NCAA hockey: An early look at 2019-20’s top contenders

Cornell Big Red forward Morgan Barron ( M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The dust has just settled on the 2018-19 college hockey season, but coaches across the country have already turned their focus to 2019-20.

While it’s far too early to know what each team will look like, it’s not unreasonable to have a good guess on what each of the top contenders will have once October rolls around. Early departures, recruits de-committing or turning pro before getting to school, or additional recruits being added are all possibilities.

The balance of power certainly has shifted to the NCHC with the conference winning four straight NCAA championships, starting with North Dakota and Denver and now with two straight from Minnesota Duluth.

UMD will attempt to do what only one program in college hockey history has done. The Bulldogs will be going for their third straight title in 2019-20, a feat accomplished only by Michigan, winners of the 1951, 1952 and 1953 national championships.

Here’s my way-too-early top 16 for the 2019-20 college hockey season:

1. Denver

Not a bad first season for 29-year-old David Carle, who took over for Jim Montgomery when he left for the NHL’s Dallas Stars. Denver advanced to the Frozen Four and took UMass to overtime in the national semifinal. DU looks to be returning five of its top six scorers and all but four regulars. Leading goal scorer Jarid Lukosevicius will be a tough loss as will freshman goaltender Filip Larsson, who signed with the Detroit Red Wings. Sophomore goaltender Devin Cooley had similar numbers in about an equal workload.

The Pioneers received a huge boost earlier this week when defenseman Ian Mitchell, a Chicago Blackhawks second-round pick in 2017, announced he’d return for his junior season. Calgary Flames pick Emilio Pettersen, who missed the Frozen Four with injury, should take a step as a sophomore.

Red Wings prospect Ryan O’Reilly and McKade Webster up front and Justin Lee on the blue line will be the biggest impact players in the freshman class.

2. Minnesota State

With coveted free agent defenseman Connor Mackey announcing he’d return to Mankato for his junior season, it looks like the Mavericks will return all but one regular. Mike Hastings’ team returns its top 13 scorers and both goaltenders from a team that went 32-8-2.

Another talented and older recruiting class coming in is potentially what Minnesota State needs to finally get over the hump in the NCAA tournament. Forwards Brendan Furry, Nathan Smith and Cade Borchardt, and defensemen Tony Malinowski and Colby Bukes look to make an impact in the freshman class.

3. Minnesota Duluth

As mentioned above, only one team has won three NCAA championships in a row, and it’s been nearly 70 years since it’s happened. It’s highly unlikely, but UMD, as long as Scott Sandelin stays in the Twin Ports, will be a top team in the country.

The Bulldogs already have lost wing Riley Tufte to Dallas and could lose Mikey Anderson, Dylan Samberg and Scott Perunovich on the blue line. Junior goaltender Hunter Shepard could sign as well, while the iron is hot.

Obviously, there’s a lot of what-ifs in ranking the Bulldogs this high, but there’s no reason to doubt Sandelin can keep his program in the top 10, and UMD deserves respect as the two-time defending champion.

4. Harvard

Unless Adam Fox’s rights get traded to a New York-area team, it looks as if the Jericho, N.Y., native will be back for his senior season with the Crimson. That is obviously huge news as the 2018-19 Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalist is a game-changing player in ECAC Hockey.

Harvard might have the best puck-moving blue line in the country with Fox, John Marino, Reilly Walsh, Jack Rathbone and freshmen Henry Thrun, Ryan Siedem and Jace Foskey.

Up front, Harvard will be very solid up the middle with Jack Badini, John Farinacci and Jack Drury. Other key forwards such as Casey Dornbach, Baker Shore, Henry Bowlby, Austin Wong and Nick Abruzzese will make Ted Donato’s team tough to defend as well.

The goaltending will be green with freshmen Mitchell Gibson and Derek Mullahy expected to take over between the pipes.

5. Wisconsin

Is this the year head coach Tony Granato and company finally turn the Badgers’ fortunes around? Wisconsin will be a very young team, but there will be no shortage of talent in Madison.

