The calendar has flipped and the 2024-25 college hockey season churns on, as four teams head to Palm Springs, Calif. this week to compete in the inaugural Cactus Cup.

No matter which poll or what stat you’re looking at, there are likely going to be some repetitive names at the top: Minnesota, Michigan State, Boston College, Denver – the list goes on.

The Grand Rapids Griffins have reached the pinnacle of the American Hockey League, winning the coveted Calder Cup twice in the last dozen years – the 2012-2013 season and the 2016-2017 campaign – which makes them one of 14 teams in history to win two or more times.

Northern Michigan, Lake Superior State, and Ferris State have all enjoyed degrees of success this past decade: Ferris with three trips to the NCAAs (including a competitive NCAA title game in 2012); Northern Michigan with a return to 20-win seasons under Grant Potulny; and Lake Superior waking its echoes of dominance with a Great Lakes Invitational title and a 23-win season in 2019.