and he averaged 18:56 minutes in league play. Overall, he has 11 goals and 21 assists for 32 points, which ranks sixth among all conference skaters.
Voting for the 2025-26 All-CCHA Teams and year-end awards was conducted by the nine head coaches at each CCHA member institution, based on CCHA conference games only. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.
The league's year-end award announcements continue on Monday with the finalists for Defenseman of the Year (11am ET), Goaltender of the Year (12pm ET) and Forward of the Year (1pm ET).
The 2026 Mason Cup Playoffs begin tonight, with four best-of-three quarterfinal series. Every playoff game can be seen live on Midco Sports Plus! For complete bracket, links and news, visit ccha.com/masoncup.
For more information, contact:
Perry Laskaris
Director of Strategic Communications & Brand Advancement
Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA)
Laskaris@ccha.com
(651) 308-1065