With rosters set, summer training out of the way and the calendar turning over to October, college hockey is back. After a thrilling 2023-24 season across the NCAA, 2024-25 promises to turn the heat up a notch. To get everyone refreshed, I put together my very own preseason ranking of the 11 Hockey East teams, giving a preview of each squad and what to look for this season in the best conference in college hockey.

1. No. 2 Boston College

It’s a pretty strong testament to the strength of the Boston College Eagles’ hockey program that after losing the top two scorers in the country in 2023-24, they still have the potential to be the best team in the NCAA in 2024-25. The Eagles were ranked No. 2 in the USCHO preseason poll, preceded only by the reigning national champion Denver Pioneers, who defeated BC in the NCAA Championship.

Before I even bring up their recruiting class, which is arguably the best in Division I, BC brings back four of its top six forwards from last season, five of its top six defensemen and its starting goaltender, Jacob Fowler, who was a game changer the entire season and stole a number of wins for the Eagles.

Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault are primed to make a statement this season, both opting to stay in college for one more season while their linemate Will Smith, made the decision to turn pro. Leonard and Perreault complement each other perfectly on the top line. Leonard a gritty, but speedy power forward who makes himself available for all kinds of passes in the offensive zone, and Perreault is the best playmaker in the country, possessing hands of silk.

The Eagles have six freshmen, a group that includes two first round picks and two second round picks, including the consensus top NHL prospect in North America, James Hagens. Dean Letourneau (RD 1, #25 overall, 2024), Teddy Stiga (RD 2, #55 overall, 2024) and Will Skahan (RD 2, #65 overall, 2024) round out the group of freshmen that have a chance to dominate Hockey East this season.

2. No. 3 Boston University

Like BC, Boston University lost its two best players from 2023-24 to pro hockey in Macklin Celebrini and Lane Hutson, but an otherwise strong retention of veteran players and a talented freshmen class should keep the Terriers at the top of the national conversation all season.

Ryan Greene and Quinn Hutson headline the returning group of forwards for BU, two players who have exceptional speed and offensive awareness. They’ll likely be supported by fellow returners Shane LaChance and Jack Hughes on the top two lines, while the rest of the top six will be filled out by freshmen.

There are three offensive studs in the freshman class: Cole Eiserman, (RD 1, No. 20 overall, 2024), Kamil Bednarik (RD 2, No. 62 overall, 2024) and Alex Zetterberg. I expect two, if not all three of them to start in the top six right away, especially Eiserman, who at one point was considered the best player in his draft class.

BU will also have Mathieu Caron back in net, a stable and reliable netminder who has all the tools to lead the Terriers to another strong season.

3. No. 14 Providence

There’s a theme among the top five teams in the conference that is a huge reason for its high rankings, and that is having a returning starting goaltender. Junior Philip Svedebäck is a sturdy and consistent backstop who is coming off two strong years playing behind a team that has lacked offensive firepower, a big reason for its relative mediocrity within the conference in that time.

This is a year with high expectations for the Friars, who have one of the strongest recruiting classes in HEA, a class that should help them solve their lack of a firepower heavy offense.

Trevor Connelly is one of the most exciting freshmen in the conference, a first-round draft pick of the Vegas Golden Knights. Connelly averaged 1.5 points per game this season with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL, a season in which he was 17 years old. As a true freshman, Connelly has the potential to impact every game he steps on the ice. He has impeccable offensive awareness, reading defenders perfectly to make split second decisions that give him high quality scoring chances consistently.

Logan Sawyer and John Mustard are two other true freshmen who should bring PC’s offense up a notch, playing alongside strong returning forwards like Nick Poisson, Tanner Adams and Chase Yoder.

The Friars’ defense is also incredibly experienced, featuring two graduate students and two seniors, highlighted by Taige Harding and Guillaume Richard.

4. No. 13 Massachusetts

Almost all of UMass’ success this season hinges on its backend. The Minutemen lost their top two defensemen, Ryan Ufko and Scott Morrow to pro hockey, as well as three more of their top six defenseman, Aaron Bohlinger, Samuli Niinisaari and Elliott McDermott. This leaves just two consistent defensemen on the roster from last season, Linden Alger and Owen Murray.

UMass picked up a strong veteran presence for its defensive core in the transfer portal, Lucas Olvestad, who spent the last two seasons with Denver. In spite of that, the Minutemen will have at least two freshmen defensemen on the ice every game this season, as they brought in five blueliners in their recruiting class.

Larry Keenan and Francesco Dell’Elce project to be the two standout members from this defensive class, both offensive minded and highly skilled with the puck.

UMass’ inexperience on the back end will have to be mitigated by its star goaltender, Michael Hrabal. Hrabal has the size and athleticism to breakout this season after a strong freshman year, and should, by all means, be in Richter award conversations at the end of the season.

Offensively, the Minutemen bring back effectively all of their top nine forwards from last season, making them as deep on the front end as any team in HEA.

5. No. 12 Maine

Maine comes into the 2024-25 season without one half of its star twin brother tandem from last season, Bradly Nadeau, who opted to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes at the end of last season. The Black Bears will also be without Victor Ostman, who started roughly half of the games in net.

