2022-23 Men's NCAA Hockey Power Rankings
2022-23 Men's NCAA Hockey Power Rankings
Chris Peters provides his weekly power rankings for NCAA Division I Men's Hockey.
Welcome to FloHockey's weekly power rankings for men's NCAA hockey. Find out which teams across the country rise, fall or stay put as the weekly series unfold in the 2022-2023 season.
1. Denver | Last Ranking: 2
Record: 2-0-0
The Pioneers started their title defense with a bang, claiming the Ice Breaker tournament title with convincing wins over Notre Dame and Maine. Senior transfer Casey Dornbach and sophomore Carter Mazur each had four points on DU's opening weekend. The Pioneers were authoritative in their wins, reminding the rest of the country that they may have lost a ton of scoring from last season, but they still have a lot of weapons up and down their lineup.
2. Minnesota | Last Ranking: 1
Record: 3-1-0
A hard-fought split with Minnesota State, the Gophers won their home game, but lost on the road to the Mavericks. The Gophers still have a ton of talent throughout their roster and have gotten major contributions from freshmen Logan Cooley, who has five points to start the season, and Jimmy Snuggerud who scored four goals on the weekend against Minnesota State. Also of note, Justen Close has been very sharp in net.
An 𝐎𝐁𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 choice@JSnuggerud is B1G First Star of the Week after scoring his first 4⃣ collegiate goals!
— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) October 11, 2022
📰:https://t.co/uxzs6RWgGm pic.twitter.com/yL9p2ZBHpK
3. Minnesota Duluth | Last Ranking: 3
Record: 2-0-0
The Bulldogs didn't play last weekend after opening their season with a sweep of Arizona State. A big test awaits UMD this weekend, however, as they will travel to Mankato for a road series against Minnesota State right here on FloHockey. This will be one of those games where the Bulldogs find out a lot about themselves and so will the rest of us as the Mavericks are so often tough to beat at home.
4. Michigan | Last Ranking: 5
Record: 2-0-0
A pair of games against first-year program Lindenwood isn't terribly revelatory, but we did get our first glimpse in games that count of freshman phenom Adam Fantilli. The projected top-three pick in the upcoming NHL Draft had four points on the weekend with a goal and three assists and was dominant at the faceoff dot. It was a very strong introduction for a player that so much is expected of this season.
5. North Dakota | Last Ranking: 6
Record: 2-0-0
A season-opening sweep of Holy Cross was a good way to start the new campaign, but more importantly, the Fighting Hawks got a ton of scoring support from their upperclassmen. Fifth-year senior Chris Jandric had four points on the weekend and senior forward Gavin Hain scored three goals. If UND is going to contend this year, they need contributions from all over their roster and certainly got it in their first weekend.
6. Quinnipiac | Last Ranking: 4
Record: 1-0-1
A convincing shutout of Boston College was followed by a tie against Long Island in a game the Bobcats seemed to have under control with a 2-0 lead. It wasn't the ideal way to head into a big prove-it kind of weekend for the Bobcats as they're traveling to Grand Forks for a date with North Dakota. Should be a great early test for both teams.
7. Minnesota State | Last Ranking: 7
Record: 1-1-0
After losing their exhibition and their season opener, I probably wasn't the only one wondering if the Mavs were going to take a step back this year. They roared back on home ice in front of a raucous crowd to earn a series split with Minnesota. Juniors Jake Livingstone and Ondrej Pavel made an impact in that series. Now the Mavericks have to batten down the hatches again for an in-state showdown with Minnesota Duluth at home.
Tonight's attendance: 4,911. Thanks #MavNation pic.twitter.com/R8Ef9C6hWZ
— Minnesota State Hockey (@MinnStMHockey) October 9, 2022
8. Northeastern | Last Ranking: 9
Record: 3-0-0
The Huskies started Hockey East play with a pair of wins on home ice against Vermont, scoring 10 goals over the course of the series. Meanwhile, Devon Levi earned his program-record 11th career shutout, reminding everyone why he's probably the best goaltender in college hockey after a so-so performance in the Friday night game. The Huskies can absolutely score, but they also were better at preventing shots and high-quality scoring chances, which will be a big key for them this season.
