The hype videos are out, and the wait is almost over; college hockey will be underway in a few weeks. In the Northeast, college hockey is dominated by the Hockey East conference, arguably the top conference in the country. Within Hockey East there are the teams that are annual contenders, but there are some who are rising up to the top of the standings. Here are the top four teams to watch during the 2015-16 season.
Providence College Friars
The National Champions look to defend their title as they prepare for the upcoming season. After finishing tied for second in Hockey East last season with a record of 13-8-1 (26-13-2 overall), the Friars were defeated in the Hockey East quarterfinals in three games by the University of New Hampshire.
That loss did not keep them out of the NCAA tournament, as they received an at-large bid as the fourth seed in the East Region. After winning through their section of the bracket, the Friars took home their first national championship in program history.
Despite losing their number one goalie Jon Gillies to the Calgary Flames, they are returning eight of their 10 top scorers from last season, including Nick Saracino (14-24—38), their number one scorer from last season. All of the goal scorers from the national championship game are also returning, so the Friars have players who can perform on the biggest stage.
Looking at the goalie situation, Providence has two options; third-year goalie Nick Ellis, who played in five games last season, posting a .910 save percentage and a 2.22 GAA. The other would be Brendan Leahy who played just two minutes last season. No one will be able to replace Gillies right away, but Ellis might be a close second once he has experience.
This team will be a little top heavy, with nine fourth-year and seven third-year players, but experience is everything, especially after winning a national championship. If the Friars can continue to keep the puck out of the net and stay disciplined, they should be a contender this season.
Boston University Terriers
After the season BU had last year, they should not be overlooked entering the 2015-16 campaign. Coach David Quinn will manage to put together a solid team pulling from Canadian leagues and the USA U-18 squad, there will be plenty of talent on this team.
The Terriers were the top dogs in Hockey East last season with a record of 14-5-3 (28-8-5 overall), and were the runner-up in the national championship game after dropping a one goal game to Providence.
Even without the likes of Jack Eichel and Evan Rodrigues, BU is returning seven of their 10 top scorers, including fourth-year forward Danny O’Regan and Matt Grzelcyk on defense. The team is mostly upperclassmen as well, sporting six fourth-year and five third-year players on the roster, so look for them to be a dangerous team.
One major loss will also come in net for the Terriers, as Matt O’Connor signed a contract with the Ottawa Senators in the offseason. O’Connor’s 6’6’’ frame made him a very effective goaltender, so replacing him will be a challenge. The best candidate will be second-year Connor LaCouvee who saw action in eight games, and recorded a 3-4-1 record with a .913 save percentage and a 2.58 GAA.
The key to a successful season for BU will depend on their offense and power play. They were the top scorers in Hockey East last year, both at even strength and with the man advantage. Putting the puck in the net more than any other team will make up for their lack of depth and experience in between the pipes. They have the players to do it, so look for them to make a run at another Hockey East title.
University of Vermont Catamounts
UVM surprised a lot of people when they advanced to the Hockey East semifinal game last season after posting a 10-9-3 (22-15-4 overall) record, finishing seventh in the conference. They just missed the cut in the pairwise for the NCAA tournament, but the Catamounts play a tough and disciplined style of hockey that will lead to their success.
UVM is rolling out a lineup with just four fourth-year players, but with 10 third-years. That will be a very strong class next season, and they will likely have an impact in the 2015-16 season as well. One of those third-years is goaltender Mike Santaguida, who split time with Brody Hoffman last year. Santaguida played in 25 games and recorded a .923 save percentage and a 2.08 GAA.
The Catamount offense should be stable as well, with seven of their top 10 scorers returning, including three of their top five in Brady Shaw (No. 2), Alexx Privitera (No. 3) and Mario Puskarich (No. 5).
While finishing second overall in scoring defense (2.22 ga/gm) and second overall in special teams (20.1 percent on the power play and 87.5 percent on the penalty kill), the problem for the Catamounts last year was actually putting the puck in the net. If the top scorers can actually score, the defense will likely hold, and Vermont could make a deep run in the Hockey East tournament.
University of Connecticut Huskies
The new team in the conference did not fair all that well in their first season in Hockey East, finishing tied for ninth in the conference with a record of 7-11-4 (10-19-7 overall). They were also swept out of the Hockey East tournament in the first round by UNH. So, why would they be on this list? A few reasons.
One being their age. The Huskies have just four fourth-years and four third-years, so the majority of their team is young. This can be double edged sword, but after hanging with and even beating some of the best teams in the conference last season, they have proven that they are up to the task. They might not be the best this year, but they will keep getting better and in a couple of years the will have one of the more experienced teams in the conference.
UConn also has one of the best first shot goaltenders in the conference in third-year Rob Nichols. Nichols made the most saves in all of Hockey East last year, stopping 1,052 shots; good for a .918 save percentage and a 2.73 GAA. Unfortunately, he did not receive much offensive support, leading to 19 losses on the year.
Even though the Huskies return six of their 10 top scorers and four of their top five, their top scorer from last season only had 18 points, good for the fourth or fifth spot on most other teams. UConn will have to put the puck in the net to be successful in the conference. But their size and strength make them very hard to play against for teams that rely on speed and finesse to win. Look for UConn to shake any doubts of a sophomore slump and finish high in the standings this year.
Anything can happen in hockey, and as the preseason polls roll in there will be even more speculation around the potential contenders this year. Keep an eye on some of these teams though, as they could be making entertaining runs come January and February.