WCHA Preseason Media Poll and Coaches Poll

The 94X (X!...X....x....) WCHA Preseason Media Poll and Grand Forks Herald Coaches Poll have been released today. As with last year, I'd normally say the coaches poll is much more insightful, but once again, I got a vote in the media poll, so that one is way more important.

Here's what the media said:

1. North Dakota (28 first-place votes) 347 points
2. Minnesota Duluth 300
3. St. Cloud State (1) 295
4. Denver 242
5. Wisconsin 218
6. Minnesota 203
7. Colorado College 182
8. Bemidji State 156
9. Nebraska-Omaha 125
10. Minnesota State 97
11. Alaska-Anchorage 51
12. Michigan Tech 46

Hurray for somebody besides me being the one jerk to not pick the obvious team for first place this year. Actually, flip UMD and SCSU and UAA and Tech and it matches my ballot exactly.

And the media votes for Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year:

Preseason WCHA Player of the Year
Chay Genoway, North Dakota (10); Garrett Roe, St. Cloud State (5); Justin Fontaine, Minnesota Duluth
(4); Jack Connolly, Minnesota Duluth (3); Jason Gregoire, North Dakota (2); Mike Connolly, Minnesota
Duluth (1); Matt Read, Bemidji State (1); Evan Trupp, North Dakota (1)

Preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year
Jaden Schwartz, Colorado College (10); Derek Forbort, North Dakota (6); Beau Bennett, Denver
(4); Nick Bjugstad, Minnesota (2); Tyler Barnes, Wisconsin (1); J.T. Brown, Minnesota Duluth (1);
Rob Gunderson, Alaska-Anchorage (1); Radoslav Illo, Bemidji State (1); Jason Zucker, Denver (1)

And courtesy of the Grand Forks Herald, here is the coaches poll...

1. UND (10) 120
2. St. Cloud State (2) 105
3. Minnesota-Duluth 100
4. Denver 88
5. Minnesota 82
6. Colorado College 67
7. Wisconsin 64
8. Nebraska-Omaha 55
9. Bemidji State 46
10. MSU-Mankato 41
11. Alaska-Anchorage 19
12. Michigan Tech 15

Player of the year: Jack Connolly, Duluth (5), Chay Genoway, UND (4), Garrett Roe, SCSU (3)
Rookie of the year: Jaden Schwartz, Colorado College (9), Nick Bjugstad, Minnesota (1), Tyler Barnes, Wisconsin (1), Matt White, Omaha (1)