UW has one of the better group of incoming freshmen forwards in the country, led by projected top-10 picks Alex Turcotte and Cole Caufield. Also coming in are Dylan Holloway, Sam Stevens, Matieu De St. Phalle and Ryder Donovan.

The blue line will be led by sophomores K’Andre Miller and Ty Emberson and juniors Wyatt Kalynuk and Tyler Inamoto. Freshman Mike Vorlicky from Edina’s juggernaut will arrive on campus as well.

The goaltending position is the biggest area of concern for the Badgers.

6. North Dakota

Just a hunch, but the Fighting Hawks won’t stay down for long. After a two-year hiatus from the NCAA tournament, Brad Berry will have his team back in the dance come next March.

Defensively, the team should be solid with the return of Jacob Bernard-Docker, Jonny Tychonick, Colton Poolman, Gabe Bast and Matt Kiersted. Incoming players Luke Bast and Ethan Frisch should be welcome additions to the defensive corps in Grand Forks.

The team struggled to score, and on paper, that could be an area of concern again. Can Jordan Kawaguchi, Mark Senden, Ludvig Hoff, Gavin Hain, Collin Adams and Jasper Weatherby take steps from a year ago? Judd Caulfield and Riese Gaber should make immediate contributions up front.

Adam Scheel should be a reliable No. 1 goaltender in the NCHC and Peter Thome has the potential to become one.

7. Massachusetts

Losing Hobey Baker Award winner Cale Makar to the Colorado Avalanche obviously will be a huge setback for the Minutemen. Jacob Pritchard’s graduation and exit to the Carolina Hurricanes also will be a key loss.

I might be in the minority here, but Greg Carvel’s team returns a ton of good hockey players and will be adding some good recruits. Will UMass be as good as it was in 2018-19? Absolutely not, but this is still a top-10 team.

The mobility of the team’s defense will remain a strength with the return of Mario Ferraro, Marc Del Gaizo, Ty Farmer and the additions of Zac Jones and Gianfranco Cassaro.

Down the stretch, freshman Filip Lindberg proved he was capable of being a dynamic goaltender at the collegiate level. Matt Murray is a more than capable backup, or 1B option.

Up front, the team will be led by Mitchell Chaffee, John Leonard and Bobby Trivigno. Incoming recruits Reed Lebster, Jeremy Davidson, Peyton Reeves and Eric Faith should continue to elevate the team’s scoring punch and speed.

8. Cornell

The Big Red lose a couple of key pieces, including forwards Mitch Vanderlaan and Beau Starrett and defensemen Alex McCrea, Brendan Smith and Matthew Nuttle. However, Mike Schafer’s team always seems to be there in the end. The 2019-20 season should be no exception.

Let’s start with the formidable goaltending duo of Matthew Galajda and Austin McGrath both returning. Yanni Kaldis and Alex Green will be two very efficient defenders in front of them. Travis Mitchell, Sam Malinski and Sebastian Dirven will be solid freshman blueliners.

Up front, New York Rangers pick Morgan Barron will lead the way again. Cam Donaldson and Michael Regush should be very good with another year of experience. John Malone, Matthew Stienburg and Ben Berard are the expected freshman contributors up front.

9. Penn State

The Nittany Lions return rising juniors Alex Limoges and Evan Barratt, a duo that certainly will lead a strong offense. Liam Folkes, Brandon Biro, Nate Success and Nikita Pavlychev also are back.

Penn State and Guy Gadowsky’s biggest concern will be in the goaltending position, as the team struggled in that area in 2018-19. If the goaltending and overall team defense can be better, PSU should find itself back in the NCAA tournament field.

10. Western Michigan

Assuming Wade Allison returns and can stay healthy, this could be a huge year for the Broncos. The defense should be stout with Sabres second-round pick Mattias Samuelsson and Cam Lee leading the way. Ronald Brickey is a key incoming recruit who will add a two-way element to the blue line.