Outside of these losses however, much of the Maine core is staying together in Orono for the 2024-25 season. Lynden Breen will return for his second season as captain of the Black Bears, and his fifth in a Maine jersey and will likely play with Josh Nadeau on the top line, a duo that is dangerous in most offensive aspects of the game.

The Black Bears have an experienced defensive core, featuring five upperclassmen, each of whom were regular starters in the 2023-24 season.

Maine also brings back Albin Boija in net. Boija split time with Ostman last season, effectively taking over the starting role in the back half of the season. He posted a 2.01 GAA in his 18 games played, which was good for third in the NCAA among qualified goaltenders.

Maine is an experienced and physically imposing team that could easily find itself competing for a Hockey East championship this season.

6. No. 20 Northeastern

After a down 2023-24 season, Northeastern looks a lot different this year, bringing in 15 new faces: nine freshmen and six transfer students.

I think that the Huskies went about revamping its program after a down year in the perfect way in today’s day and age of college hockey, using the portal to bring in older, experienced and physically big players, while bringing in the highly talented and offensively gifted players in its recruiting class.

Northeastern brought in three exciting forwards in Ben Poitras, Griffin Erdman and Joe Connor. Each player has spent at least two seasons playing junior hockey, but they all come in as 19-year-olds, proving that they were ready to make the jump to college hockey probably a year or two early. Each plays with a high motor and strong skating skills.

7. UNH

UNH is a team that has the highest chance to fluctuate on this list: they are an experienced and cohesive group that plays a brand of hockey that simply wears opponents down when it is effective. On the other hand, they only brought in three freshmen to a team that somewhat lacks on the top-end scoring side of things and has three unproven goaltenders.

I believe the Wildcats know their identity: strong, hard-nosed and gritty hockey. If they play like that, while their top offensive players Morgan Winters, Ryan Conmy, Cy LeClerc and Liam Devlin bring the goal scoring, they can be a truly dangerous team.

Where they may have slipped up is in the net. UNH has three goaltenders on its roster, only one of which has actually played a game for the Wildcats, Raphael Gaughan, and he hasn’t appeared in an actual hockey game since the 2021-22 season. Jared Whale is likely the projected starter, a transfer from Alaska-Anchorage, where he was the starter for two seasons.

Whale is a solid goalie, but he has been playing for an independent team for the last two seasons, and a pretty bad one at that. I don’t know how well he holds up in the most grueling conference in college hockey when he is forced to play a majority of the games.

8. UConn

UConn has 10 incoming freshmen, a sum that is tied with Merrimack for the largest in the conference. Those 10 freshmen pack a punch. Outside of BU and BC, the Huskies have arguably the third best recruiting class in the conference, right in the conversation with Providence and Northeastern.

UConn had a below average 2023-24 season, and lost its top player Matthew Wood to the transfer portal, as well as all its goaltending depth. They brought in Tyler Muszelik from UNH, a good pick up, but a relatively unproven asset, having only played in 21 games over two seasons in New Hampshire.

Of their freshman class, three forwards standout: Kaden Shahan, who scored 39 goals in 56 games for the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL in 2023-34. Shahan has an elite shot and has the potential to be a 30-goal scorer for the Huskies, if not this season, then within his college career.

The second is Mike Murtagh who put up 63 points for the Nanaimo Clippers of the BCHL in 2023-24, over doubling his total from the previous season.

Ethan Whitcomb has over 150 games of experience in the USHL and will come into UConn with the ability to slot right in and quickly adjust to the speed of college hockey. He had 44 assists last season and has above average hockey sense.

9. UMass Lowell

UMass Lowell is coming off an 8-24-4 record, a mark that is well below the mean for a program that has had a lot of success in the last decade.

The River Hawks have a decent recruiting class, one that should help them escape the basement of Hockey East and put them at least in the 8-10 range this season. Lee Parks and Libor Nemec should get top six and special team’s opportunities right off the bat. Both have above average shots. Parks is elite at shooting on the move, while Nemec is a more tactical and calculated shooter.

Notable returners for the River Hawks include Scout Truman, Owen Cole and Henry Welsch.

10. Merrimack

Merrimack has relied on stellar goaltending play from Hugo Ollas and Zachary Borgiel the last two seasons, but both have left the team. In their places are three newcomers, two freshmen and a sophomore transfer.

Nils Wallström had a good 2023-24 season for American International, posting a .920 save percentage and a 2.27 GAA. Hockey East is a step up from the Atlantic Hockey Conference, so whether he can handle the talent is a question.

The Warriors’ freshmen class is highlighted by Caden Cranston. Cranston spent his 2023-24 season with the Surrey Eagles of the BCHL, where was at nearly 1.7 points per game in 51 games played. Typically known for a more structural and less talent-oriented offense, Cranston will shake up the norm for Merrimack and potentially bring some top-end goal scoring talent that it could use.

11. Vermont

Vermont seems to be stuck in the mud throughout the last five years. The Catamounts always struggle to bring in top tier recruits and although they have a decent freshman class coming in, it’s nothing to write home about, and surely nothing that is going to raise the bar for UVM hockey.

The biggest land for the Catamounts was goaltender Keenan Rancier, a transfer from Minnesota State. Although Rancier only appeared in 12 games last season, he was a stud in 2022-23, posting a 1.86 GAA for the Minotauros.

Matt Skillings can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @matt_skillings.