Coaches vote St.Thomas first, Media says Minnesota State will be first
The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) 2025-26 Preseason Coaches Poll & Awards have been announced and for the second year in a row, the University of St. Thomas has claimed the top spot. Highlighting the individual honors was Lucas Wahlin, who was picked as the Preseason Player of the Year, while garnering unanimous Preseason All-CCHA Team recognition. Five programs were represented among the awards, which were voted on by the conference’s nine head coaches.
St. Thomas edged out defending MacNaughton Cup Champion Minnesota State by a single point, 72-71, for first place in the coaches poll. The Mavericks, who topped the Tommies in last year’s Mason Cup title game, picked up a league-best four first-place votes, with St. Thomas garnering three and Michigan Tech claiming a pair. The Huskies joined Augustana with 59 points in the poll, tying for third, with Bowling Green not far behind (58). Bemidji State was chosen to finish just outside of home ice (54), with Lake Superior State (38), Ferris State (33), and Northern Michigan (24) rounding out the list.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team and points were awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3 scale.
CCHA Preseason Player of the Year: Lucas Wahlin, Sr., St. Thomas (Woodbury, Minn.)
Wahlin netted 14 goals with 15 assists for 29 points in 26 conference games last season, while posting a +7 rating. He totaled three power-play goals, one shorthanded marker and four game-winners, which was second in the league. Putting 99 shots on net, he blocked 24 defensively and won 47.4% of his draws. Overall, he has recorded 17 goals and 22 assists for 39 points, earning All-CCHA First Team honors. A finalist for Forward of the Year, the Tommies captain picked up one Forward of the Month and one Forward of the Week award last season.
CCHA Preseason Co-Rookie of the Year: Nathan Pilling, Fr., St. Thomas (Calgary, Alb.)
Pilling joins the Tommies after playing in 218 WHL contests for the Moose Jaw Warriors, Edmonton Oil Kings, and Seattle Thunderbirds. He recorded 126 points on 70 goals and 56 assists. A captain in Seattle during the 2024-25 season, he amassed 34 goals and 26 assists for 60 points in 61 regular-season games. In six playoff games, he had three goals and four assists for seven points.
CCHA Preseason Co-Rookie of the Year: Dominik Rymon, Fr., Bowling Green (Karlovy Vary, Czechia)
Rymon played three years for the Everett Silvertips of the WHL, potting 66 goals with 92 assists for 158 points in 140 games. In 2024-25, he totaled 66 points on 30 goals and 36 assists in 66 contests. He also had two goals and five assists for seven points in seven games at the 2024 World Junior Championships, playing for his native Czechia.
Joining Wahlin on the Preseason All-CCHA team was the Michigan Tech duo of Isaac Gordon and Stiven Sardarian, who both finished in the top-10 in scoring in the CCHA a season ago. Reigning CCHA Defenseman of the Year Evan Murr of Minnesota State was a unanimous selection on the blue line, with Bemidji State sophomore Isa Parekh, who picked up All-Rookie Team honors in 2024-25. Mavericks’ senior netminder Alex Tracy rounds out the team, having won CCHA Player of the Year and Goaltender of the Year in 2024-25, before becoming a finalist for the Mike Richter Award and a Hobey Baker Top 10 Finalist.
2025-26 CCHA Preseason Coaches Poll:
St. Thomas – 72 (3 first-place votes)
Minnesota State – 71 (4)
Michigan Tech – 59 (2)
Augustana – 59
Bowling Green – 58
Bemidji State – 54
Lake Superior State – 38
Ferris State – 33
Northern Michigan – 24
2025-26 Preseason Players of the Year
Lucas Wahlin, UST
2025-26 Preseason Co-Rookie of the Year
Nathan Pilling, UST
Dominik Rymon, BGSU
2025-26 Preseason All-CCHA Team
Lucas Wahlin, UST*
Isaac Gordon, MTU
Stiven Sardarian, MTU
Evan Murr, MSU*
Isa Parekh, BSU
Alex Tracy, MSU
* – Unanimous
MEDIA
Minnesota State picked up 127 points in the media poll with eight of the 14 first-place votes. St. Thomas came away with two first-place votes and 115 points to come in second, while Bowling Green was third with 108 points and four first-place votes. Michigan Tech (100 points) was selected to take the fourth and final home ice position, with Augustana (95) not far behind. Bemidji State (75), Ferris State (54), Lake Superior State (49), and Northern Michigan (33) rounded out the poll.
CCHA Preseason Player of the Year: Alex Tracy, Sr., Minnesota State (Chicago, Ill.)
Tracy posted a 26-9-3 record with a 1.42 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage, with five shutouts. The CCHA Goaltender and Player of the Year, he was a three-time CCHA and National Goaltender of the Month. Playing in 25 of Minnesota State’s 26 conference games, Tracy went 17-5-3 with a 1.43 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage, which all led the league. A top-four finalist for the Mike Richter Award, he was also a Hobey Baker Award Top-10 Finalist.
CCHA Preseason Co-Rookie of the Year: Max Hildebrand, Fr., Bemidji State (Martensville, Sask.)
Hildenbrand joins the Beavers after being named WHL Goaltender of the Year with the Prince Albert Raiders in 2024-25. He went 33-16-5 with a 2.87 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage, compiling three shutouts. A two-time Team MVP and Humanitarian of the Year recipient, he appeared in 143 career games for Prince Albert, going 69-53-10 with a 3.06 GAA and a .905 SV% with five shutouts.
CCHA Preseason Co-Rookie of the Year: Max Vig, Fr., Bemidji State (Bismarck, N.D.)
A seventh-round pick by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, Vig played for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL prior to arriving at Bemidji State. An alternate captain, he played in 62 games for the RoughRiders in 2024-25, scoring 10 goals with 22 assists for 32 points from the blue line. Posting a +9 rating, he was assessed 85 penalty minutes and was twice named USHL Defenseman of the Week.
St. Thomas senior captain Lucas Wahlin was joined by Michigan Tech senior Stiven Sardarian and Bowling Green junior Brody Waters as the Preseason All-CCHA forwards, as picked by the media. Wahlin produced 41 points on 17 goals and 24 assists last season, while playing all 38 games for the Tommies. Sardarian paced the Huskies with 11 goals and 24 assists for 35 points, while Waters had 16 goals and six assists for 22 points in 36 contests.
Reigning CCHA Defenseman of the Year Evan Murr of Minnesota State was a unanimous selection on the blue line, with Bemidji State sophomore Isa Parekh, who picked up All-Rookie Team honors in 2024-25. Tracy was also a unanimous selection at goaltender.
2025-26 CCHA Preseason Media Poll:
Minnesota State – 127 (8 first-place votes)
St. Thomas – 115 (2)
Bowling Green – 108 (4)
Michigan Tech – 100
Augustana – 95
Bemidji State – 75
Ferris State – 54
Lake Superior State – 49
Northern Michigan – 33
2025-26 Preseason Media Players of the Year
Alex Tracy, MSU
2025-26 Preseason Media Co-Rookie of the Year
Max Hildenbrand, BSU
Max Vig, BSU
2025-26 Preseason Media All-CCHA Team
Stiven Sardarian, MTU
Lucas Wahlin, UST
Brody Waters, BGSU
Evan Murr, MSU*
Isa Parekh, BSU
Alex Tracy, MSU*
* – Unanimous
