NCAA Men’s Hockey Power Rankings: Western Michigan leads preseason Top 15
As the air starts to cool across the United States, that means the men’s NCAA Hockey season is near. With an immense amount of changes to the university game south of the border, it’s shaping up to be an exciting 2025-26 season.
Several of the blue blood programs have high expectations heading into the new campaign, with a few other teams looking to shine in the spotlight. There are several top-end prospects, both NHL-affiliated and draft-eligible, who are projected to make an impact as well.
Let’s take a look at my Top 15 teams heading into the new season:
1. Western Michigan
After the team’s magical run to its first national championship last year, the Broncos are poised to make another deep run this season. WMU lost a number of key players after last season, including captain Tim Washe and forward Alex Bump. Yet, as head coach Pat Ferschweiler has managed to do in his tenure, he’s managed to fill the holes with new and returning talent. Frozen Four hero and new Bronco captain Owen Michaels, along with Los Angeles Kings prospect Hampton Slukynsky, lead a solid core featuring newcomers Cole Spicer (Boston Bruins) and Michigan transfer William Whitelaw (Columbus Blue Jackets).
2. Michigan State
Despite getting ousted in the opening round of the national tournament last year, the Spartans are coming back arguably stronger. Despite losing Hobey Baker Award winner Isaac Howard to the NHL, the two-time defending Big Ten champions are stacked with grade-A prospects. Former junior stars Cayden Lindstrom (Blue Jackets), Porter Martone (Philadelphia Flyers) and Anthony Romani (Vancouver Canucks) come to an MSU squad that has Detroit Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine back between the pipes, along with fellow returners Shane Vansaghi (Flyers) and Charlie Stramel (Minnesota Wild).
3. Boston University
The Terriers came up short of winning it all last year, but there’s little doubt that Jay Pandolfo’s team has what it takes to make it to the Frozen Four for the fourth year in a row. Though Quinn Hutson signed with the Edmonton Oilers after last season, his younger brother, Cole (Washington Capitals), headlines a strong returning class featuring New York Islanders draft pick Cole Eiserman and goaltender Mikhail Yegorov (New Jersey Devils). On top of that, BU received a couple of key transfers, as Sacha Boisvert (Chicago Blackhawks) and Owen McLaughlin (Flyers) both moved to Boston from North Dakota.
4. Penn State
Sure, if Gavin McKenna doesn’t commit to the Nittany Lions, maybe this team isn’t as high up on the board. However, with the top prospect heading into the 2026 NHL Draft bound for Hockey Valley, expectations exponentially rose for Guy Gadowsky’s team. Penn State, which made it all the way to the Frozen Four for the first time last season, has more than just McKenna bolstering their lineup this season. Blue Jackets prospect Jackson Smith is another talented CHLer looking to try his hand at the college ranks. Former Brampton Steelhead Luke Misa (Calgary Flames) adds an offensive punch to a team that already has Charlie Cerrato (Carolina Hurricanes) and Aiden Fink (Nashville Predators).
5. Denver
The Pioneers simply couldn’t solve Western Michigan last year, losing to the Broncos in double overtime in both the NCHC Championship Game and the national semifinal. Yet, with head coach David Carle on board for a couple of more years, DU is looking to make another run to the Frozen Four. The team did lose a ton of talent, as Jack Devine (Florida Panthers), Aidan Thompson, Zeev Buium, Carter King and Jared Wright turned pro. However, forwards Sam Harris (Montreal Canadiens) and Semu Salminen (Devils), along with defender Eric Pohlkamp (San Jose Sharks), lead a solid core that makes the Pioneers NCHC title contenders.
6. Boston College
Make no mistake, this Eagles team looks a lot different from last year. Gone are Ryan Leonard, Gabe Perreault and Jacob Fowler. However, the Boston Bruins’ pseudo-farm team (which has six Bruins draft picks) has a number of NHL-caliber prospects, including one of the newest Boston prospects, James Hagens. After a great freshman campaign, the former USNTDP star has a lot of talent around him, making BC a threat to win the Hockey East championship. Oskar Jellvik and World Juniors hero Teddy Stiga (Nashville Predators) lead a strong forward group for Greg Brown’s team.
7. Maine
The Black Bears surprised many by winning the Hockey East Championship last season. Yet, coach Ben Barr really bolstered up his team for its conference title defense. Using the NCAA’s new rules, he went out and recruited junior scoring stars Miguel Marques (Predators), Jaden Linpinski (Flames) and Justin Porier (Hurricanes), along with former Rimouski Oceanic blueliner Luke Coughlin (Panthers). On top of that, Second-Team All-American netminder Albin Boija is back to help Maine replicate its success from last season.
