Tucker Ness days until puck drop at Mullett Arena.
That's 10 days. Just 10 short days.
On Monday, the USCHO released their preseason Top 20 poll which featured the Sun Devils for a second straight season. There were some obvious placements, some surprises, and we'll dive through them all here and now.
#1: Western Michigan
Key Departures:
F Tim Washe
F Alex Bump
F Tristan Lemyre
G Cameron Rowe
Key Additions:
F Zaccharya Wisdom
F William Whitelaw
D Theo Wallberg
The defending national champions are right where they should be, atop the preseason poll with 29 first place votes. Head coach Pay Ferschweiler will be behind the bench for his 5th season with another strong team that features a returning core of captain Owen Michaels, strong defensive scoring from Samuel Sjolund, and brothers Grant and Hampton Slukynsky. Hampton impressed everyone with his play as a freshman, and looks poised to take on the full time starter role after the departure of tandem partner Cameron Rowe.
#2: Boston University
Key Departures:
F Quinn Hutson
D Tom Willander
F Shane LaChance
Key Additions:
F Sacha Boisvert
F Owen McLaughlin
The Terriers have been a Frozen Four machine since Jay Pandolfo took over as head coach, making it to that stage in each of his three seasons and finishing as national runner up last season. The Terriers will look to make it four straight seasons and break through for their first title since 2009 with returning stars Cole Hutson, Cole Eiserman, and Mikhail Yegorov.
#3: Michigan State
Key Departures:
F Isaac Howard
F Karsen Dorwart
F Joey Larson
G Luca Di Pasquo
Key Additions:
D Colin Ralph
F Porter Martone
F Cayden Lindstrom
It came as a bit of a surprise when Isaac Howard's draft rights were traded by Tampa Bay to Edmonton, followed almost immediately by Howard signing a three-year entry level contract with the Oilers. Between Howard, Dorwart and Larson, the Spartans lose 107 points of production from last season. They do gain instant production and star power in Martone and Lindstrom, both high level draft picks who represent the recent defection from Canadian juniors to the NCAA, joining other top scorers Charlie Stramel and Matt Basgall. Goaltender Trey Augustine will be the barometer for the Spartans this season. As long as he continues to be a wall in net, Michigan State will remain favorites in the Big Ten and poised for a deep tournament run.
#4: Denver
Key Departures:
G Matt Davis
D Zeev Buium
F Jack Devine
Key Additions:
F Kristian Epperson
F Brady Milburn
F Clarke Caswell
Under David Carle, Denver has known little outside of success. Since being named head coach in the 2018-19 season, the Pioneers have made 5 NCAA tournament appearances, 4 Frozen Fours, and won 2 national titles. Entering this season however, the Pioneers will be faced with losing their core that led them to those two titles. Carter King and Aidan Thompson join the list of departing Pioneers, representing the loss of Denver's top four scorers from 2024-25. Traditionally not a coach to be active in the transfer portal, Coach Carle will continue to rely on his recruiting to bring the right guys to his roster and get the most out of them. The biggest question will be goaltending. An untested trio of Paxton Geisel, Johnny Hicks, and Quentin Miller will be tasked with carrying on the legacy of Matt Davis.
#5: Penn State
Key Departures:
G Arsenii Sergeev
F Danny Dzhaniyev
D Simon Mack
Key Additions:
F Gavin McKenna
D Mac Gadowsky
F Luke Misa
Penn State has been all over the news this summer, possibly because of the highest profile college commitment ever. Gavin McKenna comes to Hockey Valley with the expectation to not only return the Nittany Lions to the Frozen Four, but win the first national championship in program history. He will be surrounded by returning talent on offense in Aiden Fink and Charlie Cerrato, but the question like with Denver will be goaltending. The Lions rode Sergeev to the national semifinals, and will now rely on incoming transfer Kevin Reidler to deliver that same success.
#6: Boston College
Key Departures:
G Jacob Fowler
F Gabe Perreault
F Ryan Leonard
Key Additions:
F Ryan Conmy
F Will Moore
D Luka Radivojevic
Boston College presents a curious case. Picked to finish 5th in the Hockey East media poll, the Eagles remain a legacy pick among national media to contend for a national title. As with most any team, goaltending will be the big question, and losing Jacob Fowler to the NHL will be a huge obstacle to overcome. The Eagles also lost two of their top forwards in Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard, but return a strong core in Teddy Stiga, James Hagens, and Drew Fortescue. Don't be surprised to see some early season bumps as Greg Brown's squad starts the season.
#7: Maine
Key Departures:
F Harrison Scott
F Nolan Renwick
F Lynden Breen
Key Additions:
F Jaden Lipinski
F Max Scott
D Luke Coughlin
Coming off their first Hockey East title since 2004, Maine will be hard pressed to repeat that success. The Black Bears lost four of their top 11 scorers from last season, plus two of their top six defensemen. A young roster this season, 13 new players will be featured in the lineup. Goaltender Albin Boija returns coming off a season that saw him as a Mike Richter Award finalist for top goaltender in the nation, and will need to be the backbone of this team to see a high level of success.
#8: Minnesota
Key Departures:
F Jimmy Snuggerud
F Matthew Wood
F Oliver Moore
Key Additions:
F Tanner Ludke
G Luca Di Pasquo
D Jacob Rombach
The Golden Gophers were a notable outlier in the changing landscape as the only Big Ten team that did not add a player from the Canadian Hockey League this offseason. Head coach Bob Motzko will be relying on a strong returning core and a pretty outstanding freshman class to challenge Michigan State for tops in the Big Ten.
#9: Providence
Key Departures:
F Trevor Connelly
D Austen May
Key Additions:
F Roger McQueen
F Brendan Ross
D Quinn Mantei
The darlings of college hockey in the mid-2010's, Providence has remained a strong presence in the national standing over the last decade. Nate Leaman continues to be a mastermind behind the bench, and will be tasked with guiding another young team to the promised land.
#10: Connecticut
Key Departures:
G Callum Tung
Goaltending coach Vince Stalletti
Key Additions:
D Brendan Dunphy
G Tyler Muszelik
F Alexandre Blais
The Huskies made waves last season as the second team to make their debut in the NCAA tournament (joining the earlier ranked Penn State), and head coach Mike Cavanaugh looks to build off that success this season. Returning forwards Joey Muldowney and Jake Richard will be the core as Connecticut looks to prove that last season was not a fluke.
#11: North Dakota
Key Departures:
Head coach Brad Berry
F Sacha Boisvert
F Owen McLaughlin
Key Additions:
Head coach Dane Jackson
F Cole Rechny
D Keaton Verhoeff
F Will Zellers
It's a new era in Grand Forks. After 10 seasons behind the bench, Brad Berry was relieved of his duties and replaced by North Dakota alum Dane Jackson. As NCHC media days got started this week, Jackson spoke to the importance of maintaining the tradition that is Fighting Hawk hockey by recruiting players who will buy in to the program long term. North Dakota is loaded on paper, there is no argument there. The incoming freshman class noted above plus incoming transfers Anthony Menghini and former Arizona State goaltender Gibson Homer will have the Ralph Engelstad faithful rocking night in and night out.
#12: Michigan
Key Departures:
F William Whitelaw
D Ethan Edwards
G Cameron Korpi
Key Additions:
F Jayden Perron
D Asher Barnett
G Jack Ivankovic
The lowest ranked team to receive a first place vote from the USCHO, head coach Brandon Naurato will be bringing a very young team into the season, featuring 11 freshman on the roster. Goaltending will be the big question once again as Ivankovic and incoming transfer Julian Molinaro will be thrown into the fire from the start. The self-cannibalizing nature of Big Ten hockey could work in Michigan's favor this season, but they are a clear step back from the top three in the conference ahead of them.
#13: Quinnipiac
Key Departures:
F Travis Treloar
D Davis Pennington
Key Additions:
D Will Gilson
F Markus Vidicek
D Graham Sward
The Bobcats find themselves at the center of a brewing storm with the addition of Graham Sward, who played 47 games with the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL last season. While not the only team to gain commitments from players with minor league experience (see also Arizona State below), this represents another change in the landscape of college hockey. One constant that remains is Rand Pecknold, returning for his 32nd season as head coach. After another regular season title that did not result in an ECAC tournament title, Pecknold will be poised to remain the standardbearer atop the ECAC this season.
#14: Arizona State
Key Departures:
G Gibson Homer
F Ryan Kirwan
D Noah Beck
Key Additions:
F Ben Kevan
D Justin Kipkie
G Connor Hasley
Seeing as this is an Arizona State publication, I have no qualms about letting my clear Arizona State bias show. This team is loaded on paper. There are far more key additions to note than the one at each position that I mentioned at the top. Coach Powers had the Sun Devils out in front when it came to the new Canadian Hockey League eligibility, bringing in seven players from Canadian juniors for this season's roster. Ben Kevan and returning star Cullen Potter have skated together in the U18 World Juniors as well as with Team USA at the Summer Showcase for the 2026 World Junior Championships. Goaltending will be a revolving door for one more season with Connor Hasley transferring in as a senior, but incoming freshman Samuel Urban has looked fantastic in international play for Slovakia, and will be a quick learner as the season progresses.
