Defending regular-season champion Minnesota State was picked to once again hoist the MacNaughton Cup in 2018-19, according to polls of the WCHA coaches and media released Monday.
Northern Michigan forwards Adam Rockwood and Troy Loggins split the coaches’ and media’s votes, respectively, as WCHA Preseason Player of the Year, while Ferris State defenseman Cooper Zech was the coaches’ choice as WCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year.
2018-19 Mankato Free Press WCHA Preseason Coaches Poll
| School (First-place votes) | Voting points |
|---|---|
| 1. Minnesota State (7) | 88 |
| 2. Northern Michigan (2) | 80 |
| 3. Bowling Green | 76 |
| 4. Michigan Tech (1) | 64 |
| 5. Bemidji State | 54 |
| 6. Ferris State | 49 |
| 7. Lake Superior State | 40 |
| 8. Alaska | 36 |
| 9. Alabama Huntsville | 35 |
| 10. Alaska Anchorage | 18 |
WCHA Preseason Player of the Year
Adam Rockwood, Sr., F, Northern Michigan
WCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year
Cooper Zech, D, Ferris State
Preseason All-WCHA Team
Forwards: Adam Rockwood, Sr., Northern Michigan; Marc Michaelis, So., Minnesota State; Troy Loggins, Sr., Northern Michigan
Defensemen: Alec Rauhauser, Jr., Bowling Green; Philip Beaulieu, Jr., Northern Michigan
Goaltender: Atte Tolvanen, Sr., Northern Michigan
2018-19 UAHHockey.com WCHA Preseason Media Poll
| School (First-place votes) | Voting points |
|---|---|
| 1. Minnesota State (13) | 182 |
| 2. Bowling Green (1) | 159 |
| 3. Northern Michigan (5) | 150 |
| 4. Michigan Tech | 133 |
| 5. Bemidji State | 110 |
| 6. Ferris State | 102 |
| 7. Alabama Huntsville | 69 |
| 8. Lake Superior State | 57 |
| 9. Alaska | 47 |
| 10. Alaska Anchorage | 28 |
Preseason WCHA Player of the Year
Troy Loggins, Sr., F, Northern Michigan
Preseason All-WCHA First Team
Forwards: Marc Michaelis, Jr., Minnesota State; Jake Jaremko, Fr., Minnesota State; Troy Loggins, Sr., Northern Michigan
Defensemen: Alec Rauhauser, Jr., D, Bowling Green; Philip Beaulieu, Jr., D, Northern Michigan
Goaltender: Atte Tolvanen, Sr., Northern Michigan
Preseason All-WCHA Second Team
Forwards: Adam Rockwood, Sr., Northern Michigan; Jake Lucchini, Sr., Michigan Tech; Darien Craighead, Jr., Northern Michigan (tie); Brandon Kruse, So., Bowling Green (tie); Parker Tuomie, Jr., Minnesota State (tie)
Defensemen: Ian Scheid, Jr., Minnesota State; Chris Pohlkamp, Sr., Bowling Green
Goaltender: Ryan Bednard, Jr., Bowling Green
The coaches poll was conducted by Shane Frederick, staff writer, The Free Press Media, while the media poll was conducted by Geof Morris, editor of UAHHockey.com.
