Despite graduating program-defining players Alina Müller, Maureen Murphy, and Chloé Aurard, Northeastern is still the favorite in Hockey East. They’ve established a dominant perch atop the standings here and no one team has seemed to be able to link together several seasons of top tier play that can put regular pressure on the Huskies.
Both Vermont and Providence are the two teams most likely to upset Northeastern’s dominance, though my dark horse is Boston University. Vermont returns most of the roster that took second place in the conference, which had league voters giving them the edge in the preseason poll, but Providence has the easier second-half schedule and possibly the higher ceiling – at least, they have more unknowns. I love the changes in the roster at BU, but think it’s probably going to take a little while for Tara Watchorn to make this team her own.
I can’t imagine picking against Northeastern in Hockey East until there’s a team that proves that they can pressure and beat them with consistency. The teams and league will all be better for a more competitive environment.
Boston College
Last Season
20-15-1, 16-11-1 (fourth). Lost to Northeastern Hockey East semifinals.
Names to know
Transfers Sammy Smigliani and Jade Arnone will help fill out the offense. Smigliani in particular is used to a more physical style of play that I think will be important for BC this season. The forward group, in general, is on the smaller side and the Eagles have played a swift game based on breakouts and quick moves around defenders. They’ll still do some of that with Abby Newhook and Gabbie Roy, but think someone who can grind along the boards and in corners like Smigliani will be a good addition to that style.
Freshman Molly Jordan led the 2023 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championships in time on ice and was the lone American on the all-tournament team. She was reliable, unflappable and came up big again and again as the US struggled in Sweden. She’s the kind of well-round, stalwart defender coaches rave about and will be a massive addition to the BC defense.
What to Watch For
The Eagles lost their biggest names to the transfer portal this offseason and they’ll be feeling that impact on both defense and offense. Hannah Bilka, Cayla Barnes and Alexie Guay have all moved on, taking a third of the team’s points with them. Barnes led the team in blocks and was a shut down defender that did well to slip into offensive play. It’s honestly a little difficult to envision what this team looks like without these players that felt like they were a part of everything the Eagles did on the ice. This is a team that needs a whole new identity. While I’m not sure we’ll see it pay off this season, this might be good for a program that hasn’t been able to be consistent in several years. The players on this team need to take this adversity and use the opportunity to create new character to define the program. There needs to be something shaken up to get them out of the rut they’ve been in. Time will tell whether these players are up to that particular challenge.
BC opens their season with road trips to Clarkson and Wisconsin, which is definitely going to put them to the test early on. Both those teams play a physical game that doesn’t leave a lot of time for decision making or puck movement. They’ll provide an early tough test for BC that I won’t be expecting to manifest in points for the Eagles, but could really show us a lot about who they are and what they’re capable of as they fight through four straight tough games.
Their goalie group is made up of two freshman and a sophomore, Grace Campbell, who appeared in three games and has a total NCAA ice time of 177 minutes. I’d imagine this is a wide open battle that won’t be settled in September or early October. It should be fun for fans to watch the players push each other to get better and earn the role.
Crystal Ball
I’m picking BC sixth.
Boston University
Last Season
11-20-3, 915-3 (seventh). Lost to Merrimack in the opening round of the Hockey East tournament.
Names to know
Luisa and Lilli Welcke are transfers from Maine who play for the German National Team. They were both named to the Hockey East All-Rookie team last season and were among the team leaders in scoring. Their international experience shows in how quickly they handle the puck and make decisions.
Freshman Alex Law was electric for Canada in the U18 Women’s World Championship semifinal where they eked out a 3-2 win over Finland where she scored the game-tying and game-winning goals.
What to Watch For
For the first time in its 19 year program history, there is a new coach leading the Terriers. Alumna Tara Watchorn stepped into the role when Brian Durocher retired at the end of last season. Watchorn proved herself as a head coach with Stonehill last season, taking the brand new program to the conference tournament semifinals and a 19-16-2 record in its first season of existence.
The Terriers have struggled with scoring for a few seasons now, so the addition of the abovementioned forwards is vitally important to BU’s ability to succeed. They were 28th out of 42 teams with just 2.15 goals scored per game.
The question of who will become their starting goaltender is a very interesting one. Callie Shanahan played a handful of games last season behind Andrea Brandli. Watchorn brought in transfer Alexa Matses from Northeastern, who hasn’t played many minutes, but has been paired with the last two Goaltender of the Year Award winners. It could be interesting to see what she’s capable of out of their shadow.
Crystal Ball
I’ve got the Terriers fourth to start the season
Connecticut
Last Season
18-13-4, 126-11-4 (fifth). Lost to Boston College in the Hockey East quarterfinals.
Names to know
Tia Chan had the fourth best save percentage (.935) and sixth best goals against average (1.67) in the country last season.
Jada Habisch led the team with 13 goals and she tied with Coryn Tamala to each lead the team with 21 points.