8. Minnesota
Like Boston College, the Golden Gophers saw quite a bit of turnover last season. After the team was shockingly eliminated by UMass in last year’s NCAA Tournament, the team lost seven players to NHL contracts, most notably Jimmy Snuggerud (St. Louis Blues), Oliver Moore and Matthew Wood, with the team’s top six scorers moving on. Hoping to pick up the offensive slack are USNTDP products Mason Moe (Devils) and L.J. Mooney (Canadiens). Goaltending will be a concern as well. With Nathan Airey playing a little bit last season, he’ll be fighting for the starting job with Michigan State transfer Luca Di Pasquo, who backed up Augustine for the past couple of years in East Lansing.
9. Providence
The Friars snuck into the national tournament for the first time in six years last season, despite losing in the Hockey East Quarterfinals. After falling to Denver in the opening round of the national tournament, Providence is hoping for a better performance this time around with a new cast of characters. Headlining this year’s freshman class is Anaheim Ducks draft pick, Roger McQueen. This year’s 10th overall pick brings a lot of clout and scoring prowess to a team that didn’t have a single player score more than 11 goals last season. Along with former Moncton Wildcat Julius Sumpf (Blackhawks), the Friars should be a tough team to face this year.
10. North Dakota
The Fighting Hawks might still be an odds-on favorite to finish near the top of the NCHC standings, but it won’t be an easy ride. The team lost its two top scorers, Boisvert and McLaughlin, to Boston University, along with goaltender T.J. Semptimphelter turning pro. However, there are still a few notable names that will play key roles this season. Jake Livanavage and Abram Wiebe (Vegas Golden Knights) lead a solid back end, while Flames draft pick Cole Reschny and 2026 draft-eligible prospect Keaton Verheoff lead an impressive rookie class. In net, the Fighting Hawks will have a battle between Arizona State transfer Gibson Homer and former Portland Winterhawk Jan Spunar, both capable of being the No. 1 guy.
11. Connecticut
After UConn came one goal away from advancing to the Frozen Four last season, the Huskies are hungry to contend for a conference title once again. Mike Cavanaugh’s team has a lot of the same faces that helped get UConn to the Hockey East final last year, including leading scorers Joey Muldowney (Sharks) and Jake Richard (Buffalo Sabres). They’ll be joined by Ducks draft pick, Alexandre Blais, who led Rimouski in scoring last season. With Callum Tung off to the pros, the starting goalie job is Tyler Muszelik’s job to lose. The Panthers prospect split the job last season, but is expected to play the brunt of the minutes this year.
12. Quinnipiac
While many wonder how strong the ECAC will be, as a whole, this season, the Bobcats are once again favorites to claim a conference championship. The team returns its top two leading scorers, Jeremy Wilmer and Mason Marcellus, as well as Bruins prospect Christopher Pelosi. Elliott Greoenewold (Bruins) and Charlie Leddy (Devils) are part of a defense group that finished tied for eighth in fewest goals allowed. On top of all that, goaltenders Dylan Silverstein and Matej Marinov, who split playing time a year ago, are back between the pipes.
13. Michigan
Another year, another season where the Wolverines are regarded as a top team in the Big Ten. Unlike previous seasons, Brandon Naurato’s team didn’t lose as much, with T.J. Hughes and Michael Hage (Canadiens) returning for another year. The saving grace (quite literally) for the Wolverines this year will be in goal. After choppy backstopping last year, Michigan receives a huge boost in Predators draft pick Jack Ivankovic, who joins the college ranks after spending the past couple of years with the Mississauga/Brampton Steelheads.
14. Arizona State
Had the Sun Devils made it to the NCHC Championship Game in its first season in a conference, they might have managed to work their way into the national tournament. Instead, Greg Powers’ team has to regroup after a significant amount of change from last season. The team’s top three scorers have moved on, as has Sharks prospect Noah Beck. However, Beck’s brother, Jack, looks to add some scoring to ASU, even though he spent all of the 2024-25 campaign in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ minor-league system. It looks like there will be a fight for the starting job in goal, as Bentley transfer Connor Halsey and freshman Samuel Urban both look to shine in the desert.
15. Massachusetts
The Minutemen nearly pulled off the ultimate upset in last year’s NCAA Tournament, falling to Western Michigan in the regional final. Now, the team has a new list of players who are expected to play in elevated roles this year. Dans Locmelis, Aydar Suniev and Cole O’Hara were among the big names to have left for the pro game, though there’s a lot of excitement surrounding freshman Vaclav Nestrasil. The Czech winger helped the Muskegon Lumberjacks win the USHL’s Clark Cup last spring before being drafted 25th overall by the Blackhawks. Utah Mammoth prospect Michael Hrabel is back in goal, hoping to build off a strong sophomore season.
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