A solid group of candidates has emerged for the Mike Richter Award given to the best goalie in NCAA Division I men's hockey.
Connor Hellebuyck of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, now playing for the Winnipeg Jets, won the first award in 2014. Other winners competing in the NHL are Thatcher Demko of the Vancouver Canucks (Boston College in 2016), Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins (Maine in 2020) and Jacob Fowler of the Montreal Canadiens last season with Boston College.
A committee of coaches, administrators, scouts and media selects the winner of the award named for Richter, who played two seasons at the University of Wisconsin and 14 in the NHL for the New York Rangers and is a 1994 Stanley Cup champion. The 2026 winner will be announced during the NCAA Frozen Four in Las Vegas.
Here are 10 goalies worthy of consideration (in alphabetical order):
Trey Augustine, Michigan State University
His .938 save percentage is tied with Mason Kucenski of St. Lawrence for the best in the NCAA one season after he was a finalist as a sophomore. Augustine is 13-5-0 with a 1.72 goals-against average and three shutouts. The 2025 Big Ten Goaltender of the Year and two-time gold medalist for the United States at the World Junior Championship (2024, 2025) was picked by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round (No. 41) of the 2023 NHL Draft.
Alexis Cournoyer, Cornell University
The freshman made 33 saves in a 3-1 win at University of Massachusetts in his NCAA debut and Cornell's season opener. Cournoyer is 8-3-0 with a 1.84 GAA and .927 save percentage. He played for Cape Breton in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League last season and was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the fifth round (No. 145) of the 2025 NHL Draft.
Adam Gajan, University of Minnesota Duluth
The sophomore was named to Team Slovakia's roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. Gajan is third in the NCAA in wins (15-6-0) and has a 1.98 GAA and .917 save percentage. He was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round (No. 35) of the 2023 draft.
Jack Ivankovic, Michigan
The freshman leads the NCAA with 17 wins in 22 games for top-ranked Michigan after playing for Brampton in the Ontario Hockey League last season. Ivankovic has a 1.92 GAA, .927 save percentage and three shutouts but left a 7-4 win against the University of Notre Dame on Jan. 10 with an injury sustained in a goalmouth collision. He was selected by the Nashville Predators in the second round (No. 58) of the 2025 draft.
Josh Kotai, Augustana University
The junior is 12-6-3 with a 2.04 GAA, .934 save percentage and three shutouts after he was a Richter semifinalist last season. Kotai made a combined 45 saves in back-to-back shutouts (3-0 and 2-0) at Northern Michigan University on Jan. 9-10. He played for the U.S. Collegiate Selects in the Spengler Cup in Switzerland and made 32 saves in a 3-2 loss to Canada on Dec. 26. Undrafted, Kotai attended development camp with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2025.
Jakub Krbecek, Rochester Institute of Technology
The undrafted sophomore from Czechia made 44 saves in a 1-0 win against Penn State on Jan. 3. Krbecek is 13-7-0 with a 1.86 GAA and .932 save percentage. He played for Philadelphia in the North American Hockey League and Sioux City of the United States Hockey League before enrolling at RIT.
Tyler Muszelik, University of Connecticut
The senior played two seasons at the University of New Hampshire before transferring to Connecticut. Muszelik is 11-4-3 with a 2.13 GAA and .931 save percentage. He was chosen by the Florida Panthers in the sixth round (No. 189) of the 2022 NHL Draft.
Hampton Slukynsky, Western Michigan
The sophomore has won seven consecutive starts, is 11-1 in his past 12 games and 16-6-0 with a 2.37 GAA and .909 save percentage. Slukynsky made 24 saves in a 6-2 win against Boston University in the championship game of the 2025 Frozen Four. He was taken by the Los Angeles Kings in the fourth round (No. 118) of the 2023 draft.
Jan Spunar, North Dakota University
The undrafted freshman from Czechia won his first 10 starts before a 3-2 overtime loss at Colorado College on Jan. 9. Spunar is 11-1-0 with a 1.67 GAA and .929 save percentage. He played two seasons for Portland in the Western Hockey League and one season with Dubuque in the USHL before enrolling at North Dakota.
Alex Tracy, Minnesota State University
An undrafted senior, Tracy is 11-6-5 with a 2.02 GAA and .926 save percentage. He was a Richter and Hobey Baker Award Top Ten Finalist and was awarded Player of the Year and Goaltender of the Year in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association last season. His 32 saves helped the U.S. Collegiate Selects to a 5-3 win against HC Sparta Praha in the semifinals of the Spengler Cup on Dec. 30.