Hugh McGing and Josh Passolt will be the top offensive producers returning. Can freshman Brandon Bussi come in and fix the goaltending situation? That, and whether or not WMU can score enough down the stretch, will be the two most important questions when deciding where Andy Murray’s team will finish.

11. UMass Lowell

Losing forwards Ryan Lohin and Ryan Dmowski, the team’s two leading scorers, is a big blow. Perhaps an even more significant loss is the departure of Mattias Goransson, who will return to Europe to pursue professional hockey options in his native Sweden.

If Tyler Wall can be more consistent, the River Hawks’ goaltending should be in good hands. The biggest reason for optimism is the young defensive corps that is returning. Rising sophomores Chase Blackmun, Ben Barton and Jon McDonald will provide a formidable start.

Kenny Hausinger and his 13 goals is the most productive player returning. Matt Brown, Brian Chambers and Andre Lee are all having productive years in the USHL and should be able to step in and contribute from the beginning of the season.

Part of this high ranking is due to the respect I have for Norm Bazin and what he can do to get the River Hawks back in the national tournament after a two-year hiatus.

12. Michigan

The Wolverines’ two losses are big ones in Quinn Hughes and Joseph Cecconi, but Mel Pearson’s team returns just about everyone else. Will Lockwood, Josh Norris, Jake Slaker, Nick Pastujov and Michael Pastujov will be expected to make jumps with another year of experience.

Michigan is bringing in a huge freshman class that will have a big impact on whether or not this ranking is too lofty.

13. Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish will be tasked with replacing Bobby Nardella and Andrew Peeke off a very good defense, but Jeff Jackson’s team got good news this week when it was announced that goaltender Cale Morris and forward Cam Morrison were both returning for their senior seasons.

Notre Dame, as long as Jackson and this current coaching staff is instilled in South Bend, will be in the national conversation. It could be a struggle in the early going, but the Fighting Irish should be in the mix come March.

14. Providence

Everyone will point to all that the Friars lost. Gone are Jacob Bryson, Josh Wilkins, Brandon Duhaime, Scott Conway, Vincent Desharnais and Hayden Hawkey. The potential pro signings of Kasper Bjorkqvist and Jack Dugan are also areas of concern.

Still, Nate Leaman has proven he can make his team into a contender. Patrick Moynihan, Parker Ford and Craig Needham are three big-name freshmen who should jump into the lineup right away. Tyce Thompson, Dugan — if he returns — Jay O’Brien — if he can escape injury woes — and Vimal Sukumaran will be important players from this year’s roster.

On defense, Spenser Young will take on an even greater role. Ben Mirageas and Michael Callahan will be counted on to step up. Cam MacDonald, Max Crozier and Luke Johnson will be newcomers to the blue line.

The goaltending will be a battle between Gabe Mollot-Hill, Jake Kucharski and grad transfer Michael Lackey, who comes over from Harvard.

15. American International

The Yellow Jackets made national news when they upset top-seeded St. Cloud State in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. It’s been a remarkable turnaround for AIC under the leadership of third-year head coach Eric Lang, an alum.

Lang is up for the St. Lawrence job, but if he returns, he’ll join all but two regulars. Rising senior Blake Christiansen and his 47 points should return to Springfield. Goaltender Zackarias Skog made quite the name for himself in Fargo with his performance against SCSU and Denver.

There’s no reason to believe AIC can’t be in a position to run through Atlantic Hockey and be in the national tournament again.

16. Boston College

The Eagles have been in the surprising predicament of not knowing what to do at the end of March for three straight seasons. This could be the year that streak is broken. Jerry York’s team loses key defensemen Michael Kim and Casey Fitzgerald and goaltender Joseph Woll, who signed early with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Replacing Woll is the top goaltending prospect for the 2019 NHL draft, Spencer Knight of the USA Hockey NTDP U-18 team. Marshall Warren and Drew Helleson will be formidable additions on the blue line to make up for the losses of Kim and Fitzgerald.

Up front, leading scorers David Cotton and Logan Hutsko return. The Eagles are bringing in some big names up front in Matthew Boldy, Alex Newhook and Mike Hardman.