SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Josh Kotai of Augustana men's hockey has been named a semifinalist for the 2026 Mike Richter Award, the Hockey Commissioners Association announced Friday afternoon. This is Kotai's second year being named a Mike Richter Award Semifinalist. 

Kotai is one of 10 semifinalists for the award, awarded annually since 2014 to the top goaltender in men's Division I hockey. The 10 semifinalists were selected from the watch list of 29 goaltenders released on Jan. 14 and were singled out by a panel of voters from across the hockey community.

Finalists will be announced in early March and the winner of this year's Mike Richter Award    will be    announced in April during the NCAA    Frozen     Four in Las Vegas.        

This season, Kotai holds a record of 16-9-3 with a goals-against average of 2.10 and a save percentage of .933. He ranks in the top 10 nationally in save percentage and shutouts. Kotai has garnered two CCHA Goalie of the Month awards (October and January). He garnered a spot on the United States Collegiate Selects roster that competed in the Spengler Cup. 

Earlier this season, Kotai became the first men's NCAA Division I hockey goaltender to record three straight shutouts since Dryden McKay in February of 2020. He holds the CCHA's longest shutout streak in minutes since it was reconstituted. 

2026 Mike Richter Award Semifinalists
Trey Augustine, Michigan State (Big Ten)*#
Alexis Cournoyer, Cornell (ECAC Hockey)
Emmett Croteau, Dartmouth (ECAC Hockey)
Michael Hrabal, UMass (Hockey East)
Jack Ivankovic, Michigan (Big Ten)
Josh Kotai, Augustana (CCHA)#
Tyler Muszelik, UConn (Hockey East)
Jan Spunar, North Dakota (NCHC)
Alex Tracy, Minnesota State (CCHA)#
Lawton Zacher, Northeastern (Hockey East)#

*2024 Semifinalist
#2025 Semifinalist

Alex Tracy (Minnesota State) joins Kotai as a semifinalist as they both represent the CCHA.

Four of the goalies come from the United States, four from Canada and two from Czechia. Two are seniors, five are juniors and three are freshmen. Four were semifinalists last year, and one, Trey Augustine of Michigan State, is a semifinalist for the third straight year.    

Five of six NCAA Division I conferences are represented among the semifinalists with Hockey East boasting three goals, the Big Ten, the CCHA and ECAC Hockey each with two, and the NCHC with one. Hockey East has produced seven of the previous 12 Richter Award recipients, including three of the last four.

Past Richter Award Recipients
2014 - Connor Hellebuyck, UMass Lowell 
2015 - Zane McIntyre, North Dakota
2016 - Thatcher Demko, Boston College
2017 - Tanner Jaillet, Denver
2018 - Cale Morris, Notre Dame
2019 - Cayden Primeau, Northeastern
2020 - Jeremy Swayman, Maine
2021 - Jack LaFontaine, Minnesota
2022 - Devon Levi, Northeastern
2023 - Devon Levi, Northeastern
2024 - Kyle McClellan, Wisconsin
2025 - Jacob Fowler, Boston College

Connor Hellebuyck (2014) and Jeremy Swayman (2020) are currently representing the USA at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.