Forward Joey Larson, just coming off being named the CCHA Rookie of the Week for the third time this season, was named this week to the Watch List for the Tim Taylor Rookie of the Year Award.

He is among 27 first-year NCAA men’s hockey players named to the list as likely candidates as announced by the Hockey Commissioners Association.

At the end of this season, a ballot that includes each Division I conference Rookie of the Year will be presented to college hockey assistant coaches for their vote. Each school gets one vote.

The national rookie of the year will then be announced during the NCAA Frozen Four in Tampa, Florida, in April.

Joey Larson

Larson has already won the league rookie of the week honors multiple times, most recently for last weekend’s three-point performance in a home split against Lake Superior State.

He had two goals and an assist, along with a team-high eight shots on goal and plus-minus rating of even, according to the CCHA. He had a goal and assist in the Wildcats’ 4-2 loss on Friday and the game-winning goal in Northern’s 3-1 victory Saturday that clinched the annual Cappo Cup challenge.

Larson now has a three-game goal-scoring streak to give him 19 points this season — eight goals and 11 assists. He also leads NMU with five power play goals.

He won the CCHA Rookie of the Week nod twice early in the season after the league’s coaches voted him CCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year.

He earned the weekly award to open the season after a home split against Bowling Green State, when he had a goal and two assists and eight shots on goal, and also in mid-November after the Wildcats again split at home vs. Bemidji State as he had a goal and assist.

Last season prior to coming to NMU, the Brighton native played for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the U.S. Hockey League and had 32 goals and 34 assists for 66 points in 61 regular-season games, along with four goals and 13 assists for 17 points in nine playoff contests.

Larson was named Michigan’s Mr. Hockey in 2019 while playing with downstate Hartland High School, which won the MHSAA Division 2 state title that winter.

Larson had 60 goals and 48 assists for 108 points in 77 games over three years for Hartland.

Only one other CCHA player was named to the Tim Taylor award Watch List — Bemidji’s Lleyton Roed, a forward who has nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points in 28 games.

Here are the other Watch List players, listed by conference, with their team. All players are forwards except as noted. Statistics include goals, assists, total points and games for skaters, and goals-against average, saves percentage and games for goalies:

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Big Ten — Adam Fantilli, Michigan, 17-28–45, 24 gms.; Karsen Dorwart, Michigan State, 9-16–25, 30 gms.; Logan Cooley, Minnesota, 13-23–36, 27 gms.; Jimmy Snuggerud, Minnesota, 16-21–37, 28 gms.; Stephen Halliday, Ohio State, 7-23–30, 28 gms.; Cruz Lucius, Wisconsin, 9-19–28, 28 gms.

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National Collegiate Hockey Conference — Jackson Blake, North Dakota, 12-18–30, 27 gms.; Simon Latkoczy, Nebraska-Omaha, goalie, 1.82, .932, 11 gms.; Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College, goalie, 2.46, .920, 20 gms.; Ryan McAllister, Western Michigan, 11-29–40, 30 gms.; Ben Steeves, Minnesota-Duluth, 17-5–22, 26 gms.; Aidan Thompson, Denver, 5-14–19, 20 gms.

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Hockey East — Kenny Connors, Massachusetts, 7-13–20, 23 gms.; Cutter Gauthier, Boston College, 14-10–24, 22 gms.; Lane Hutson, Boston University, defenseman, 9-27–36, 26 gms.; Philip Svedeback, Providence, goalie, 2.23, .905, 27 gms.; Matthew Wood, Connecticut, 10-17–27, 28 gms.

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Atlantic Hockey — Max Itagaki, Army, 2-18–20, 24 gms.; Nicholas Niemi, Bentley, 6-13–19, 26 gms.

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ECAC — Ryan Bottrill, Brown, 6-11–17, 23 gms.; Sam Lipkin, Quinnipiac, 6-19–25, 26 gms.; Dalton Bancroft, Cornell, 8-10–18, 22 gms.; John Prokop, Union, defenseman, 4-13–17, 28 gms.; Joe Miller, Harvard, 11-8–19, 23 gms.; Sutter Muzzatti, RPI, 6-11-17, 18 gms.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.

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