PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania Senior defenseman and captain Brennan Kapcheck of the American International ice hockey team has been named a CCM/AHCA Division I First-Team East All-American, the American Hockey Coaches Association announced on Friday, April 8, ahead of the NCAA Division I men's ice hockey national championship game.

Kapcheck is the first-ever DI First-Team All-American in program history and second DI All-American overall after Blake Christensen '20 earned Second-Team accolades in 2018-19.

"Nobody is surprised about Brennan Kapcheck being a First-Team All-American. It's a special honor for our institution and an amazing achievement for Brennan. He has been the best player in our league for the last three seasons and it's tremendous to see the national recognition," said Head Coach Eric Lang.

Kapcheck deflected the praise for his accolade, saying "It's a great honor and a true testament to AIC Hockey and all the teammates that made it possible for me. Thank you to all Yellow Jackets supporters we appreciate and thank you for believing in us!"

The Mount Prospect, Illinois native had an astonishing four-year career as a Yellow Jacket. He burst onto the scene in 2017-18 by becoming the program's first-ever Atlantic Hockey Association Rookie of the Year, and in 2018-19 helped lead the team to its first-ever Jack Riley Memorial Trophy as AHA Champions. In the team's first-ever NCAA Tournament game, he scored what proved to be the deciding tally against No. 1 St. Cloud State University, earning All-West Regional honors.

AIC continued to reign supreme over Atlantic Hockey, winning the 2019-20 AHA Regular Season crown and then finishing with the league's best record again in 2020-21 while again claiming the Jack Riley Memorial Trophy and making another NCAA appearance with a team co-captained by Kapcheck. In each of his final three seasons, Kapcheck was named a First-Team All-Conference selection, and in 2020-21 he earned Top Defenseman and Player of the Year awards from the AHA, also firsts in program history.

Overall, Kapcheck stands fourth in points and first in assists in the Division I era of program history with a line of 14-80-94, and his +41 rating is far and away tops in program history as well. He also has a sterling academic record, having earned three AHA All-Academic Team selections and a 2019-20 AHCA All-American Scholar nod.

Kapcheck recently signed a two-year contract with the Toronto Marlies, the top minor-league affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs.