A look at the national landscape as the puck drops on college hockey

by T.R. Holler, Let’s Play Hockey Contributor

The month of October dawns, the coziest month of the fall season which means one thing – the dropping of the puck on a new college season that will take us through the deep, dark winter and into the promise of spring. For now, let’s take a fresh peek at the national contenders, pre-season rankings, and a not-so Frozen Four prediction for Las Vegas next April 2026. That’s right – Vegas baby, Vegas!

Mostly out of respect to the reigning champs, we find the Western Michigan Broncos, who lay claim to capturing the 2025 Natty title hardware ‘without any NIL dollars’, are out to prove they belong this season. Having shiny new rings helps endure the departures of local Minny forward Alex Bump and team captain Tim Washe as huge voids to fill. This will take multiple depth players contributing to the aggregate in ways that would make Billy Beane blush, including frosh and former Edina RW, Bobby Cowan. The Broncos return starting goalie and Warroad alum in Hampton Slukynsky and the ’25 Frozen Four’s MOP in Owen Michaels who will lead the Broncs in total points this season mostly because he must be the pacesetter and inspirational leader. Lastly, the Broncs netted four transfers out of the portal, most notably Rosemount, MN winger William Whitelaw from the den of wolverines, or was it badgers? Anyway, Whitelaw and his travel tags have officially landed in the ‘Zoo!

Baaaahston U. The Terriers are right back in the thick of it after allowing Boston College to get all the press last year with phenoms Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perrault. Since both pivoted to the NHL, the Terriers now decidedly own the Beantown spotlight having earned three Frozen Four trips in a row and, with good health, likely headed to a fourth. Emerging netminder Mikhail Yegorov will man the pipes with a balanced D-corps patrolling the net front. Returning snipers are winger Cole Eiserman, sizable sophomore Swede Sascha Boumadienne on the back end and Charlie Tretheway. Furthermore, the Terriers welcome wingers Conrad Fondrk, formerly of White Bear Lake, MN and Jack Murtagh as well as Minnesota Wild 2024 draftee, Ryder Ritchie out of Medicine Hat (WHL). Don’t forget though that what makes BU a lock for a fourth straight Frozen Four trip is stalwart D-man and potential Hobey Baker candidate, Cole Hutson. The LHD is savvy, deceptively cat-quick, and can equally shut you down or light you up while dancing on the blue line.

Michigan State will hover in the top five of the rankings all year, but whether they punch an April trip to Vegas will depend on blending the remaining veterans and incoming youth. NHL-bound sniper Isaac Howard leaves a hole, but it will undoubtedly be filled by one of the top Canadian OHL diaper dandies in winger Porter Martone, a 2025 6^th overall pick of the Philly Flyers after posting 31/67/98 over 57 tilts in the big-boy OHL. Yeah, we’ll consider that Howard hole plugged. Want more? Ok, fine – Sparty also reels in 2025 4^th overall pick, Cayden Lindstrom who tallied 46 points in only 32 games for Medicine Hat (WHL). And as if they needed MORE firepower, Sparty trots out former Shattuck and Madison (USHL) product, Ryker Lee, who posted 31/37/28 in 58 matches. Geez, even Tommy, the Pinball Wizard, is envious now! Returning all-world goalie and Red Wings prospect, Trey Augustine, will likely guide Sparty in shutting teams down off his lead-by-example season as he posted a 1.97 GAA and .927 SP. Leading returning scorer and centerman Charlie Stramel will need to drive the attack and define the checking system to usher in the newbie talent, effectively taking over the role of departed grinding centerman, Karsen Dorwart. Led by tactically savvy Coach Nightengale, Sparty leads the charge to book rooms in Vegas and, we at LPH predict, celebrating a Natty title at the Wynn after their win.

Where should we begin with the Nittany Lions of Penn St? Options abound but since early last summer, there is only one way to begin – that’s winger Gavin McKenna. The consensus #1-ranked player for the 2026 NHL draft out of Whitehorse, Yukon Territories, Canada. Last year, McKenna dazzled as a 17-yr old phenom for Medicine Hat netting, get this – 41/88/129 over 56 games – that’s 2.3 ppg for a 17-yr old! Hence, the rumored NIL payday ‘to acquire’ McKenna to Happy Valley for a mere $700.000! Times have changed.

In addition to a strong veteran corps, the Lions brought in stars Luke Misa and D-man Jackson Smith. Lest we forget to end with returning Hobey Baker finalist, RW, Aiden Fink. The Predators draftee is slightly undersized, but nobody has a bigger heart or stronger on-the-puck work ethic than Fink. His production is stellar at 87 points over 74 career NCAA tilts, but paired with McKenna? Buckle up. The Lions will duel Sparty in next springs’ Big Ten Tourney to be sure a potential overall #1 seed for the NCAA’s.

In as much as the Denver Pioneers, led by all-world coach, David Carle, would love to Pioneer west next April it will be a tougher campaign as Denver must integrate depth returnees with a new crop of youngsters after the departures of Zeev Buium (D), Matt Davis (G), Jack Devine (F), Carter King (F), and Jared Wright (F), to name a few. However, incoming freshman talent and LA Kings’ draftees in wings Brendan McMorrowof Lakeville, MN, and Kristian Epperson of Meqoun, WI mixed in a stew of Canadian talent will undoubtedly round into role-playing marauders under the tutelage of Carle. It will take time and a hot goalie to get to Vegas, but if anybody can get the Pio’s over the Rockies and into the valley of the sun – it’s David Carle.

FROZEN FOUR SLEEPER PICK

The Maine Black Bears have been rising out of the ashes and are LPH’s Frozen Four super sleeper pick – IF they can avoid facing Boston U in their regional playoff. Coach Ben Barr has marshalled Maine from a 7-22-4 record just four years ago to a Hockey East tourney title and consecutive NCAA Tournaments. Maine ushers in a consensus Top 10 recruiting class with eleven newcomers. A lot to blend, but the recipe is enticing with newbies Miguel Marques 14-24-38 in 29 games for Lethbridge (WHL) and Jaden Lipinski recording 17-41-58 in 59 games for Vancouver (WHL) mixed with mainstay veterans.

LPH MEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY NATIONAL PRE-SEASON TOP 16:                                                                   

1. Western Michigan
2. Boston University
3. Mich St.
4. Denver
5. Penn St.
6. Boston College             .
7. Maine UMass
8. Minnesota
9. Providence
10. UCONN
11. North Dakota
12. Michigan
13. Quinnipiac
14. Arizona St.
15. UMASS
16. Ohio State

2026 FROZEN FOUR PREDICTION:

Boston U             Mich St. (2026 Champs)

Denver                  Maine