We. Back.
The 2024-25 season is imminent. Our 100-day UMD countdown is in the 20s. Practices are ramping up. And NCHC Media Day is upon us.
For those of you reading this before Sept. 12 at 11am, we are live in St. Paul on Thursday for Media Day from 10am-11am on KDAL. Scheduled guests are UMD captain Dominic James, North Dakota captain Louis Jamernik V, St. Cloud State captain Josh Luedtke, and Arizona State senior Ty Murchison (if ASU has named its captains yet, I’m blissfully unaware).
As is tradition, the NCHC has released its preseason all-conference team, as voted on by media.
Forwards
Noah Laba (CC), Jack Devine (DU), Cameron Berg (UND)
Defensemen
Zeev Buium (DU), Jake Livanavage (UND)
Goalie
Kaidan Mbereko (CC)
I voted for all the players, except I had Aaron Pionk of UMD instead of Livanavage. No disrespect, I played my homer card for the poll. And I think he’s going to have a big season.
Also out: the results of its annual preseason media poll. They look like this:
1. Denver
2. North Dakota
3. Colorado College
4. St. Cloud State
5. Omaha
6. Western Michigan
7. UMD
8. Arizona State
9. Miami
And per said tradition, I got a ballot for the poll. Time to break down how I voted, and why I voted that way.
Before we get there, the always-enjoyable exercise of me showing you how much of an idiot I am. Here are last season’s final standings:
1. North Dakota
2. Denver
3t. St. Cloud State
3t. Colorado College
5. Omaha
6. Western Michigan
7. UMD
8. Miami
Here’s how I predicted the teams to finish in the preseason poll:
1. Denver (off by 1 spot)
2. St. Cloud State (1)
3. UMD (4)
4. Western Michigan (2)
5. North Dakota (4)
6. Colorado College (3)
7. Omaha (2)
8. Miami (0)
Only getting one right is bad. Missing by FOUR FREAKING SPOTS twice — including with the team that won the damn league and was largely dominant in doing so — is really bad.
Sets a low bar for this year. Let’s clear it. As I did last year, I’m going to project a ceiling and a floor for each team. I’m going to do my best to keep the margins slim wherever possible so it looks like I put actual thought into it (trust me, I did).
9 THOUGHTS
1. Denver Pioneers
2023-24: 32-9-3 overall, 15-7-2 (2nd); beat Boston College to win NCAA championship
My longstanding philosophy stands again: Pick the team with the fewest holes. This team is that.
Jack Devine is back. So is Zeev Buium, who is my early choice for NCHC Player of the Year and a solid bet for the Hobey. And remember Matt Davis, the goalie who got on an incredible heater in the postseason? Also back to build off what he did.
David Carle didn’t go to the NHL, despite my best efforts. 😁
Biggest question: Denver lost a lot. Can guys like Boston Buckberger and Bemidji State transfer Eric Pohlkamp offset the losses of Shai Buium and Sean Behrens, so Zeev Buium doesn’t have to carry too much of the load?
Projected ceiling: 1st
Projected floor: 3rd
2. North Dakota Fighting Hawks
2023-24: 26-12-2 overall, 15-8-1 NCHC (1st); lost to Michigan in NCAA Maryland Heights Regional semifinal
We won’t talk about the many things I got wrong regarding UND last season. I missed. Badly.
What was a rebuilt blue line is mostly back. Livanavage is the offensive stalwart after a really strong second half of the season. They lose Jackson Blake up front, but Berg returns, and so does Owen McLaughlin. Also, expect Dylan James (dynamic talent with speed to burn) to take a step and be a factor in UND’s top six?
Did I mention a freshman class that includes a guy like Mac Swanson up front and EJ Emery on the back end?
Don’t be surprised if the Penrose stays in Grand Forks.
Biggest question: Can TJ Semptimphelter take the reins as UND’s No. 1 goaltender, or will Hobie Hedquist force a timeshare?
