ADRIAN, Mich. – The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) has announced their 2025-26 men's hockey awards, including conference players of the year, all-conference and all-freshman teams. The Thunder had a pair of skaters recognized including freshman Brody Simko and sophomore Alexander Babich.
Simko, a native of Butler, Pa., becomes the second member of the Thunder program to earn Freshman of the Year distinction, joining Garrett Hallford in 2019. Simko shares the NCHA honor this season with Jaden Davis of Aurora University. He was one of three forwards to be selected as All-Freshman players.
Simko was a top contributor on offense this season and currently leads the team with 33 points and 22 assists. In NCHA competitions, he is tied for third among conference players with 17 assists at a clip of .94 per game and 25 points at 1.39 per game. He is also tied for 16th with eight goals.
For the second season in a row Babich was recognized by the NCHA, this time as an All-Conference forward. This is the seventh time a Thunder player has been named all-conference, with Babich becoming the sixth individual to accomplish the feat. He is the second member of the team to graduate from the All-Freshman team to the All-Conference squad, joining Garrett Hallford.
Babich, a native of Chicago, was a standout on offense this season, he currently sits second on the team with 32 points and 20 assists, while leading the way with 12 goals. In NCHA games, he finished tied for seventh among his peers with 10 goals and 15 assists. Combined he was tied for third with 25 points at a pace of 1.39 per game. He was also outstanding in the face-off circle finishing first in the conference with 252 wins and fourth with a .600 winning percentage.
