Sportlogiq NCAA Hockey Standouts
Follow along as we reveal our top data-driven performers from the 2023-24 NCAA Hockey Season
Last year Sportlogiq proudly extended our coverage into the NCAA, bringing our advanced analytics, tools, and services to Men’s Division 1 hockey programs and professional teams looking to scout and draft from its pool of talented athletes. This coverage has helped many programs optimize their recruiting, coaching, and player development.
To cap off our first full season of NCAA coverage, we wanted to celebrate some of the most impactful players from the 2023-24 season.
Welcome to Sportlogiq’s NCAA standouts. Our analysts have run the numbers and over the coming days we’ll be announcing awards for the top performers in a number of different advanced analytical categories covering key areas of the game.
Offensive Player of the year: macklin celebrini, boston university
Despite being younger than most players in the NCAA at just 17 years old, Macklin Celebrini takes home the Offensive Player of the Year honours.
Widely regarded as the favorite to go 1st overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, Celebrini’s offensive prowess was on full display with the Terriers in all facets of the game.
A threat both off the rush and the cycle, Celebrini finished 2nd in the nation in goals. He also finished 2nd in the NCAA in finding teammates in the slot area, which lead him to the third highest point total in the Nation.
Puck Mover of the Year: Lane Hutson, Boston University
Lane Hutson was the easy choice for our standout Puck Mover of the Year award in the NCAA.
Even after missing a few games due to injury, Hutson had the puck on his stick for 22:11 more than any other player in the country this season. He also has the three best single-game performances in OZ Possession time, at 3:28, 3:03, and 2:31, while no other player in the NCAA, forward or defense, was able to crack the 2:30 mark.
When it came to moving the puck, either by skating it or passing it, nobody came close to Hutson this season.
Shooter of the Year: Ryan Leonard, Boston College
Ryan Leonard takes home our award for top NCAA Shooter of the 2023-24 Season.
Despite finishing 3rd in goals behind Macklin Celebrini and Cutter Gauthier, Leonard’s penchant for creating quality scoring chances places him at the top of our list. Leonard was the only player in the country to finish top-three in goals, expected goals, slot shots, and inner slot shots.
It was a tight race that went down to the wire, but Ryan Leonard is our choice for top shooter in the NCAA.
Playmaker of the year: jackson Blake, university of north dakota
Jackson Blake of the University of North Dakota earns our selection as the NCAA’s Playmaker of the Year. With 59 points and 38 assists in 39 games played, Blake established himself as a premier player in College Hockey.
He’s demonstrated patience when it comes to finding the right play as the 20 year-old led all forwards in Offensive Zone Possession Time, nearly 10 minutes more than the next best forward, Macklin Celebrini.
Blake was also able to create prime scoring opportunities for his teammates as no other player had a higher Expected Assists value than #9 for the Fighting Hawks.
Shutdown Defenseman of the Year: Tommy Bergsland, Colgate University
Our inaugural award for best shutdown defenseman in college hockey goes to Tommy Bergsland.
The right shot defenseman for Colgate University posted solid offensive numbers with 26 points in 36 games…but his defensive numbers were even more impressive.
Bergsland started fewer than 30 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone and had an exceptionally high impact when he was on the ice. He ranked top 10 in the country in defensive zone denials(preventing possession entries), defensive zone stick checks (separating opponents from the puck with his stick), and led all defenders in blocked passes.
Goaltender of the Year: Thomas Scarfone, Rochester Institute of Technology
We start from the back end, as Thomas Scarfone of the Rochester Institute of Technology earns our selection as the standout NCAA goaltender of the year.
In 36 games played, the Montréal native tallied 25 wins (good for 3rd in the NCAA), but it was his underlying numbers that truly set him apart from the competition.
Scarfone led the NCAA in Goals Saved Above Expected, saving a total value of 20.5 goals over expectations. He also led the NCAA in quality starts with 29, which means he gave his program a chance to win almost every time he was between the pipes.