COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Two North Dakota rookies have been named to the NCHC All-Rookie Team on Tuesday, as announced by the league office. Forward Matteo Costantini and goaltender Jakob Hellsten garner honors after helping the Fighting Hawks claim their third straight Penrose Cup.
Costantini asserted himself into a top-6 role early in the season and never looked back, spending most of the campaign on the top line for the green and white. In 22 league games, the rookie finished with 16 points to sit third on the team and lead all freshmen. He also was tied for fifth on the team with six goals, third with 10 helpers and was second with a plus-14 rating.
The St. Catharines, Ont., native earned two NCHC Rookie of the Week honors, both coming after sweeps over Denver and Western Michigan. In the victories over the Broncos, Costantini scored the game-winning goal in Friday’s 2-1 triumph. He also became the first freshman since Zach Parise on Nov. 1, 2002 to record at least four assists in a game when he dished out four in a 7-1 triumph over St. Cloud State.
Hellsten shined in net during his first action in North America, posting a 2-2-0 record over five starts with a 2.93 GAA and .884 save percentage to earn a unanimous selection to the team. The Ljusdal, Sweden, native stopped 23-of-24 in his first-career start to help the Fighting Hawks notch a sweep over Colorado College on Dec. 11.
He followed that up with back-to-back strong performances at Western Michigan and vs. St. Cloud State, surrendering just one goal in both contests. He went over three starts before allowing a goal at even strength during league play.
Hellsten becomes the fifth goaltender to earn an all-rookie nod from a conference, joining Adam Scheel in 2018-19, Brad Eidsness in 2008-09, Karl Goehring in 1997-98 and Toby Kvalevog in 1993-94.
Voting was conducted by the eight head coaches at each institution and eight media members, one covering each member school. Coaches and media voted for six forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders, awarding first-team votes for six players (three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender) and second-team votes for the other six selections. Three points were awarded for a first-team vote while one point was awarded for a second-team vote, with the most points at each position earning the honors. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players, making 15 first-place votes (45 points) the maximum a player can receive.
The NCHC will announce its All-Conference Teams on Wednesday and its individual award finalists on Thursday. Individual award winners will be announced at the NCHC Awards Celebration in Saint Paul, Minn. on Thursday, March 17 on the eve of the 2022 NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
2021-22 NCHC All-Rookie Team
F: Carter Mazur, Denver – 42 (14 first-team votes)
F: Massimo Rizzo, Denver – 34 (10)
F: Matteo Costantini, North Dakota – 30 (8)
D: Sean Behrens, Denver – 39 (12)
D: Shai Buium, Denver – 29 (7)
G: Jakob Hellsten, North Dakota – 45 (15) – unanimous
*Alec Stocker Johnson, UND Athletics
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