COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A quintet of National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) freshmen are candidates for NCAA men’s hockey National Rookie of the Year, as the 2024 Tim Taylor Award Watch List was released by the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) on Thursday. Denver defenseman Zeev Buium and forward Miko Matikka, Western Michigan forward Alex Bump, North Dakota defenseman Jake Livanavage and Omaha forward Tanner Ludtke are among 32 NCAA freshmen up for the honor of the nation’s top rookie.
 
Buium (San Diego, Calif.) is tied for the NCAA lead among all defensemen with 33 points this season in 24 games, scoring seven goals and adding 26 assists. The 26 helpers are fifth nationally among all players. The draft-eligible 18-year-old is averaging 1.38 points per game, while posting a +14 plus/minus. Buium has won three NCHC weekly honors this season and was the NCHC Rookie of the Month in December. In November, he was selected NCHC Player of the Month and HCA Co-National Player of the Month.
 
Bump (Burnsville, Minn.) has been a consistent contributor for the Broncos, chipping in 18 points in 24 games to tie for sixth on the team. The Philadelphia Flyers draft pick has tallied six goals and 12 assists this season, including one game-winning goal. Bump has posted a +5 plus/minus this season and is currently on a three-game point streak.
 
Livanavage (Phoenix, Ariz.) ranks seventh in the NCHC among defensemen in scoring with 17 points. He has tallied two goals, while dishing out 15 assists in 26 games. Livanavage is the reigning NCHC Defenseman of the Week and was named NCHC Rookie of the Month for January, as well. He also earned NCHC Rookie of the Week earlier this season. The UND freshman has posted a +10 plus/minus with 35 blocked shots while helping UND to first place in the NCHC.
 
Ludtke (Elko, Minn.) ranks second on the Mavericks with 18 points in 24 games, while his seven goals are third on the team. The Arizona Coyotes draft pick has also dished out 11 assists and is currently on a career-long seven-game point streak with 10 points in that span (4g/6a). Ludtke was named NCHC Rookie of the Week on Monday after scoring the overtime game-winning goal at St. Cloud State.
 
A fellow Coyotes draft pick, Matikka (Helsinki, Finland) leads all NCHC freshmen and is tied for fourth nationally among rookies with 14 goals this season. The four-time NCHC Rookie of the Week has scored two game-winning goals and has 21 points total, which is second among NCHC freshmen behind Buium, also dishing out seven assists. Matikka has posted a +7 plus/minus in 25 games this season, and earned NCHC Rookie of the Month after a seven-goal November.
 
Of the NCHC’s five candidates on the Watch List, three are forwards and two are defensemen. The five NCHC freshmen on the Watch List are the third-most from one conference behind the Big Ten’s eight and Hockey East’s seven.
 
The Tim Taylor Award is voted on by the nation’s assistant coaches. At season’s end, a ballot consisting of each men’s Division I conference’s Rookie of the Year will be presented to the assistant coaches and they will vote, with one vote per school, to identify the winner. This year’s Tim Taylor Award for National Rookie of the Year will be announced during the men’s Frozen Four (April 11-13) in St. Paul, Minn.
 
The NCHC is home to one previous Tim Taylor Award winner, as former Minnesota Duluth and current St. Louis Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich won National Rookie of the Year in 2018. He then went on to win the Hobey Baker Award in 2020.
 
NCHC Freshmen on 2024 Tim Taylor Award Watch List

• Zeev Buium, Denver, D
• Alex Bump, Western Michigan, F
• Jake Livanavage, North Dakota, D
• Tanner Ludtke, Omaha, F
• Miko Matikka, Denver, F