9. Harvard | Last Ranking: 8
Record: 0-0-0
Harvard won't play its first exhibition until Oct. 22 and won't have live league games until Oct. 28, so they likely won't move a ton over these next few weeks. I really think the Crimson are going to have a high-end team this year with a bunch of players who can produce and a goaltending tandem that will help them win games.
10. St. Cloud State | Last Ranking: 10
Record: 2-0-0
SCSU had a bye last weekend as they prepare for their first road series of the season after sweeping St. Thomas in a home and home the first weekend of the season. The Huskies will take on a Wisconsin team that's still trying to figure things out after a tough sweep at Ohio State.
11. Boston University | Last Ranking: 11
Record: 1-0-0
The Terriers played an exhibition game last weekend and rolled through that easily, but undoubtedly they're looking forward to this coming weekend. BU will meet Michigan in a battle of very young, very skilled teams that have big plans for this season. It will definitely be one of the most anticipated non-conference games to date with all of the talent on both sides of the ice.
12. Ohio State | Last Ranking: 16
Record: 4-0-0
Look out for the Buckeyes. They're undefeated to start the season with series wins over Mercyhurst and Wisconsin, which included a comeback from a 3-0 deficit in the final game. Jakub Dobes is dialed in, with a .927 save percentage to start, and top defenseman Mason Lohrei looks to be a force. The Buckeyes are also getting an instant contribution from freshman Stephen Halliday who has five points over his first four NCAA games. The Buckeyes have a big-time road showdown with another team ranked in our power rankings this week, UConn.
Comeback complete for the B1G SWEEP🧹🧹
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) October 8, 2022
Buckeyes with four unanswered for the win, improve to 4-0 on the year and 2-0 in the B1G.#GoBucks | #B1GHockey pic.twitter.com/bQsUSGxG5o
13. Providence | Last Ranking: 14
Record: 1-0-0
The Friars picked up a non-conference win over Sacred Heart, shaking off the exhibition loss to Quinnipiac with ease. Providence got spread out scoring, but the bigger story was freshman Philip Svedeback getting the start and handling himself well in his first official NCAA appearance. With veteran goalie Jaxson Stauber leaving early thanks to an NHL deal with Chicago, Providence's net was a little unsettled. If Svedeback brings that into focus a bit more, it could be a big boost for this squad.
14. UConn | Last Ranking: N/A
Record: 4-0-0
After a sparkling 4-0 start including a road sweep of Vermont and a home sweep of Union, the Huskies should be feeling good about themselves. It only gets tougher from here as they'll host Ohio State for a pair of critical non-conference games in a battle of unbeaten teams. Chase Bradley has been the breakout performer thus far with five points, but UConn is getting good scoring from throughout their lineup. Freshman Matthew Wood has made an early statement with four points.
15. Northern Michigan | Last Ranking: N/A
Record: 3-1-0
The Wildcats have rattled off three straight wins after losing their opener against Bowling Green. What makes NMU look like a team that can compete with some of the big boys this year is that they're getting balanced scoring and their stars have been their stars so far. Top returning scorer A.J. Vanderbeck has six points through the first four games including four goals and UConn transfer Artem Shlaine is up to five points playing in an elevated role with the Wildcats.
Another one for Vanderbeck!
— CCHA (@CCHAHockey) October 8, 2022
The @NMUHockey captain's second goal of the game stands as the game-winner!#CCHAHockey pic.twitter.com/msrxz2gVxH
16. Western Michigan | Last Ranking: N/A
Record: 2-1-0
The Broncos lost their first game to Alaska, but bounced back by scoring 10 goals over their next two games combined. At this early stage of the season, I don't think anyone has really distinguished themselves. We're going to need a few more weeks to learn a lot more about these teams and Western's schedule only ramps up from here which will be telling.
Dropped out: Notre Dame, Clarkson, UMass