Several NCAA conferences have announced their year-end all-star teams and there is plenty of former BCHL talent prominently featured. Here is a quick roundup of all the BCHL alums named to conference all-star teams so far.
Atlantic Hockey
Blake Chirstensen (Junior, F) – American International College – First-Team All-Star
The Coral Springs, Fla. native enters the quarterfinal round with team-highs of 29 assists and 42 points. The assist total is a program record and tied for fifth in Division I, while his 42 points are second in the conference. He also posted 13 goals which was second on the team with six coming on the power play. The 23-year-old played the 2015-16 season with the Wenatchee Wild, putting up 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists) in 52 games.
Billy Christopoulos (Senior, G) – Air Force Academy – First-Team All-Star
Christopoulos had another huge year in net for the Falcons, leading the league in both goals-against average at 2.13 and save percentage at .919, while posting 14 wins and three shutouts. The 25-year-old also backstopped the team to the best penalty killing efficiency in Division I at 89.7 per cent, as the team has allowed just 15 power-play goals all season. In 2017-18, Christopoulos won the Goaltending Award for best goals-against average in the conference and was also named to the Atlantic Hockey Third-Team All-Stars. The Raleigh, N.C. native played the 2014-15 season with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs where he won 22 games and posted a .906 save percentage with three shutouts.
Luke Santerno (Sophomore, F) – Bentley University – Second-Team All-Star
Santerno leads the Falcons with 24 assists and 35 points and is second on the team with 11 goals. During the team’s 12-game unbeaten streak to begin 2019, he posted five goals and 10 assists. The 22-year-old from Smithers, B.C. already has 65 career points in his two seasons in the NCAA. He was also named to the All-Rookie team last year. Santerno played three full seasons in the BCHL from 2014 to 2017, two with the Cowichan Valley Capitals and one with the Trail Smoke Eaters. His most productive year came in Trail where he scored 33 goals and ended up with 64 points in 57games. Over his three years, he played in 171 regular-season games and totaled 114 points.
Aidan Pelino (Junior, G) – Bentley University – Second-Team All-Star
Pelino is second in time on ice at a little more than 1,950 minutes and his 2.58 goals-against average is fourth in the conference. He has played in all but one game this season. During the Falcons’ 12-game unbeaten streak to begin 2019, he allowed just 23 goals. He also owns a .904 save percentage. The 23-year-old Oakville, Ont. native played two seasons with the Chilliwack Chiefs from 2014 to 2016. His best season was his last in the league where he put together a record of 22-11-2, a.909 save percentage and a 2.54 goals-against average with two shutouts, eventually leading the Chiefs to the league finals.
Jonathan Desbiens (Junior, F) – Bentley University – Third-Team All-Star
Desbiens, 23, tops the Falcons goal chart with 15 on the season and is third with 29 points. During the team’s 12-game unbeaten streak, he posted 11 goals and 16 points. He also leads the team with four game-winning tallies and has a plus-13 rating. The Montreal, Que. native spent two seasons with the West Kelowna Warriors from 2014 to 2016, scoring 137 points (71 goals, 66 assists) in 112 regular-season games. His best year was the 2015-16 season where he finished fourth in the league with 44 goals and tied for fifth in points with 83. He also had 24 points in 20 playoff games that year, leading the Warriors to a Fred Page Cup championship and eventually an RBC Cup National Title.
Adam Brubacher (Junior, D) – Rochester Institute of Technology – Third-Team All-Star
Brubacher enters the quarterfinal round second on the team in both assists (22) and points (28). In three seasons, the 23-year-old from Elmira, Ont. has yet to miss a game, playing in all 108 possible contests for the Tigers, posting 21 goals and 54 assists. Brubacher spent the 2015-16 in the BCHL, splitting time between the Prince George Spruce Kings and the Powell River Kings. In total, he scored 18 goals and 31 assists for 49 points while playing all 58 regular-season games.
Anthony Vincent (Freshman, F) – College of the Holy Cross – All-Rookie Team
Vincent finished his season tied for second on the Holy Cross scoring chart with 21 points, one shy of the team-lead. All 21 came in conference play and his 16 assists were most on the Crusaders. He was also second on the team with a plus-4 rating. The Wilton, Conn. native played two seasons with the Chilliwack Chiefs from 2016 to 2018, culminating in last year’s RBC Cup National Championship win on home ice. He totaled 37 points in 79 games during his two-year stint in the BCHL.
Matt Slick (Freshman, D) – College of the Holy Cross – All-Rookie Team
The Laredo, Tex. native finished his freshman season with a goal and four assists and had a plus-3 rating. He helped backstop a Crusaders team that ended the regular season 6-3-2 to become one of the hottest teams entering the tournament. Slick spent the 2017-18 season with Chilliwack where he was also a part of the RBC Cup championship team. He had four goals and eight assists for 12 points while playing in all 58 regular-season games.
