COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Freshman forward Jackson Blake was named NCHC Rookie of the Month for January on Wednesday morning, as announced by the league office. It marks the first monthly honor for Blake of his career.

The Eden Prairie, Minn., native finished as one of the top players in the conference during a 5-3-0 month for North Dakota, tying for the lead in the NCHC for total points with nine. Blake collected points in five of the eight games this month for UND, including a trio of multi-point contests to finish with three goals and six assists.

Blake returned from a bronze finish at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships on Jan. 6 and jumped right back into the lineup for the Fighting Hawks that night, notching an assist in a 4-3 win over Lindenwood. He then tallied a pair of assists against Western Michigan before collecting a goal and a helper in the 4-2 victory over Minnesota Duluth.

The rookie closed the month in style, striking for a goal in both contests at Miami to help NoDak secure its first road sweep of the season. After opening the scoring in Friday's 4-1 win, Blake notched a career-high three points in the series finale with a goal and two assists to help secure the 8-0 victory.

Of Blake's three goals in January, two came on the power play. He fired 17 shots on goal in the month and also blocked six shots.

On the season, Blake has a team-best 30 points, which ranks second among NCHC freshmen and sixth among all NCHC skaters. His 12 goals are 10th in the NCHC and second among NCHC freshmen, while he's also dished out 18 assists to rank sixth in the conference. Blake is the first UND rookie to record 30 points in a season since Tyson Jost in 2016-17.

For more information on North Dakota hockey, follow on social media @UNDmhockey or visit FightingHawks.com.