Projected ceiling: 1st
Projected floor: 3rd
3. Colorado College Tigers
2023-24: 21-13-3 overall, 14-8-2 NCHC (T-3rd), lost to Omaha in NCHC quarterfinals (three games)
The Tigers’ resurgence under Kris Mayotte has been in the forecast basically since he got the job. That they posted a 20-win season last year and finished in the upper half of the NCHC for the first time was still very impressive. Colorado College has rebuilt quickly thanks to strong recruiting and what’s become a pretty awesome home ice advantage at Ed Robson Arena, which is a lovely facility and a pretty damn loud one.
The next step can sometimes be the hardest, but CC has the right pieces in place up front (Noah Laba is tremendous, and Gleb Veremyev is a problem), on the blue line (Max Burkholder is going to have a huge season, while Brady Cleveland appears to have been a nice get in the portal), and in goal (Kaidan Mbereko: enough said).
Bet against them at your peril, now that they have some motivation (last year’s home playoff loss was a heartbreaker) to go along with the vastly-improved talent.
Biggest question: Has the scoring depth improved enough? CC added some forward help in the portal (Chase McLane from Penn State and Charlie Strobel from Minnesota), but neither has been consistently productive at the college level. Having Klavs Veinbergs (10 points in 19 games in the second half) for a full season would be greatly helpful.
Projected ceiling: 2nd
Projected floor: 6th
4. Omaha Mavericks
2023-24: 23-13-4 overall, 13-8-3 NCHC (5th), lost to Minnesota in NCAA Sioux Falls regional semifinal
It was nice to see Omaha back in the NCAA Tournament last season. The Mavericks earned that spot by ending Colorado College’s season in the NCHC quarterfinals, then beating North Dakota in the Frozen Faceoff semifinals.
Mike Gabinet should have another nice team, even though Jack Randl and Nolan Sullivan have exhausted their 14 years of eligibility.
(Editor’s note: They were not in college that long, and it only felt like Sullivan took and won 1,000 faceoffs against UMD. Please do not fact-check us on either of these items.)
They’ve got some experience, with blueline stalwart Nolan Krenzen back for a fifth year and joined by Northern Michigan transfer Aiden Gallacher. Brock Bremer and Jimmy Glynn return for their fifth years in Omaha, joined by transfers Harrison Israels (Alaska), Brady Risk (Alaska), and Sam Stange (Wisconsin). The Ludtke brothers (Tanner up front, Griffin on the blue line) return to likely irritate many adversaries.
Biggest question: Who will emerge as the Mavericks’ faceoff ace? Sullivan was for what really seemed like forever. Omaha wasn’t a great puck possession team last season, but Sullivan was a big key to what they did generate.
Projected ceiling: 3rd
Projected floor: 7th
5. UMD Bulldogs
2023-24: 12-20-5 overall, 8-14-2 NCHC (7th), lost to Denver in NCHC quarterfinals (two games)
This is a bet.
It’s a bet on the bulk of a group of 11 freshmen coming in this season that everyone surrounding the UMD program — coaches, support staff, fans, even media — has been psyched about since they started committing to wear the colors.
It’s a bet that the return of dynamic forward Dominic James — the captain this season — is going to be a massive boost to a forward group that mostly had fallen on hard times last season while James sat out all but four periods.
It’s a bet that Slovakian World Juniors standout Adam Gajan will find the kind of magic many of his predecessors have under UMD goaltending whisperer Brant Nicklin.
It’s a bet that a UMD program that hadn’t experienced back-to-back 20-loss seasons in nearly two decades isn’t about to make it three.
Could this bet lose? Sure. But I like my odds.
Biggest question: Can the young guys acclimate quickly? As we noted in the preseason depth chart projection, there are a lot of opportunities for freshmen to play big minutes. No one doubts the talents of the Brothers Plante (Zam and Max, in case you’ve been living under a rock), Jayson Shaugabay, Adam Kleber, Ty Hanson, Gajan, and the crew, but this is an unforgiving league for 24-year-olds sometimes. These guys aren’t 24, no matter the level of experience they’ve gained or how much they’ve won at other levels.
