COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) players shined during the first month of the 2026-27 season, with three NCHC standouts earning October national monthly awards from the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA), which announced all six October honorees on Friday.
 
Minnesota Duluth junior Ty Hanson was named HCA National Defenseman of the Month, Colorado College sophomore Jackson Unger gloved HCA National Co-Goaltender of the Month and Western Michigan freshman forward Adam Benák collected HCA National Co-Rookie of the Month for October. All three garnered NCHC Player of the Month honors for October on Wednesday.
 
Hanson (Hermantown, Minn.) was a force all over the ice in October, leading the No. 6 Bulldogs to a 6-2-2 record. The UMD co-captain tallied 14 points to tie for the NCHC lead and pace all NCHC and NCAA blueliners in October scoring. His eight goals last month led all NCHC skaters, tied for second nationally, and were three more than any other NCAA defensemen. The eight goals were also the most ever by an NCHC blueliner in a single month. Hanson handed out six assists, as well, while recording a point in nine of 10 October games, including four multi-point games.
 
Hanson was named NCHC Defenseman of the Week three times in October out of five weeks. He earned his first weekly honor of the season after opening weekend when he tallied a goal and four points in a sweep of Long Island on Oct. 2-3. Hanson notched his first multi-goal game of the season in a 7-1 win over rival Minnesota on Oct. 16, landing him his second weekly honor. He scored three goals, including a game-winner, and totaled four points a week later in a sweep of Bemidji State to claim his final weekly honor of the month. Hanson wrapped up October with another game-winning goal and an assist in a split at No. 11 Colorado College.
 
Hanson finished the month averaging 1.40 points per game in October, which was second in the NCHC among defensemen and fourth among all skaters. He blocked nine shots in October and posted a +9 plus/minus, which was third among NCHC rearguards. Hanson did not commit a single penalty the entire month of October.
 
Unger (Calgary, Alberta) was rock solid in net for No. 11 Colorado College throughout October, backstopping the Tigers to a 6-2-0 record while starting all eight games. He posted a .953 save percentage last month, which ranked second in the NCHC and third nationally among goalies with at least three games played. Unger compiled a 1.38 goals-against average, which was second among NCHC goalies with at least four games played, while his six wins tied for the NCHC lead. He racked up 224 saves in October, by far the most in the NCHC and sixth nationally, averaging 28 saves per game.
 
Unger started the season in perfect fashion, logging a 32-save shutout of then-No. 10 UMass on Oct. 2, before stopping 22 more shots a night later in a 6-1 win. That earned him NCHC Goalie of the Week honors. On Oct. 24, he made a career-high 35 saves to shut out crosstown rival Air Force and secure the Pikes Peak Trophy. Unger then wrapped up October with 47 saves in a split with No. 6 Minnesota Duluth to start NCHC play.
 
Unger posted two shutouts in October, the first time a CC goalie had two shutouts in the first six games of a season since Richard Bachman in 2008. The two whitewashes tie for second in the NCHC and nationally.
 
Unger shared his HCA October Co-Goaltender of the Month honor with Army junior J.J. Cataldo.
 
Benák (Plzen, Czechia) started his college career with a bang, compiling 13 points in seven games in October to help No. 5 Western Michigan begin the season 6-1-0. The Minnesota Wild draft pick scored three goals and handed out 10 assists in his first month of college hockey. The 13 points and 10 assists were both tops among all NCAA freshmen in October, with the 10 assists second among all NCHC skaters. Benák averaged 1.86 points per game, which ranked second among all NCHC skaters last month. He recorded four multi-point games in October, most among NCAA rookies, and tallied a point in five of seven games.
 
Benák collected his first four career points with four assists in a 5-1 win over Ferris State on Oct. 9, which earned him NCHC Rookie of the Week honors. He repeated as Rookie of the Week the next weekend when he scored a goal both nights, including his first career goal on Oct. 16, and added an assist in a sweep of Notre Dame. Benák then wrapped up his month with six points (1g/5a) in a dominating sweep of Long Island, notching three points both nights.
 
Benák fired 17 shots on goal in October and was strong in the faceoff circle, going 41-34 on draws. The center also posted a +10 plus/minus last month, which led all NCAA freshmen nationally.
 
Benák split his HCA Co-Rookie of the Month accolade for October with Vermont goalie Jacob Oster.
 
Michigan senior forward Jayden Perron, who started his college career at North Dakota, landed HCA National Forward of the Month honors for October. WMU senior forward William Whitelaw was a runner-up for the award behind Perron.
 
The NCHC also had three players win the last set of HCA national monthly awards last March/April to end the 2025-26 season.