Before the season, I picked Jordan Schroeder as the WCHA's top player, but now that we're a couple weeks into the season, I'm ready to take a mulligan. Schroeder didn't register a point in the one game where Minnesota actually scored a goal, so he's got no points on the year, and I think it's fairly safe to say there are a number of better players out there--including perhaps Jordan Schroeder from either of the past two years. But that's another story. For now, we'll take a look at some of the potential heirs to the throne.
The Big 3
Chay Genoway, North Dakota: Genoway almost won player of the year last season, and was almost my pick for this season. He hasn't suffered any drop-off this season. He leads the league in points among defensemen(second in points per game) and can be a pretty solid defender.
Marc Cheverie, Denver: Cheverie has a perfect record so far, with three shutouts in four starts, giving him a 1.00 GAA and .966 save percentage. Those types of numbers aren't sustainable, but even in an era of bloated goaltending statistics, if he kept a GAA around 2.00 and a save percentage in the .940 to .950 range, that would be a pretty amazing feat.
Justin Fontaine, Minnesota-Duluth: Fontaine may be a slight notch behind the first two names, but not by much. He's easily the most dynamic offensive force in the league. His 7 goals lead the nation, and it wouldn't be a shock to see him win the WCHA scoring title this season.
The Second Tier
Billy Sweatt, Colorado College: It's hard to get too excited about racking up massive points against Michigan Tech's atrocious penalty kill, but if Colorado College stays near the top of the WCHA standings, they'll obviously be the story of the year, and if their senior leader keeps his stats up, he'd have to get serious consideration come award time.
Rhett Rakhshani, Denver: He's been very consistent through Denver's first six games. If he, and maybe more importantly, his partner-in-crime Tyler Ruegsegger who has hand in half of Rakhshani's points this year, stays healthy, he could finish with some very big numbers.
Blake Geoffrion, Wisconsin: Kind of a dark horse pick, but one of my favorite players in the WCHA to watch. He'll probably only score in the point per game range, which won't put him among the leaders, but he's as tough a player as there is in the league.