NCHC snapshot: St. Cloud State

After five years, the inevitable happened and David Hranek turned pro after winning 82 games and logging over 8,300 minutes over five seasons.

So did five of St. Cloud State’s 20-point producers from 2021-22, including their top two who combined for 67 points.

St. Cloud State was the envy of Division I in special teams last season, leading the NCAA in power play percentage (31.0) and shorthanded goals (10).

View From the Glass takes a look at St. Cloud State in Part VI of its seven-part NCHC Snapshot series:

Parts I-V can be found here: Colorado College | Denver | Minn.-Duluth | North Dakota | Omaha

NCAA TITLES: None.

COACH: Brett Larson (fifth season, 81-47-13, .621).

2021-22 RECORD: 20-15-4, 10-10-4 NCHC (fifth place); lost in first round of NCAA Tournament.

RINK: Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (5,159), St. Cloud, Minn..

MIAMI VS. ST. CLOUD STATE IN 2021-22: 0-2.

ALL-TIME SERIES: St. Cloud leads, 29-18-4.

SCHEDULE VS. MIAMI: Dec. 9-10 – At Miami; Feb. 3-4 – At St. Cloud State.

TOP RETURNING PLAYERS: F Jami Krannila, F Zach Okabe, G Jaxon Castor, D Brendan Bushy, F Micah Miller, D Ondrej Trebal, D Spencer Meier, F Veeti Miettinen.

KEY NEW FACES: G Dominic Basse, F Grant Ahcan, F Adam Ingram, D Mason Reiners, D Cooper Wylie, F Grant Cruikshank.

KEY LOSSES: G David Hrenak, F Kevin Fitzgerald, D Nick Perbix, F Easton Brodzinski, F Nolan Walker, F Sam Hentges.

NOTES: The Huskies have an all-in mentality this season with a roster that includes 12 seniors and eight freshmen, as they hope to earn their ninth NCAA Tournament berth in 10 years.

In net, Dominic Basse transferred from Colorado College and should challenge for the starting job. His main competition is Jaxon Castor, who has played in 19 games in three seasons at St. Cloud State.

GTA product James Gray is also in the mix after notching a .931 save percentage with North York of the OJHL.

Up front, seniors Jami Krannila and Zach Okabe are the Huskies’ top returning points producers. Krannila was second on the team in goals (15) and third in points (30), and Okabe scored six times on the power play en route to an 11-17-28 campaign.

Veeti Miettinen is back after leading the team in shots with 114 and notching 23 points, including 10 goals.

SCSU still has plenty of familiar faces back to patrol the blue line, including seniors Spencer Meier, Brendan Bushy and Ondrej Trejbal and has added Union transfer Dylan Anhorn and freshmen USHL Waterloo teammates Mason Reiners and Cooper Wylie.

The Huskies have lost a lot of talent but always seem to finagle their way to the top half of the standings, and this season should be no exception, as they boast plenty of fourth- and fifth-year veterans mixed with quality underclassmen.

Miami was utterly embarrassed in St. Cloud last season, getting outscored, 19-1 in a two-game sweep this winter.

The RedHawks will face the Huskies in Oxford this December, the first meetings between these teams since that February dumpster fire.

Miami is 1-13 in its last 14 game vs. SCSU.