What to Watch For
Connecticut finished fifth in the conference, but were the 10th stingiest defense in the entire country. The Huskies continue to be absolutely stellar from the blue line, but lost .6 goals per game of offense from 21-22 to 22-23. They return most of last year’s forwards, but the big push this season has to be to rely on that defense and take some more chances on offense.
The Huskies travel to play Minnesota to start the new year. We don’t get to see too many Hockey East/WCHA matchups. They also close out the regular season against teams that should be near them in the standings. They have a chance to close out on a really strong run and build momentum to the postseason.
Crystal Ball
I have them fifth.
Holy Cross
Last Season
7-26-1, 6-21-0 (ninth). Lost to New Hampshire in the opening round of the Hockey East tournament.
Names to know
With several transfers out, the Crusaders will need big contributions from young players. Alexia Moreau was second on the team with eight goals. She’ll be counted on to not just light the lamp, but to anchor the offense while dishing the puck and setting up teammates. She’s proven adept at finding seams and I’m hoping we see that view of the ice expand this season.
Emma Min led the team with 60 blocks. She’s a smaller defender, but pesky and completely unruffled by stepping in front of the puck. I’d like to see her think a little more big picture in terms of starting transitions and being in a position to step up into the zone and put a shot toward the net to create opportunities for second chance goals.
What to Watch For
Holy Cross had just one conference win two seasons ago, so the six they hung on the board this year were a huge step forward. They had six one-goal losses, but were 2-2 in overtime. The Crusaders scored wins over #14 Vermont and #15 Connecticut. Anyone watching this team closely knows that they continue to improve and build. The team is starting to play with the confidence of a squad that knows they can push against everyone in the league. They’ve sort of quietly been building momentum, gaining experience and are going to give Hockey East plenty to worry about his season.
Crystal Ball
I have Holy Cross tenth.
Maine
Last Season
15-18-2, 12-13-2 (sixth). Lost to Providence in the Hockey East quarterfinals.
Names to know
Senior Mira Seregély led the team with 23 points. She has been a consistent point producer that’s as adept at setting up a teammate as she is scoring herself. She’s a Hungarian National Team player who brings physicality and experience and will be a good leader among a team with a 10 freshmen and five incoming transfers.
What to Watch For
A late hire just before last season, Molly Engstrom starts her second season at the helm with a wildly different roster. Four players transferred out, five transferred in and they have a big freshman class. There has been a major program shift in Orono and it will be interesting to see how Engstrom having even more of an impact on the makeup of the squad affects outcomes this season. The team had essentially the same record over the past two seasons. The hope is that the team starts to move forward from here.
The group of transfers is diverse and come from a wide range of schools. It really seems Engstrom went hunting for a specific kind of player and I’m interested in trying to determine what it is that she saw in each of them that made them the right fit.
Crystal Ball
I’m putting Maine seventh.
Merrimack
Last Season
9-25-2, 5-20-2 (tenth). Lost to Northeastern in the Hockey East quarterfinals.
Names to know
Teaghan Inglis was third on the team in scoring last season, as a defender. She’s now the highest scoring returner on the roster. Her 200 foot game and ability to make an offensive impact from the blue line make her so important to Merrimack’s success this season. She’s not afraid to put the puck on net and see what happens and the Warriors are going to have to take advantage of that and score some second chance goals in the dirty areas.
Celine Tedenby played just four games in a Warriors uniform before losing her season to injury. She brings a focused drive to the net and presence in front of the net that the Warriors need this season.
What to Watch For
After showing some growth over the previous few seasons, things stagnated a little for the Warriors last year. They’ll be looking to keep building on the ground they’ve gained and hope to move out of the cellar in the standings after they finished last in 2023. On the positive side, they won their second conference tournament game. It won’t be an easy path for them this season, as they graduated three of their top four scorers who accounted for 42% of their goals last season.
Merrimack was the second-most penalized team in the country last season, spending nearly 10 minutes a game in the box. They had a top-third power play, but unfortunately for them they spend a lot more time killing penalties than with a player advantage.
Crystal Ball
I think they’ll finish ninth.
New Hampshire
Last Season
12-21-3, 9-15-3 (eighth). Lost to Vermont in the Hockey East quarterfinals.
Names to know
Kira Juodikis led the Wildcats with 17 goals (seven more than anyone else on the team) and was second with 28. She also led the team in shots. She’s tall, she’s strong on her skates, she’s great at limiting visibility of puck around the perimeter and she continues to improve using her long reach and stick to disturb the flow, prevent breakouts and win turnovers.
What to Watch For
With the graduation of the best netminder in UNH history, there’s a very large void in net for the Wildcats and the three goalies on the roster have a combined one game of collegiate experience. Freshman Sedona Blair won silver with Team USA at the 2022 U18 Women’s World Championships, but didn’t see the ice. She’s 5’10” and moves well through the crease and knows when to use her long reach.
