Monday, September 30, 2019
Leagues Name Preseason Favorites
Coaches, media project their top teams by conference for 2019-20.
Penn State returns its top five scorers from 2018-19, including junior Evan Barratt.
As the Oct. 5 puck drop for the 2019-20 season rapidly approaches, Division I men’s conferences have released preseason coaches’ and media polls projecting the favorites entering the campaign.
National Polls
Defending league champions take the top spot in Atlantic Hockey (American International), ECAC Hockey (Cornell) and the WCHA (Minnesota State). The two-time defending national champion Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs take the top spot in the NCHC preseason poll.
Penn State and Boston College, two teams that lost in their conference championship games last March, are picked first in the Big Ten and Hockey East, respectively.
Last season’s preseason polls correctly predicted three of six conference champions.
Atlantic Hockey Coaches Poll |
1. |
American International (10) |
100 |
2. |
Niagara |
78 |
3. |
Bentley (1) |
77 |
|
Sacred Heart |
77 |
5. |
RIT |
66 |
6. |
Air Force |
60 |
7. |
Robert Morris |
46 |
8. |
Army West Point |
38 |
9. |
Mercyhurst |
25 |
10. |
Holy Cross |
21 |
11. |
Canisius |
17 |
Big Ten Coaches Poll |
1. |
Penn State |
2. |
Notre Dame |
3. |
Wisconsin |
4. |
Ohio State |
5. |
Minnesota |
6. |
Michigan |
7. |
Michigan State |
ECAC Hockey Coaches Poll |
1. |
Cornell (8) |
118 |
2. |
Quinnipiac (3) |
109 |
3. |
Clarkson (1) |
100 |
4. |
Harvard |
93 |
5. |
Yale |
74 |
6. |
Dartmouth |
68 |
7. |
Brown |
61 |
8. |
Union |
57 |
9. |
Rensselaer |
31 |
10. |
Princeton |
31 |
11. |
Colgate |
29 |
12. |
St. Lawrence |
21 |
ECAC Hockey Media Poll |
1. |
Cornell (13) |
185 |
2. |
Clarkson |
163 |
3. |
Quinnipiac (1) |
162 |
4. |
Harvard (1) |
150 |
5. |
Dartmouth (1) |
123 |
6. |
Yale |
108 |
7. |
Brown |
96 |
8. |
Union |
86 |
9. |
Colgate |
54 |
10. |
Rensselaer |
52 |
11. |
Princeton |
50 |
12. |
St. Lawrence |
19 |
Hockey East Coaches Poll |
1. |
Boston College (8) |
97 |
2. |
Massachusetts (2) |
85 |
3. |
Providence |
78 |
4. |
Northeastern (1) |
73 |
5. |
Boston University |
72 |
6. |
UMass Lowell |
53 |
7. |
New Hampshire |
40 |
8. |
Maine |
39 |
9. |
Connecticut |
38 |
10. |
Vermont |
19 |
11. |
Merrimack |
11 |
NCHC Media Poll |
1. |
Minnesota Duluth (23) |
218 |
2. |
Denver (2) |
178 |
3. |
Western Michigan (3) |
156 |
4. |
North Dakota |
143 |
5. |
St. Cloud State |
138 |
6. |
Colorado College |
81 |
7. |
Omaha |
53 |
8. |
Miami |
41 |
WCHA Coaches Poll |
1. |
Minnesota State (9) |
90 |
2. |
Bowling Green (1) |
82 |
3. |
Bemidji State |
63 |
4. |
Northern Michigan |
61 |
5. |
Michigan Tech |
59 |
6. |
Lake Superior State |
58 |
7. |
Alaska |
39 |
8. |
Ferris State |
38 |
9. |
Alabama Huntsville |
30 |
10. |
Alaska Anchorage |
20 |
WCHA Media Poll |
1. |
Minnesota State (10) |
100 |
2. |
Bowling Green |
89 |
3. |
Northern Michigan |
72 |
4. |
Michigan Tech |
68 |
5. |
Bemidji State |
62 |
6. |
Lake Superior State |
57 |
7. |
Ferris State |
37 |
8. |
Alaska |
27 |
9. |
Alabama Huntsville |
26 |
10. |
Alaska Anchorage |
12 |