Ten of the 12 WCHA coaches picked NoDak to win the conference title. Not sure, but I'm guessing on something like this nobody votes for their own team to be No. 1. Call it superstition or not wanting to jinx your team.

So Dave Hakstol of the Sioux might have voted for St. Cloud State, which got two first-place votes and finished second. Again I don't know.

The media also picked NoDak No. 1. Sioux got 28 of 29 first place votes.

In coaches' poll, behind NoDak and SCSU, comes UMD, DU and the U. CC is sixth.

Leading the bottom sixth is Wisconsin, which lost in the NCAA title game last season, the two WCHA newcomers, Nebraska-Omaha and Bemidji State, and then Minnesota State Mankato, Alaska Anchorage and Michigan Tech.

WCHA preason poll

1. UND (10) 120
2. St. Cloud State (2) 105
3. Minnesota-Duluth 100
4. Denver 88
5. Minnesota 82
6. Colorado College 67
7. Wisconsin 64
8. Nebraska-Omaha 55
9. Bemidji State 46
10. MSU-Mankato 41
11. Alaska-Anchorage 19
12. Michigan Tech 15

Player of the year: Jack Connolly, Duluth (5), Chay Genoway, UND (4), Garrett Roe, SCSU (3)

Rookie of the year: Jaden Schwartz, Colorado College (9), Nick Bjugstad, Minnesota (1), Tyler Barnes, Wisconsin (1), Matt White, Omaha (1)