Six Saints Earn Postseason Awards

NSO- NEWS RELEASE

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its men’s hockey awards for the 2023-24 season on Thursday afternoon.

In addition to individual awards, MIAC coaches also selected 20 players All-Conference with nine more receiving honorable mention distinction. All awards were nominated by and voted on by the nine MIAC head men’s hockey coaches and only statistics from regular season MIAC contests were considered for conference honors; any nominated player not selected as All-Conference but still receiving votes from at least three coaches was named honorable mention. The MIAC also announced the annual All-Playoff Team for men’s hockey, which recognized the top eight performers from the conference tournament, as selected by playoff-participant head coaches.

Filimon Ledenkov (Polotsk, Belarus/Ostroshitsko-Gorodokskaya) earns his third-straight All-Conference award as he led the team with 32 points and had a team high 25 assists, with seven goals. Overall, he led the entire conference in assists, points, and face-off wins/total face-offs. He was also first in these categories in MIAC play only.

Head Coach Dave Williams spoke about his three All-Conference selections, “FilImon has done so much for our program over the past four years and I couldn’t be more thankful for the passion and heart that he brings to the rink every day. With 113 career points as a Saint, Fil’s offensive IQ and skill set are undeniable, but his commitment and consistency to improving all aspects of his game is one of his greatest qualities.”

“Carsen made an immediate impact during his two years as a Saint and has played a huge part in getting our program to where it is today.” said Williams “He consistently led the way as an offensive threat as he finished atop the MIAC in goals scored while also being one of our best defensive players. It is extremely rare to find a player that has such a clear understanding of what makes him successful and I am extremely grateful and proud of everything Carsen has accomplished during his time with us.”

Carsen Richels (Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine HS) was awarded his second-straight All-Conference honor as a Saints. Richels had 26 points, with a team-high 14 goals and 12 assists. Overall, he led the conference with the most goals scored, was third in points, second in shots, and 14th in assists. In MIAC games, he was sixth in goals, 11th in points, and 9th in shots.

Nathan Adrian (Roseau, Minn./Roseau HS) was selected to the All-Conference team for the second consecutive time, he had nine goals and 16 assists on the season. He ranked third overall in assists, fourth in points, third in face-off wins/total face-offs, while he was 12th in goal scoring. In MIAC games only, he still ranked third in assists, but was third in points and sixth in goals.

“Nathan had a great year for us on the ice and proved once again that he is a formidable force in all three zones. A staple on both the powerplay and the penalty kill, Nathan finds a way to be successful and positively impact a game with his consistent defensive play, strength and offensive ability. Nathan is respected by all and has brought invaluable leadership that has been contagious during his four years as a Saint.”

Two defensemen were named to the Honorable Mention list this season. Alec Severson (Roseau, Minn./Roseau HS) was previously named All-Conference last season and played in every game this year. He totaled one goal and seven assists, while 18 blocked shots. Bryce Johnson (Roseau, Minn./Roseau HS) made his first appearance on the list in his career, he recorded two goals and eight assists in all 26 games. His 26 blocked shots ranked 15th overall and 23rd in MIAC play.

Kieran Chung (Nottingham, England), who came halfway through the season, played in nine total games for the Saints, but made an immediate impact. He registered three assists during the regular season and had a season-high give five shot versus Augsburg. During the MIAC Semifinals, Chung would tie up the game versus Bethel with his first collegiate goal. His effort would allow him to make the All-Playoff Team for the first time in his young career.