ADRIAN, Mich. — The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) has announced its 2023-24 men's hockey all-conference and all-freshmen teams, along with the season's major awards.

The 2023-24 Co-Players of the Year are Zachary Heintz and Jaden Shields, both from Adrian. The duo helped the Bulldogs to a Peter's Cup (regular season) title and the No. 1 seed in the Harris Cup playoffs.

Heintz, a senior forward, was seventh among all skaters with 24 points (12G, 12A). His 12 goals were tied for third and the 12 assists were tied for 10th place. The Wyoming, Mich., native also netted six power-play goals and had a hat trick. He finished the conference portion of the season +14. During NCHA play he had six multi-point games, while also being named a Star of the Week (December 5) and the NCHA Player of the Month for December. As of February 18, Heintz ranked eighth nationally in points per game (1.48).

"Zach is an electric player to watch. He's dynamic," said Adam Krug, head coach at Adrian. "He can make a play at anytime, in any game. He’s a real difference maker. His line (with Brad Somers and Mat Rehding) has been elite. You can’t do what they’ve done without all three of them being together. I’m ecstatic, though, for Zach on an individual level. His hockey career was virtually over after the 2019-20 season when COVID highlighted his enlarged heart and some subsequent issues. After a year away from school and hockey, some follow up appointments with doctors, they deemed him able to play again and we’re simply lucky to have had him. He’s got a smile on his face everyday and you can tell he appreciates playing the game. I think that’s part of why he’s gotten better each year. Zach has developed into a 200-foot player which has only led to even more offensive output."

Shields, a senior defeseman, led all players during NCHA play with 20 assists. He also had 27 points (7G, 20A) which placed him fourth overall. He netted two game-winning goals, had a hat trick and finished +17 in league games this season. During a February 17 game, he recorded the 100th point of his career. Thoughout league played he had 10 multi-point and eight games with two assists.

"This one feels good. Last season, Jaden missed out on All-NCHA honors when he missed a significant portion of the conference schedule between a couple of injuries and being part of Team USA at the World University Games," Krug said. "Jaden is an elite power-play defenseman at this level and will be in professional hockey, too. His defending has improved each year and now he’s our team leader in ice time. He plays in all situations and you know he’s going to make plays in big-time moments. I’m very happy for Jaden."

Adrian boasted the league's best offense (94 goals), defense (32 goals allowed), power-play unit (.310) and penalty-kills unit (.851). Through all games played as of February 18, the Bulldogs ranked top-10 nationally in six statistical cateogries.

"This makes me proud of our program," Krug expressed. "I think we easily could have tacked on Mathew Rehding and Dershahn Stewart to the co-award. I say that in no disrespect to Zach or Jaden as they’re clearly deserving. But their entire graduating group is special. They’ve won four Peter’s Cups, they’re three-for-three, so far, in Harris Cups and they’ve played in back-to-back National Championship games. They weren’t the go-to guys their first year or two, but the development of these guys is what really makes me proud. When you replace big-time players, like we have the past couple of seasons, sometimes you wonder where you’re going to get the next ones from—and then you look at your farm—we’ve got good players marinating, learning, developing. It’s awesome."

The league coaches voted Logan Dombrowsky, a forward from St. Norbert, as the Freshman of the Year. The rookie had a standout season with 26 points (9G, 17A), which was ffith best in NCHA play. His 17 assists were tied for the fourth most among skatersa and nine goals on the season placed him tied for 11th. The Stevens Point, Wis., native scored four power-play goals and a short-handed marker. At one point during conference play Dombrowsky had accumulated 20 points during a 12-game span.

"“Jumbo” as he is know in our world has played on our top line, top power-play and top penalty-kill units since he arrived," said Tim Coghlin, head coach at St. Norbert. "Logan is an unassuming young man who does everything daily to impact our team. We can’t wait to see him continue to grow and develop."

The 2023-24 Coach of the Year goes to Adam Krug from Adrian.

Krug guided the Bulldogs to their fifth-consecutive Peter's Cup (regular season) title. It is his sixth NCHA Coach of the Year honor. This year they were 16-2-0 in league play and have surpased the 20-win plateau for the ninth time in his tenure at Adrian

"This means a lot, of course, to be recognized by your peers and competitors," Krug added. "It’s always something that humbles you a bit. We have some really good coaches and some programs that are really on the upswing in the NCHA, so, this isn’t something you take for granted. Ultimately, I’m just the beneficiary of having great people around our program. This award is a team award, a staff award, a program award. Mat Thompson comes to the rink and grinds. His day-to-day detail is top notch. He needs to be publicly recognized. When it comes down to it, though, we’d say it’s the players that make us look good. They buy in, and trust us ultimately, so this thing works at Adrian. I appreciate all of these guys so much."

NCHA Co-Players of the Year: Zachary Heintz, Adrian; Jaden Shields, Adrian
NCHA Freshman of the Year: Logan Dombrowsky, St. Norbert
NCHA Coach of the Year: Adam Krug, Adrian

2023-24 NCHA Men's Hockey All-Conference Team
Forward: Zachary Heintz, (Sr., Wyoming, Mich.), Adrian
Forward: Mathew Rehding (Sr., Brampton, Ontario), Adrian
  * 2020-21 All-Freshmen
Forward: Carson Jones (So., Eden Prairie, Minn.), MSOE
Forward, Liam Fraser (Jr., Calgary, Alberta), St. Norbert
  * 2021-22 All-Freshmen
Forward: Adam Stacho (Sr., Trnava, Slovakia), St. Norbert
Forward: Sam Antenucci (So., Beverly Hills, Mich.), Trine
Defense: Jaden Shields (Sr., Royal Oak, Mich.), Adrian
  * 2020-21 Co-Freshman of the Year, 2020-21 All-Freshmen
Defense: Tyler Pang (Sr., Victoria, British Columbia) Aurora
Defense: Dayton Deics (So., Bismarck, N.D.), St. Norbert
Defense: Sean Henry (So., White Lake, Mich.), Trine
Goalie: Dershahn Stewart (Sr., Amherstburg, Ontario), Adrian
Goalie: Gabe Rosek (So., East Lansing, Mich.), Concordia Wisconsin

2023-24 NCHA Men's Hockey All-Freshman Team
Forward: Chase Broda (Wellesley, Ontario), Aurora
Forward: Logan Dombrowsky (Stevens Point, Wis.), St. Norbert
Forward: Michael DiPietra (North Aurora, Ill.), Trine
Defense: Julien Jacob (Bowmanville, Ontario), Adrian
Defense: Casey Roepke (Milwaukee, Wis.), MSOE
Goalie: Hunter Garvey (San Diego, Calif.), St. Norbert