As the second half of the NCAA hockey season revs up, teams are jockeying for position in the standings and starting to think about conference tournaments in March.
After that comes the NCAA Tournament, which will conclude with the Frozen Four at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, on April 10 and 12.
There are plenty of storylines to follow. Here are 10 of the best:
Repeat performance
David Carle added to his reputation as one of the top coaches outside of the NHL after he led the United States to a second straight gold medal at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship. Now his focus is on leading the University of Denver to a second consecutive NCAA title and its third in four seasons.
After sweeping Miami University on Jan. 10-11, Denver is 17-5 and is sixth in the PairWise Rankings, used for seeding purposes for the NCAA Tournament.
Carle’s name also likely will come up whenever there is an open coaching job in the NHL.
Who’s No. 1?
For the second season in a row, the No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft could be a college player from Boston.
Boston College center James Hagens could be the first player selected in the 2025 NHL Draft, following the San Jose Sharks choosing Boston University center Macklin Celebrini with the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NHL Draft.
Hagens (5-foot-10, 177 pounds) is No. 2 in NHL Central Scouting’s midterm ranking of North American skaters. The freshman has 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) in 19 NCAA games. He also had nine points (five goals, four assists) in seven games at World Juniors.
Tight NCHC race
Get your popcorn ready. The race for the top spot in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference should provide some first-rate entertainment.
Heading into this weekend, University of North Dakota, Western Michigan University (with two games in hand) and Arizona State University are each tied for first with 19 points.
There’s plenty of star power in the NCHC and each of the top three schools has its share. North Dakota has 13 NHL draft picks; Western Michigan has eight; Arizona State has four plus a top 2025 draft prospect in freshman forward Cullen Potter, who is No. 22 on Central Scouting’s midterm ranking of North American skaters.
Hockey East flying high
Four Hockey East schools earned invites to the 2024 NCAA Tournament and the stage is set for at least that many, and maybe more, to make it in 2025.
Seven of the top 13 teams in the latest PairWise Rankings are from Hockey East: Boston College (No. 2), University of Maine (No. 3), Providence College (No. 5), Boston University (No. 8), University of Massachusetts-Lowell (No. 9), University of Connecticut (No. 11) and New Hampshire University (No. 13).
The numbers will change as Hockey East teams go head-to-head from now until the end of the regular season, but the league is off to a tremendous start.
Big 10 bluebloods lead the way
Two of college hockey’s most storied programs are fighting it out to finish first in the Big 10.
Michigan State University, with three NCAA championships in its history, has 28 points and is No. 1 in the PairWise Ranking. The University of Minnesota, with five titles, has 27 points and is ranked No. 4.
Each team is loaded with NHL draft picks; Minnesota has 16, Michigan State has seven.
Michigan State’s Isaac Howard leads all NCAA players with 18 goals and 33 points in 22 games. The 20-year-old forward was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round (No. 31) at the 2022 NHL Draft.
Minnesota’s Jimmy Snuggerud is third among all players with 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) in 24 games. The 20-year-old was picked by the St. Louis Blues in the first round (No. 23) at the 2022 draft.
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