On Campus: Close, Ostman among Mike Richter Award hopefuls

Five weeks into the NCAA season, the race for the Mike Richter Award, given to the most outstanding goaltender in Division I, is wide open.

That was not the case a year ago, when Northeastern University’s Devon Levi was the favorite to win the award for the second consecutive time. He took home the trophy in April having already made his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres.

There is a long history of college goalies thriving in the NHL, starting with Tony Esposito of Michigan Tech University and Ken Dryden of Cornell University, both of whom led their schools to national championships in the 1960s before going on to have Hall of Fame careers.

The Mike Richter Award has been in existence since 2013-14. The list of past winners currently playing in the NHL is impressive: Connor Hellebuyck (University of Massachusetts Lowell) of the Winnipeg Jets, Thatcher Demko (Boston College) of the Vancouver Canucks, Jeremy Swayman (University of Maine) of the Boston Bruins, Cayden Primeau (Northeastern) of the Montreal Canadiens, as well as the only two-time winner, Levi.

While no candidate has separated himself from the field this season, the crop of promising goalies is as strong as it’s been. From 18-year-old NHL Draft picks to free agents in their 20s, there are a wide range of NCAA goalies looking to join this elite list.

Here are 10 goalies who could be in the conversation for the 2024 Mike Richter Award by season’s end:

Trey Augustine, Michigan State University

The 18-year-old was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round (No. 41) of the 2023 NHL Draft.

After playing two seasons with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, he is off to a strong start as a freshman at Michigan State with a 7-2-1 record, .909 save percentage and one shutout. He is third in the country in saves with 329.

He went 4-0-1 for the United States at the 2023 World Junior Championship and could be the starter again in the upcoming edition of the tournament.

Ryan Bischel, University of Notre Dame

A 24-year-old grad student, Bischel was named the Big Ten’s First Star of the Week this week after stopping 60 of 61 shots in two wins against Ohio State University. He got his third shutout of the season Saturday, the 10th of his career.

He is 6-3-2 with a .941 save percentage – second in the country -- and a 1.90 goals-against average. His 317 saves are fifth-most in the NCAA.

Never drafted, Bischel attended development camp with the Arizona Coyotes last offseason.

Justen Close, University of Minnesota

The 25-year-old was next man up for Minnesota in Jan. 2022 when Jack Lafontaine, the 2021 Mike Richter Award winner, unexpectedly left school midseason to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Since then, Close has gone 45-18-3. He was a semifinalist for the Richter last season.

This season, he is 5-3-2 with a .919 save percentage and a 2.37 GAA.

Jacob Fowler, Boston College

The freshman has started every game this season, posting a 7-2-1 record with a .924 save percentage.

He was named USHL Goaltender of the Year last season and helped Youngstown win a Clark Cup Championship. He was chosen in the third round (No. 69) by the Canadiens.

Look for Fowler to be a member of the U.S. team at the 2024 World Junior Championship.

Michael Hrabal, University of Massachusetts

At 6-7, 215 pounds, the 18-year-old is an imposing presence in the crease.

He made 24 saves in his NCAA debut, a 6-3 win against University of Michigan on Oct. 14. Hrabal is 4-2-1 with a .908 save percentage and a 2.74 GAA.

He had a .920 save percentage for Czechia at the 2023 U-18 World Hockey Championship.

The Coyotes selected Hrabal in the second round (No. 38) in June.

Victor Ostman, University of Maine

Ostman made 26 saves on Nov. 11 in a 4-2 victory against Boston College, which was the top-ranked team in the country at the time.

He is 6-1-1 with a .908 save percentage and a 2.09 GAA.

The 23-year-old undrafted senior was a Richter Award semifinalist a year ago.

Ostman attended development camp with the Canucks last offseason.

Kaiden Mbereko, Colorado College

After losing three games in a row, Mbereko responded with his best weekend of the season. He was named NCHC Goaltender of the Week on Monday after allowing two goals and making 61 saves in a two-game sweep at Miami University.

The undrafted 20-year-old sophomore has a 7-3-0 record with a .908 save percentage and a 2.76 GAA.

He attended development camp with the Nashville Predators in the offseason.

Kyle McClellan, University of Wisconsin

An undrafted 24-year-old senior, he leads the NCAA with nine wins. He has a .929 save percentage and a 1.79 GAA.

He stopped 28 shots on Nov. 4 when Wisconsin completed a sweep of Michigan with a 2-1 victory and moved up to No. 1 in the national polls.

McClellan played for Mercyhurst University for two seasons before transferring to Wisconsin.

Ludvig Persson, University of North Dakota

The 24-year-old went 8-19-4 with a save percentage of .891 and a 3.67 GAA for last-place Miami last season, but after transferring to North Dakota, his numbers are much improved.

An undrafted senior, Persson is 7-2-1 with a .925 save percentage, a 1.90 GAA and two shutouts.

He went to development camp with the Tampa Bay Lightning in July.

Tommy Scarfone, Rochester Institute of Technology

Scarfone, who will turn 23 on Nov. 19, earned Hockey Commissioners Association Goaltender of the Month honors and was named the Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Month for October. An undrafted junior, Scarfone is 7-2-0 with a .930 save percentage and a 2.11 GAA.