The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) has announced the finalists for 2025-26 Defenseman of the Year, Goaltender of the Year and Forward of the Year and nine student-athletes from six different programs have been recognized. Blueliners Jack Anderson (Michigan Tech), Breck McKinley (Bowling Green) and Evan Murr (Minnesota State) are up for the league's top defenseman award, while Owen Bartoszkiewicz (Michigan Tech), Josh Kotai (Augustana) and Alex Tracy (Minnesota State) are vying for goaltending honors. Oliver Peer (Bemidji State), Stiven Sardarian (Michigan Tech) and Lucas Wahlin (St. Thomas) are the finalists for Forward of the Year. The winners of each award will be announced later this week.
Notable Links:
CCHA 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 38 contests, totaling 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points.
CCHA Defenseman of the Year Finalist: Breck McKinley, Jr., Bowling Green (St. Albert, Alta.)
McKinley notched one goal and 18 assists for 19 points, while playing in all 26 conference games for the Falcons. He was a +9, with one one game-winning goal, 40 shots and 21 blocks at the defensive end of the ice. Averaging 23:27 minutes per game, his season was highlighted by a three-points game (1 goal, 2 assists) in a 4-3 victory over Northern Michigan on December 6. Overall, he finished the season with two goals and 24 assists for 26 points in 36 contests.
CCHA Defenseman of the Year Finalist: Evan Murr, Jr., Minnesota State (Stillwater, Minn.)
Murr led CCHA blueliners with 20 points in conference play, scoring six goals with 14 assists. Posting a conference-best +17, he had one power-play goal and three game winners. Registering 71 shots, he blocked 28 defensively, while averaging 22:57 minutes per game. Notching five multi-point games, he recorded three-assist outings against Lake Superior State (Nov. 15) and Northern Michigan on (Nov. 28). Overall, he has nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 37 games.
CCHA Goaltender of the Year Finalist: Owen Bartoszkiewicz, Jr., Michigan Tech (Northville, Mich.)
Bartoszkiewicz led the conference in victories, going 16-7-3 with a 2.21 goals-against average and .923 save percentage, while starting all 26 league games for Michigan Tech this season. He totaled 700 saves across 1574:24 minutes, with eight games of 30 or more saves. Overall, he has appeared in 33 games for the Huskies, going 20-10-3 with a 2.41 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage with one shutout.
CCHA Goaltender of the Year Finalist: Josh Kotai, Jr., Augustana (Abbotsford, B.C.)
Kotai went 14-8-4 while starting all 26 conference games for the Vikings during the 2025-26 conference season, posting a 1.87 goals-against average and a league-best .941 save percentage. Tied for the conference lead with four shutouts, he stopped a league-high 786 shots across 1576:04 minutes, chipping in with one assist offensively. Recording 14 games of 30 or more saves, he stopped 40+ in three contests. His season was highlighted posting three straight shutouts from January 9-16. Overall, he is 20-10-4 with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage with five total shutouts.
CCHA Goaltender of the Year Finalist: Alex Tracy, Sr., Minnesota State (Chicago, Ill.)
Tracy posted a 14-7-5 record as the starter in all 26 conference games for Minnesota State. Registering a league-best 1.86 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage, he stopped 607-of-656 shots in 1578:56 minutes of action. He notched four shutouts, including a MacNaughton Cup-clinching 20-save effort on the final night of the regular season. Overall, he has a 19-10-7 record with a 1.81 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage with five total shutouts.
CCHA Forward of the Year Finalist: Oliver Peer, Jr., Bemidji State
Peer played in 24 of 26 conference games in his first CCHA season, scoring a league-best 16 goals with 10 assists for 26 points, which ranked fourth overall. Posting a +8 rating, he had 74 shots, with four power-play goals, one shorthanded marker and a league-high five game winners. Winning 56.6% of his face-offs in conference play, he averaged 19:18 minutes per game. Overall, he finished the season with 20 goals and 16 assists for 36 points in 34 games.
CCHA Forward of the Year Finalist: Stiven Sardarian, Sr., Michigan Tech (Saint Petersburg, Russia)
Sardarian led the CCHA with 32 points on 10 goals and a league-high 22 assists. Posting a +9 rating, he had 46 shots on goal, nine blocks, two power-play tallies and two game-winning goals. Averaging 18:21 minutes per contest in conference play, he produced nine multi-point games, including a four-point contest (2 goals, 2 assists) in an 8-2 victory over Northern Michigan on January 23. Overall, he has nine goals and 29 assists for 38 points across 32 games this year.
CCHA 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 34 games, scoring 21 goals with 17 assists for 38 points.
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 Tuesday with the CCHA All-Rookie Team (11am ET), Second Team All-CCHA (12pm ET) and First Team All-CCHA (1pm ET).
The 2026 Mason Cup Playoffs continue on Saturday with the semifinal round. 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