Sophomore defenseman Jake Sanderson is one of the seven players named to the 2021 NCHC Preseason All-Conference Team, as announced by the league on Tuesday morning.

Among the 25 media voters, SCSU sophomore forward Veeti Miettinen and Western Michigan junior defenseman Ronnie Attard led the way with 22 votes each. Minnesota Duluth senior Noah Cates and Omaha senior Chayse Primeau round out the forward group with 18 and 13 votes, respectively.

Joining Attard on the blue line are SCSU senior Nick Perbix and North Dakota sophomore Jake Sanderson, who each collected 13 votes to create a tie. Miami sophomore goaltender Ludvig Persson rounds out the Preseason All-NCHC Team in net, garnering 10 votes.

Last season, the Whitefish, Mont., native appeared in 22 games for the Fighting Hawks, notching two goals and 13 assists for 15 points. Sanderson led all UND blueliners with a +20 rating while being whistled for only one penalty all season. Despite missing seven games while competing at the IIHF World Junior Championships, winning a gold for Team USA, he elevated his play as the season wore on with eight points over his final nine games, including four straight postseason contests.

His trio of assists in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff helped him become the only defenseman to earn all-tournament team honors, with the Fighting Hawks capturing both the regular season and tournament conference crowns for the first time in league history. A week later, Sanderson tallied an assist in the NCAA Tournament win over American International before firing a game-high eight shots on goal against Minnesota Duluth in the five overtime regional final.

Media members voted for three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender on their ballot with each vote worth one point. The top three vote-getters at forward, top two defensemen (plus ties) and highest vote-getting goaltender made up the preseason all-conference team. A total of 25 ballots were submitted by media members covering each team, as well as select national media.