Projected ceiling: 3rd
Projected floor: 8th
6. St. Cloud State Huskies
2023-24: 17-16-5 overall, 11-9-4 NCHC (T-3rd), lost to Denver in NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinal
Some big losses from last year’s team, including leading scorer Veeti Miettinen and top defensemen Dylan Anhorn and Jack Peart. Our friend Brett Larson has some strong young players in the system, including sophomores like Warren Clark, Verner Miettinen (Veeti’s younger brother), and former Warroad standout Daimon Gardner (Clarkson transfer).
Also back are forwards Mason Salquist and Adam Ingram, who will be asked to do even more as they continue to grow.
In goal, Gavin Enright joins as a transfer from Bemidji State, and SCSU also brings back former Minnesota Wilderness netminder Isak Posch after he started all four of the Huskies’ NCHC postseason games.
Biggest question: Who will step up in the back end to help compensate for the minutes and production they lost with Anhorn and Peart moving on? A name to watch here is Josh Zinger, a Northern Michigan transfer who has been awfully productive at this level already.
Projected ceiling: 4th
Projected floor: 7th
7. Western Michigan Broncos
2023-24: 21-16-1 overall, 11-13 NCHC (6th), lost to Michigan State in NCAA Maryland Heights Regional semifinal
Not a lot of teams lost more than the Broncos did. Luke Grainger, Dylan Wendt, and Sam Colangelo took their 61 combined goals and 135 points and turned pro.
Worry not. Western had a busy offseason and has tried to reload. It’s something Pat Ferschweiler and Jason Herter have shown they can do very well, so don’t take this pick as some sort of scoff in their direction.
It’s nice to see Cameron Rowe back in goal, as it means they don’t need to throw Hampton Slukynsky to the wolves. I’m sure the highly-touted freshman will get a chance to win the job at some point, but there’s no pressure for him to do it right away after the strong season Rowe put together.
Biggest question: Who steps up to provide offense from the blue line? Zac Galambos, Chad Hillebrand, and Carter Berger have all moved on. Can another AIC transfer (Brian Kramer) do for Western what Galambos did?
Projected ceiling: 4th
Projected floor: 8th
8. Arizona State Sun Devils
2023-24: 24-8-6 overall (independent), did not qualify for postseason
Welcome to the Sun Devils, who will debut in the NCHC after a seemingly-endless courtship.
Greg Powers’ team has talent. ASU pulled Cruz Lucius from Wisconsin via the portal, also adding the well-traveled forward Artem Shlaine from Northern Michigan and defenseman Bennett Schimek from Providence. The Sun Devils also flipped forward Cullen Potter from a Michigan State commitment.
Gibson Homer was impressive (.925 save percentage) in spot duty last season, now he takes over after Semptimphelter moved on to UND.
Biggest question: It’s one thing to play a handful of games against NCHC teams. How will Arizona State handle playing 24 games against NCHC teams? It’s a complete unknown until they actually have to go through this grind once. More specifically, is there enough depth among ASU’s skaters to run this gauntlet?
Projected ceiling: 5th
Projected floor: 9th
9. Miami RedHawks
2023-24: 7-26-3 overall, 1-21-2 NCHC (8th), lost to North Dakota in NCHC quarterfinals (two games)
The NCHC’s only new head coach is Anthony Noreen. Off a successful run for USHL Tri-City, Noreen takes over after the firing of Chris Bergeron. Miami needed a change. The RedHawks were outscored 196-83 over the last two seasons while going 4-39-5 in NCHC play.
Bergeron talked a lot about his older players badly wanting to be part of the change there. It hasn’t happened, yet, but many of those older players stuck around for Noreen’s first season. He will lean heavily on guys like forwards Raimonds Vitolins, Ryan Sullivan, and Christophe Fillion (Quinnipiac transfer), and defensemen Hampus Rydqvist, Dylan Moulton, and Spencer Cox.
(Fillion, by the way, could be a major find for Miami. He seems to have the talent to play a big role on a team that will desperately need him to.)
Biggest question: Can RPI transfer Brett Miller push holdover Bruno Bruveris in goal? Bruveris showed some promise, but didn’t appear ready for full-time duty last season. Also, will Noreen get enough time to build a long-term recruiting base (indications are he will, as he’s secured some young commitments since Aug. 1)?
Projected ceiling: 7th
Projected floor: 9th
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