NCHC
Patrick Newell (Senior, F) – St. Cloud State University – First-Team All-Star
Newell captured the NCHC scoring title, leading the conference with both 13 goals and 28 points in 24 conference games, while his 15 assists tied for fourth in the conference. A two-time NCHC Offensive Player of the Week and February Player of the Month, Newell was an NCHC-best plus-18 in conference play and fired 75 shots on goal, which was third in the conference. The 23-year-old from Thousand Oaks, Calif. played the 2014-15 season with the Penticton Vees where he led the team in scoring with 47 points (16 goals, 31 assists) in 56 games. He also added 14 points in 22 playoff games, helping the Vees win the Fred Page Cup and appearing in the RBC Cup semifinals.
Taylor Ward (Freshman, F) – University of Nebraska-Omaha – All-Rookie Team
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Adam Scheel (Freshman, G) – University of North Dakota – All-Rookie Team
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WCHA
Diego Cuglietta (Senior, F) – Lake Superior State University – First-Team All-Star
Cuglietta, who leads the NCAA in goals scored for the full season with 24, scored 30 points in 28 WCHA games on 16 goals and 14 assists. Across all games this season, the 23-year-old from Kamloops, B.C. put up 40 points. Over his four-year stint at Lake Superior, he’S totaled 99 points in 145 games. Cuglietta spent three years playing for the Merritt Centennials from 2012 to 2015, where he put up 128 points (40 goals, 88 assists) in 149 regular-season games.
Cooper Zech (Freshman, D) – Ferris State University – First Team All-Star/All-Rookie Team
Zech recorded 24 points in his rookie season, with six goals and 18 assists, to lead all WCHA freshmen in scoring in league play. Zech’s 18 assists also topped all newcomers in the conference. Upon completing his season, he signed an AHL contract with the Providence Bruins, the affiliate of the Boston Bruins. In his one season with the Wenatchee Wild last year, the South Lyon, Mich. native led all BCHL defencemen in scoring and finished fourth among all skaters with 69 points in 58 games. He also led the league in assists with 58 and was an integral part of the Wild’s Fred Page Cup championship team.
Adam Rockwood (Senior, F) – Northern Michigan University – Second-Team All-Star
Rockwood tied for sixth in scoring in WCHA play with 26 points. His 21 assists for the Wildcats was second-most in the league. This is the second year in a row the Coquitlam native has earned Second-Team All-Star status. In his two years with the Wildcats after transferring from Wisconsin, Rockwood tallied 81 points in 79 games. The 23-year-old played two full seasons in the BCHL with his hometown Express from 2012 to 2014, putting up 100 points (19 goals, 81 assists) in 107 regular-season games. His best season came in 2013-14 when he finished fifth in BCHL scoring with 74 points and added another 20 in 19 playoff games, leading Coquitlam to the league championship.
Steven Jandric (Sophomore, F) – University of Alaska-Fairbanks – Third-Team All-Star
Jandric was the Nanooks’ top point man this season with eight goals and 13 assists in WCHA play, with 11 of his points coming on the power play. He had 24 points in 36 games across all competitions. Last year, the 21-year-old was named to the WCHA All-Rookie team. The Prince George native played 121 BCHL games, most of which came with the Vernon Vipers from 2015 to 2017. He scored 35 goals and added 39 assists for 74 points in his junior career.
Owen Sillinger (Freshman, F) – Bemidji State University – All-Rookie Team
Sillinger’s eight goals and seven assists for 15 points tied him for fourth in scoring among WCHA freshmen. The 21-year-old from Regina, Sask. tied for the rookie lead in game-winning goals with two and led all newcomers in faceoffs won with 234. Sillinger spent three successful seasons with the Penticton Vees from 2015 to 2018, putting up 153 points (66 goals, 87 assists) in 171 regular-season games. His best output came in the 2017-18 season where he led the team and finished in a tie for sixth overall in BCHL scoring with 67 points. He also won a Fred Page Cup championship in the 2016-17 season.
Chris Jandric (Freshman, D) – University of Alaska-Fairbanks – All-Rookie Team
Jandric, 20, had 10 points on three goals and seven assists in league play and led all Nanooks freshmen in scoring across all games with 15 points on three goals and 12 assists in 28 contests. From Prince George, he spent two seasons with the Vernon Vipers from 2016 to 2018, one playing alongside his brother Steven, totaling 51 points (six goals, 45 assists) in 106 regular-season games.
Not all conferences have announced their all-stars or award winners, so check back here for more info in the coming weeks.