As mentioned with Quinnipiac above, Arizona State was the benificiary of ECHL talent coming to the roster in Jack Beck, younger brother of Noah Beck. As part of the NCAA's delayed enrollment penalty, Jack will sit out the first six games of the season, but should be an immediate impact as a top-six forward when he returns for the NCHC opening series at Miami (OH).
#15: Massachusetts
Key Departures:
D Dans Ločmelis
F Aydar Suniev
F Kenny Connors
Key Additions:
F A.J. Lacroix
F Matthew Wilde
The sixth and final Hockey East team in the top 20, the Minutemen were one of the final at-large teams in the 2025 NCAA tournament field before falling to eventual champion Western Michigan in the Fargo Regional. Massachusetts retains solid scoring from forward Jack Musa and defenseman Francesco Dell'Elce, but has lost 5 of their top 6 scorers from last season. Junior Michael Hrabal returns in net after a respectable sophomore season, but time will tell how many goals the Minutemen can score in front of him.
#16: Ohio State
Key Departures:
F Noah Powell
D Theo Wallberg
D Damien Carfagna
Key Additions:
F Adam Eisele
D Ethan Straky
D Broten Sabo
Despite being ranked below their rivals to the north, I believe that Ohio State is the clear third best team in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes possess the ability to score from anywhere in the lineup, which will prove to be a vital attribute when Big Ten play opens. Kristoffer Eberly returns as the presumptive starting goaltender coming off a 12-4-1 record in 17 games in tandem with the recently graduated Logan Terness.
#17: Cornell
Key Departures:
F Kyler Kovich
D Ben Robertson
D Tim Rego
G Ian Shane
Key Additions:
F Luke Ashton
G Alexis Cournoyer
Cornell enters the season ranked in the preseason Top-20 for the 9th straight season, a distinction shared by Denver, North Dakota, and Providence. This season will mark the first time in 30 years that Mike Schafer is not the man behind the bench for the Big Red. Casey Jones, himself a Cornell alum (1990), takes over in the first season after Schafer's retirement. The Ivy League schools are not known for a high number of transfers, but the Big Red will have to deal with life after Ian Shane. Remington Keopple returns after seeing limited action as Shane's backup last season, and will compete with newcomer Alexis Cournoyer from Canadian juniors for the starting job.
#18: Minnesota State
Key Departures:
F Adam Eisele
F Luc Wilson
F Kaden Bohlsen
Key Additions:
F Tristan Lemyre
F Alex Zetterberg
D Jacob Conrad
While I felt that North Dakota was a little bit undervalued by voters, I take umbridge with Minnesota State's ranking. After being treated to what should have been a Frozen Four matchup in a first round loss to Western Michigan in the NCAA tournament, the Mavericks have only gotten stronger atop the CCHA. Alex Tracy enters this season as an early favorite to contend for both the Hobey Baker and Mike Richter Awards, finishing as a semifinalist and finalist in both respectively last season. Evan Murrand Campbell Cichosz headline a strong defensive core, while Luigi Benincasa returns as the offensive leader. Don't sleep on the Mavericks, these guys are for real.
#19: St. Thomas
Key Departures:
D Ethan Elias
F Nick Mikan
F Cooper Gay
Key Additions:
F Charlie Schoen
D Nick Williams
G Carsen Musser
The Tommies come in to this season entering uncharted territory; they will be eligible for postseason play after obtaining a waiver to accelerate their transition from D-III to D-I athletics across their entire athletic program. Picked to finish second in the CCHA behind Minnesota State, Rico Blasi's team will be out to prove themselves in their final season before transitioning to the NCHC for the 2026-27 season. Lucas Wahlin and Ryan O'Neill will be returning leaders on offense, while Aaron Trotter will operate in tandem with incoming transfer Carsen Musser in net.
#20: Wisconsin
Key Departures:
F Sawyer Scholl
F Ryland Mosley
G Tommy Scarfone
Key Additions:
D Aiden Dubinsky
G Eli Pulver
In my opinion, this is another legacy pick by the voters. The Tony Granato years were not kind to the Badgers, with only one NCAA tournament appearance (2021) in his 7 seasons behind the bench. Mike Hastings produced a tournament appearance in his first season in 2024, but last season saw another regression. There are bright spots for the Badgers as they return three of their top four scorers in Quinn Finley, Gavin Morrissey and Kyle Kukkonen, but this team is still at least a season away from being considered a serious postseason contender.