DENVER – University of Denver hockey has two student-athletes named to the 2026 College Sports Communicators' Academic All-District Men's At-Large Teams, with senior Kent Anderson and junior Boston Buckberger earning honors for their performance on the ice and in the classroom.
 
CSC Academic All-District Teams recognize the top student-athletes in the nation based on their combined athletic and academic performances. This is the third time that Anderson has been named to the All-District Team while Buckberger has earned the honor in back-to-back years.
 
Both student-athletes have also been named finalists for CSC Academic All-America awards and will advance to the national ballot to be voted on by CSC members. This year's All-America honorees will be announced on July 8, 2026.
 
To be eligible for CSC Academic All-District honors, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his/her current institution. Nominated student-athletes must have participated in at least 90 percent of their team's games this season or started 66 percent of the games.
 
Each school was limited to six nominees for the Men's At-Large Academic All-District Team, which includes athletes from the NCAA sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, volleyball, water polo and wrestling.
 
Anderson, 22, served as the 96th captain in Denver hockey history during the 2025-26 season and guided the program to its 11th national championship and his second as a player. The defenseman recorded four points (2g/2a) while playing in all 43 games, and he also compiled a +13 plus-minus rating, 12 penalty minutes and blocked 40 shots.
 
The Calgary, Alberta, native scored his first career overtime goal in double-OT on April 9 against No. 1 Michigan in the NCAA Frozen Four Semifinals to send the Pioneers to the championship contest. Anderson appeared in his 150th career game in that NCAA title game, a 2-1 comeback win against Wisconsin on April 11. He signed his first professional contract with the Calgary Wranglers of the American Hockey League on May 15.
 
A 2024 NCAA Elite 90 winner, Anderson is a four-time NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete and Academic Honor Roll member and has been named a national Academic All-American Scholar in his first three seasons. He has twice been named DU hockey's Dr. Art Mason Top Scholar-Athlete and was selected to the 2024 CSC Academic All-American Second Team.
 
Buckberger, 22, recorded career highs with 10 goals and also added 19 assists for 29 points during the Pioneers' 2025-26 championship campaign. The alternate captain finished second among both fellow blueliners and all NCAA players with a +32 plus-minus rating while ranking third at his position with five power-play goals (tied) and fourth with 130 shots on net.
 
In the 2026 Frozen Four Championship Game, Buckberger had the primary assist on the game-winning goal by Kyle Chyzowski to help him capture his second career NCAA Championship with Denver after also winning in 2022. He played in 128 of a possible 131 games during his three-year career with the Pioneers, including suiting up in each of his first 85 contests before suffering a season-ending, upper-body injury in the 2025 NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship Game. Buckberger signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets as a college free agent on April 13.
 
The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, native was the 2025 NCAA Elite 90 Award winner and was selected to the 2025-26 NCHC Academic All-Conference Team. He has also been named to the conference's Academic Honor Roll and as a Distinguished Scholar-Athlete in each of his three seasons and has twice been named a National All-American Scholar. Additionally, Buckberger was chosen as the Pioneers' Dr. Art Mason Top Scholar-Athlete Award winner in 2024-25.
 
Denver's defensive duo were among 24 players from the National Collegiate Hockey Conference to earn nods.
 
 
TICKETS: Season tickets as well as five-game mini plans for the DU hockey's championship defense campaign in 2026-27 are on sale now. Click here for more information.