2022-23 Men's NCAA Hockey Power Rankings

Men's Hockey Power Rankings: Minnesota Holds Firm At No. 1; ...

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. Minnesota | Last Ranking 1

Record: 13-5-0

The Gophers pulled off a strong road sweep of Michigan State last weekend, scoring 11 goals over the two games combined, while allowing just three. I've thought from the very beginning of the season that Minnesota has the best team on paper in terms of talent and depth. With wins in eight of their last 10, they're starting to play like it more than they did earlier this season. They're about to lose several players to the World Junior Championship, but they'll only miss a max of three games -- possibly only one. 

2. Quinnipiac | Last Ranking: 3

Record: 12-1-3

Unbeaten since October 22, the Bobcats continue to roll. They're a perfect 8-0-0 in ECAC play and matched a season-high with six goals against Clarkson in their last game. Winning consistently has been a real challenge for top teams, but that has not been true of Quinnipiac. Head coach Rand Pecknold is about to leave to coach the U.S. National Junior Team at World Juniors, but the Bobcats have looked like a well-oiled machine and he'll be back before their schedule gets a bit tougher.

3. Denver | Last Ranking: 4

Record: 12-4-0

The Pioneers earned a non-conference sweep at home against Arizona State. Denver massively outshot the Sun Devils in both contests, posting 99 shots on goal over the two games combined. With wins in six of their last seven, the Pioneers are starting to roll a bit again. The back half of their schedule is a bear and they could be short a few defensemen for a few games due to Sean Behrens and Shai Buium being called to USA's World Junior Camp. Either way, the defending national champs have continued to prove their status among the top tier.

4. St. Cloud State | Last Ranking: 5

Record: 12-4-0

The Huskies have won five straight and are coming off of a sweep of North Dakota where they scored 13 goals over the two games on home ice. There are six players averaging a point per game or better with Grant Cruikshank and Jami Krannila leading the team with 19 points apiece. Meanwhile their goaltending continues to shine with Dominic Basse (CHI) and Jaxon Castor combining for a .930 save percentage. This is a veteran-laden team that is looking awfully dangerous right now.

5. Penn State | Last Ranking: 2

Record: 14-4-0

The Nittany Lions played a tight series last weekend against Ohio State and earned the split with each game being decided by just one goal. Penn State has split each of its last four conference series, all of which were against ranked opponents. They'll have another tough test this weekend when they travel to Notre Dame. With 10 players in the double digits for points, Penn State continues to get balanced scoring. Liam Souliere has continued his strong play in net, too, with a .923 save percentage over 16 appearances.

6. Boston University | Last Ranking: 9

Record: 10-4-0

BU swept New Hampshire over the weekend, outscoring them 9-3 in the process. The Terriers continue to get contributions from all over their lineup, but freshmen Lane Hutson (MTL) and Ryan Greene (CHI) continue to stand out this season. Hutson is among the top scoring defensemen in the NCAA with 17 points, while Greene is averaging a point-per-game with 14 points in 14 games. Both were invited to their respective World Junior camps with Hutson joining Team USA and Greene heading to Canada's camp.

7. Michigan | Last Ranking: 6

Record: 11-6-1

A road split with Wisconsin showed that the Wolverines are still not all the way back from their November swoon. The good news is that the team is mostly healthy and that they'll have an extended break coming up after their big weekend series against rival Michigan State. I still think they're a better team than their record indicates. The Wolverines have six players invited to World Junior camps with five going to USA's and star freshman Adam Fantilli heading to Canada's. 

8. Harvard | Last Ranking: 8

Record: 8-2-1

A loss to Colgate was not how Harvard wanted to head into their extended winter break, but that's what happened last Saturday as the Raiders pulled off a 6-4 win over the Crimson. After winning their first seven games, Harvard has gone 1-2-1 in their last four and will have to wait three weeks before they can try to get things heading in the right direction again. Sean Farrell (MTL), meanwhile, continues to produce at a high rate with 18 points in 11 games, giving him one of the better points-per-game rates in the country.

9. Merrimack | Last Ranking: 12

Record: 11-4-0

After losing a mid-week game to UConn at home last Tuesday, the Warriors responded in a major way with a 7-3 drubbing of the Huskies on the road. Alex Jeffries (NYI) had four points in that contest and now has 20 points in 15 games so far this season. He's stepped up in a major way and Merrimack continues to get strong goaltending out of Hugo Ollas (NYR) and Zachary Borgiel. 

10. UConn | Last Ranking: 7

Record: 11-4-3

After the loss to Merrimack last Friday, UConn has now lost three of their last five games. An important game against Boston University awaits Sunday, which will be the team's last before the brief winter break that will end with a home-and-home series in late December with Long Island University. UConn had been getting exceptional goaltending amid their hot streak to start the season, but of late it's floated back closer to average or even a little below in recent weeks. 

11. Providence | Last Ranking: 10

Record: 9-3-5

The Friars have played an awful lot of tight games this season and have ended up on the right side of most of them. That said, in terms of national standings they're winless in their last three with a loss and two ties. I still think Providence has a chance to make a lot of noise this season because they're so darn hard to play against. They've got one more big game against Merrimack at home before the three-week winter break.

12. Michigan Tech | Last Ranking: 15

Record: 10-4-3

After a hard-fought split with rival Northern Michigan last weekend, the Huskies have five wins over their last seven games. They sit one point behind Bowling Green in the CCHA standings, but are currently the top team in the conference in terms of the Pairwise rankings. Senior goaltender Blake Pietila has been a huge key to this team's success with a .930 save percentage in 16 appearances.

13. Michigan State | Last Ranking: 11

Record: 10-6-0

There's no shame in getting swept by the top team in the country, but the Spartans were never really in that one. They managed just three goals against the 11 Minnesota scored and will follow that key series with another big one. The Spartans will take on arch nemesis Michigan in a home-and-home series before heading into winter break. They won't have a hard time getting up for that one.

14. UMass | Last Ranking: 16

Record: 7-5-3

From this point on in the power rankings, you may as well churn it up in a blender because every week it seems to be shaken up yet again. A tie against rival UMass-Lowell last weekend was the only result for the Minutemen since our last power rankings, but they're unbeaten in their last four games after losing five straight previously. UMass has been a tough team to get a read on, but have a big mid-week contest against Merrimack before they hit their winter break. 

15. UMass-Lowell | Last Ranking: NR

Record: 9-6-1

Back in the rankings after a week on the outside, the River Hawks are in because they're just darn tough to play against. Even when they lose, the other team has had to work so hard to earn it. That bodes well for when the games get more intense and the season kicks into high-pressure mode in the second half. That said, if Lowell wants to be among the top tier teams in Hockey East, they've got to start scoring more.

16. Ohio State | Last Ranking: NR

Record: 10-7-1

The Buckeyes are back in the rankings after earning a split with Penn State on the road. Happy Valley is a tough place to play, but Ohio State responded to a close loss Friday with a strong performance Saturday highlighted by Jakub Dobes (MTL) making 37 saves. They're 3-3-0 in their last six now as they look for more consistent play after their red-hot start to the season came to a halt.

Dropped Out: Western Michigan, Minnesota State