UNH has finished eighth in the conference over each of the past three seasons. There is opportunity to make moves in the conference this season, but they need to string together wins and figure out a way to earn wins in close games. They were 1-2 in overtime and 1-2 in shootouts. They also had eight one-goal losses – but the silver lining is that seven of them were in the first half of the season and the final one was a 1-0 loss to Vermont in the Hockey East Tournament quarterfinal. This feels like a team that could be on the verge of taking a big step forward, but they really have to embrace the opportunity and not let it be snapped up by someone else.
Crystal Ball
I have UNH eighth.
Northeastern
Last Season
34-3-1, 24-2-1 (first). Lost to Ohio State in the national semifinal.
Names to know
Rookies Alexandra Lalonde and Peyton Compton were both members of USA’s 2023 bronze-medal winning U18 Women’s World Championship team. Compton is small and agile and uses her slight stature to get into space that wouldn’t be open for some other players. Lalonde showed really good vision of the ice and an ability to know where the play would develop and where her linemates would be. Both have the talent to join the pantheon of great Northeastern forwards.
Megan Carter was Hockey East Best Defender and a First-Team All-Conference selection. She’s calm under pressure and especially adept at turning the play around in transition and finding her teammates as they work up the ice. Northeastern might not have the same fast-paced breakout this season, but I expect no matter what their offense looks like, Carter plays a big supporting role.
What to Watch For
There’s definitely been a major turnover of iconic players from this roster over the past two seasons and there is no doubt that there are big gaps to fill in the lineup, but the Huskies are also returning six fifth-year players in Katy Knoll, Becca Vanstone, Peyton Cullaton, Megan Carter, Gwyn Philips and Peyton Anderson. Philips took advantage of finally being the starter and earned Goalie of the Year.
More than 40% of the team’s scoring graduated with Alina Müller, Chloé Aurard and Maureen Murphy. The rest of the team was used to playing more supporting roles to those three, so their year is really going to hinge on whether or not any of the skaters look at the gaps they left behind and take that as an opportunity to step up their game. Philips should serve as a model for taking advantage of shifting roles and making the most of the chances available. Players like Peyton Anderson and Skylar Irving have come up big at times over the past few years for Northeastern and I think if they’re going to keep their stranglehold of the top of the conference, at least one of them and one of the rookies have to really come into their own and embrace the challenge.
Crystal Ball
This is Northeastern’s conference to lose.
Providence
Last Season
22-11-4, 15-8-4 (third). Lost to Northeastern in the Hockey East championship game.
Names to know
Sophomore Reichen Kirchmaier was named to the conference All-Rookie team last season and was third on the team with 22 points. She’s the highest returning scorer this season and looks primed to lead the offense this year. She’ll benefit from playing with and learning from experienced players like Lindsay Bochna and Wisconsin transfer Grace Shirley, who never seemed to find her role and settle in with the Badgers but who has a smoothness to her skating that makes her very fun to watch.
What to Watch For
Not to put the focus only on goalies, but some of the best in the league ended their careers last season, including Sandra Abstreiter at Princeton. Her steady presence in net really gave the team the cushion to grow into a top of the table team in Hockey East – they finished third three of the last four years and lost the tournament championship game to Northeastern in two of those years.
There’s a bit of blurring the lines between defense and offense when you watch Providence play. The forwards get back quickly and are involved in their own zone and the blue liners are active around the perimeter in the offensive zone, aren’t afraid to shoot or slash in to the net and help create a really well-rounded lineup that shows depth and moves pretty seamlessly around the rink.
Crystal Ball
I’m putting them third, but think we could see a lot of movement in those top four spots.
Vermont
Last Season
22-11-3, 16-8-3 (second). Lost to Providence in the Hockey East semifinals.
Names to know
Natálie Mlýnková emerged as one of the most interesting international players currently playing in the NCAA. She’ll need to have a bigger role this season without Theresa Schafzahl by her side, but she’s capable of being the same kind of creative, play-making presence that Schafzahl was for this offense. She led the team with 23 goals and was also third on the team with 41 blocks. Vermont will need her to be confident and smart in transition and really find the balance of being the lead playmaker while also finding her teammates for outlet passes and slashing in on net.
Jessie McPherson was 12th in the country with a 1.80 goals against average. She logged the fifth-most minutes among netminders and her steady presence and ability to come up big when she’s needed the most are such an integral part of the team dynamic and the ability of players to take chances on offense.
What to Watch For
The Catamounts earned their second-straight runner up finish in the regular season, but for the second time, were out of the tournament in the Hockey East semifinals. Generally, when they won last season, they won big and when they lost, it was by a goal or two and they let more than a couple of games they probably should have won end in ties or losses. For Vermont to really be a national contender, they have to put away those games and consistently win weekend series.
League schedulers across the sport have been leaning into the drama and this year, Hockey East is no different. UVM travels to Boston to face Northeastern for the final weekend of the regular season.
Crystal Ball
A strong finish to the season leads me to believe they can finish second.
