The 2025-26 men’s college hockey season is shaping up to be a wild one. With the season starting soon, we put together a list of our biggest questions and storylines to look out for this season:
📚 HISTORY: Schools with the most NCAA DI men’s hockey championships
1. Can Western Michigan repeat as champs?
The Broncos capped a historic 2024-25 season by lifting the program’s first NCAA title. Now the question is whether Western Michigan can reload and defend against a field that’s deeper and hungrier than ever. With sky-high expectations, the spotlight in Kalamazoo has never been brighter.
The good news is, the Broncos start as the preseason No. 1 in the USCHO rankings. The bad news is that they lost star forward Alex Bump and captain Tim Washe, both key pieces in the championship run.
Despite those key roster losses, WMU brings back one of the nation’s top goaltenders, Hampton Slukynsky, after a stellar freshman season. They also bring back Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player Owen Michaels, who finished second on the team in goals last season (18). The Broncos landed four transfers this offseason, headlined by senior defenseman Zach Bookman from Merrimack and Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick William Whitelaw, a junior forward from Michigan.
2. How will Michigan State fare without Isaac Howard?
The Spartans come in at No. 3 in the USCHO preseason poll and will look to three-peat as Big Ten regular season and tournament champions this season. But it won’t be easy, as they’ll have to replace leading scorer and Hobey Baker award winner Isaac Howard, who is now with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers.
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Howard’s departure leaves a big hole on the top line, but if anyone can fill it, it’s Porter Martone, who joins Michigan State from Canada’s OHL. Martone was picked sixth overall in 2025 by the Philadelphia Flyers after scoring 98 points (37G, 61A) in 57 games in the OHL last season.
The Spartans also return a talented roster, headlined by junior goaltender Trey Augustine. Augustine saw a big jump from his freshman to sophomore year as his save percentage increased from .919 to .927, and his goals-against average dropped from 2.82 to 1.97. Entering his third season in East Lansing, the Spartans will lean on Augustine to get them through a tough Big Ten schedule. MSU’s top returning scorer is Charlie Stramel, whose 27 points (9G, 18A) ranked third on the team last year. He’ll need to take another step forward to fill in the offensive gaps left by Howard and Karsen Dorwart, who signed with the Flyers this summer.
3. Is it Penn State’s year?
The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 5 in the USCHO preseason poll, a historic high for a program that made its first Frozen Four in 2024-25. On paper, this is easily the best Penn State roster we have seen since the program made the jump to DI in 2012-13.
The Nittany Lions were hot on the recruiting trail this offseason, bringing in several key players from the CHL. No. 1 2026 NHL Draft prospect Gavin McKenna comes to Hockey Valley as one of the highest-profile recruits in college hockey history, and for good reason. He finished the WHL regular season with 129 points (41G, 88A) and a 40-game point streak, which continued through his first 14 playoff games. The 54-game point streak is a modern CHL record dating back to 2000. His elite scoring and playmaking will make Penn State a must-watch team this season.
The Nittany Lions also landed star defenseman Jackson Smith from the WHL’s Tri-City Americans. Smith was selected 14th overall in the 2025 draft, making him the first first-round pick to play for Penn State in program history. He registered career-highs in all offensive stats last year with 11 goals and 43 assists for 54 points in 68 games.
Penn State also brings in Luke Misa and Mac Gadowsky to complement a star-studded returning roster led by Hobey Baker award top-10 finalist Aiden Fink. With loads of new and returning talent, the Nittany Lions will have lots of firepower this season, so it should be fun to see how all those pieces gel together.
4. Can either Boston College or Boston U. end their title drought?
Ranked at No. 2 and No. 6 in the USCHO preseason poll, respectively, Boston University and Boston College are each looking to snap their national championship droughts and bring a title to Beantown.
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Boston College entered last season with high expectations and a star-studded roster, led by the nation’s top goal scorer, Ryan Leonard, and 2023 NHL first-round pick Gabe Perreault. The Eagles made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament but lost to Denver in a rematch of the 2023 title game. But with both Leonard and Perreault signing NHL contracts in the spring, there is lots of work to do to replace their offensive production. The pressure is on for top players like James Hagens to take the next step and lead BC to its first national title since 2012.
After making the Frozen Four the past three years, Boston U. is trying to win its first title since 2009. BU’s 2024-25 roster was loaded with future NHL talent, but it was full of underclassmen whose inexperience made for a notable adjustment period. Goaltending struggles also plagued the first half of last season, but the addition of Mikhail Yegorov in January turned the season around, and the Terriers made a run all the way to the national championship game. This year, with top talent like Cole Eiserman and Sascha Boumedienne having more experience and Yegorov playing a full season, the Terriers have high hopes for another deep playoff run. But can they finally get over the hump?
5. Which dark horses could crash the NCAA tournament?
Recent seasons have shown that the Frozen Four isn’t reserved just for the blue bloods. Programs like Quinnipiac and Western Michigan have proven that they can contend with college hockey’s giants. Now, with CHL talent injected into rosters across the country, we could see some more under-the-radar teams make a run at the NCAA tournament.
Some teams to watch out for include No. 18 Minnesota State, No. 14 Arizona State, and Bowling Green, each heavily embracing the transfer portal and the new NCAA eligibility rules in their offseason recruiting. No. 16 Ohio State and No. 20 Wisconsin could also make some noise in a crowded Big Ten.
6. Is it hockey’s turn on the big stage?
The 2025‑26 season is packed with events that could put men’s college hockey in the national spotlight like never before. In January, Penn State will host Michigan State outdoors at Beaver Stadium, giving fans a chance to watch a top-tier college matchup in a stadium setting reminiscent of the NHL’s Winter Classic. And for the first time ever, the nation’s top collegiate players will compete in the prestigious Spengler Cup tournament in Switzerland as part of the U.S. Collegiate Selects team, providing international exposure and a showcase for top-tier college talent against professional competition.
With star-studded rosters, a deeper-than-ever talent pool, and these one-of-a-kind events, college hockey will be must-see TV in 2025-26.
