KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) announced its finalists for all specialty awards this afternoon. Western Michigan had a league-best 10 finalists, having a representative in nine of the 12 categories.
Alex Bump led the way, serving as a finalist for Player of the Year, Forward of the Year and the Three Stars Award. Bump produced 29 points on 15 goals and 14 assists in conference play. He led the league in goals and finished third in points.
The Prior Lake, Minn. native is one of just four players in program history to tally 29 or more points in NCHC play. Bump had at least one point in 17 of the team's 24 conference games this season, and he was a unanimous First Team All-NCHC selection.
Hampton Slukynsky and
Cameron Rowe are both up for the Goaltender of the Year award. Slukynsky was named Second Team All-NCHC and earned All-Rookie status, while Rowe was selected Third Team All-NCHC.
Slukynsky finished the league season with a 10-3-1 record, 2.04 goals against average and .915 save percentage. He had one shutout and made 313 total saves. Rowe was just as good, producing a 9-1-0 record, 2.09 GAA and .925 save percentage. He had one shutout and made 258 total saves.
Slukynsky led the NCHC in GAA, while Rowe was second in the conference in both GAA and save percentage. Rowe currently leads the NCAA in win percentage. The two goalies combined to lose just one game in regulation across the 24-game league schedule.
Joona Väisänen's great year has led to him being up for the Rookie of the Year award. The Finnish blue liner has already been named to the NCHC All-Rookie Team, while also being a Third Team All-NCHC honoree.
Väisänen recorded 17 points on three goals and 14 assists against NCHC foes. He had four multi-point nights, including a two goal, one assist effort in a win over Omaha on Feb. 14. He had the most points among NCHC rookie defenseman this season.
Samuel Sjolund was named a finalist for the league's Offensive Defenseman of the Year award after he produced 15 points on three goals and 12 assists in 24 conference games.
The Swedish blue liner was +15 and fired 38 shots on net during league play. He had at least one point in 12 conference games and had multiple points in two outings.
Brian Kramer was also great on defense, and he is up for the NCHC Defensive Defenseman of the Year award. The Wexford, Pa. native finished the conference regular season with 11 points on one goal and 10 assists.
Defensively, Kramer blocked 23 shots and had a +15 rating in 24 games. Along with that, he committed just three penalties with none resulting in majors or game misconducts.
Sticking with defense,
Tim Washe headlines the trio up for Defensive Forward of the Year. Serving as the team's captain, Washe produced 20 points on nine goals and 11 assists this season. Along with that, he blocked 13 shots and posted a +10 rating.
Additionally, Washe has been the NCHC's best faceoff man over the last three seasons. He won draws at an impressive 61.4 percent clip in conference play this season. He was the only player in the conference to be above 60 percent.
For the second time in the last three years,
Pat Ferschweiler is up for the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year award. He won the award back in 2022-23 after guiding the Broncos to a second-place finish in the NCHC and another NCAA Tournament appearance.
The fourth-year head coach made history with the Broncos in 2024-25, leading the Brown and Gold to the program's first ever regular season championship. The Broncos won the Penrose Cup by 10 points and tied the NCHC record for most wins in a regular season with 19.
WMU heads into the postseason ranked No. 3 in the nation and will square off with St. Cloud State in the NCHC Quarterfinals this weekend. Puck drop for Friday's series opener is set for 7 PM at Lawson Arena.
