There are two trends that present themselves prior to the new Hockey East men’s season.
One: the top two teams are fairly obvious — the same goes for the bottom teams.
The other: the distance separating the middle teams in the conference is razor-thin.
That was reflected in our New England Hockey Journal writers' poll. Two teams received first-place votes. Boston University received the majority and is ranked No. 1. The other team to receive a first-place vote? Well, that squad didn't even finish among the top two teams in the rankings.
It goes to show the amount of parity that there projects to be this season.
Here’s a breakdown of the poll.
1. Boston University: 54 points (4 first-place votes)
BU enters this season fresh off a trip to the Frozen Four, but that’s not the main reason the Terriers enter as the favorite. Head coach Jay Pandolfo’s (Burlington, Mass.) team returns Lane Hutson, one of the best defensemen in college hockey last season, and brings in Macklin Celebrini — who could be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL draft. The addition of Mathieu Caron in net from Brown will help, too.
2. Boston College: 49 points
The Eagles finished eighth in Hockey East last season, but the infusion of high-level freshmen catapults head coach Greg Brown’s (Southboro, Mass.) team to second in our poll. Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.), Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) and Gabriel Perrault were all selected in the first round of June’s NHL draft. Cutter Gauthier, the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft, should be a Hobey Baker candidate as a sophomore.
3. Merrimack: 45 points (1 first-place vote)
Merrimack stunned the college hockey world last year, finishing second in Hockey East, getting to the Hockey East championship game and scoring a spot in the national tournament. Head coach Scott Borek’s (Swampscott, Mass.) team returns its top three scorers from last season in Alex Jefferies (Lunenburg, Mass.), Matt Copponi (Mansfield, Mass.) and Ben Brar. The Warriors also bring back Hugo Ollas and Zachary Borgiel — their goaltending tandem from last year. This year will be a big test for the program: Was last season a flash in the pan or is Merrimack here to stay?
4. UConn: 37 points
This is where things get really interesting and extremely subjective. UConn is fortunate to bring back star Matthew Wood, who was picked 15th overall in this summer’s NHL draft. They also return Hudson Schandor, who was second in scoring last year for the Huskies. In net, Logan Terness left for Ohio State but sophomore Arsenii Sergeev has tons of potential. He will be the X-factor for UConn.
5. Northeastern: 30 points
Losing Devon Levi in net is a huge blow. But there’s still a lot of talent on head coach Jerry Keefe’s (Billerica, Mass.) roster. Justin Hryckowian, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine (East Greenwich, R.I.) and Cam Lund (Bridgewater, Mass.) are strong centerpieces of the offense. Hunter McDonald is a breakout candidate on defense. The Huskies should be competitive all season.
6. Providence: 28 points
Sixth is exactly where Providence finished in Hockey East last season. Head coach Nate Leaman’s team is always tough to play against and that looks to be true again. The Friars lost key pieces like Parker Ford (Wakefield, R.I.) and Brett Berard (East Greenwich, R.I.), but return Bennett Schimek, Nick Poisson and Riley Duran (Woburn, Mass.). Boston Bruins prospect Philip Svedebäck was strong in net as a freshman. In Year 2, he projects to be even more of a force.
T-7. Maine: 26 points
Our featured team in our most recent college preview magazine, Maine got votes all over the place, from No. 4 to No. 9. It’s a big year for the Black Bears as head coach Ben Barr continues his plan to re-route the program. Having Lynden Breen, the team’s leading offensive producer, back, as well as Ben Poisson will be a huge help. Victor Ostman will be vital between the pipes.
T-7. UMass Lowell: 26 points
Like Maine, UMass Lowell got votes all over the place in our poll. The River Hawks are a bit of a wild card. They lost a lot in forwards Carl Berglund and Brian Chambers (Weymouth, Mass.), defenseman Jon McDonald and goalie Gustavs Davis Grigals. But head coach Norm Bazin always finds a way for his team to be a tough out.
9. Massachusetts: 20 points
The 2021 national champions had an uncharacteristic year last season, finishing ninth in Hockey East. Despite ranking ninth in this poll, there are reasons to think a rebound could happen in Amherst. For starters, defensemen Scott Morrow (Darien, Conn.) and Ryan Ufko returned for their junior seasons. Freshmen should also provide a boost with forwards Dans Locmelis and Aydar Suniev, as well as goalie Michael Hrabal. Goaltending was a big issue for head coach Greg Carvel’s team last season. Hrabal should alleviate that.
10. New Hampshire: 9 points
While the outlook on UNH isn’t as high as its Hockey East counterparts, there are bright spots for head coach Mike Souza’s (Wakefield, Mass.) team. Forwards Liam Devlin (Needham, Mass.) and Cy LeClerc (Brentwood, N.H.), last year’s two top scorers, are back. So, too, is defenseman Colton Huard, who had three goals and 19 points last year. Tyler Muszelik should see an increase in minutes in net.
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11. Vermont: 6 points
It wasn’t supposed to be this way for Vermont just a few months ago. But then former head coach Todd Woodcroft was fired in July amid alleged inappropriate texts with a student and things changed. The next shoe to drop was highly touted freshman Alex Bump left the program in August. Steve Wiedler will fill in as the interim head coach this season.
