Way-too-early Frozen Four predictions

A new season of college hockey looms near, and with it, seemingly a shake-up of some of the top teams in the nation. While the NCAA Tournament is still several months away, our staff tries to predict the four teams who will make it to St. Paul.

Josh’s Pick: Boston University Terriers

The top-ranked team in the USCHO preseason poll, the Terriers come into the new season with a plethora of talent.

Coming off of a Frozen Four loss to Minnesota, Boston returns several key contributors from that run to the ice this season, including potential Hobey Baker candidate Lane Hutson, who had 48 points in 39 games last year.

The main storyline coming out of the harbor is the Terriers’ shiny new piece, Maclin Celebrini.

The projected top pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Celebrini lit up the USHL, with 86 points in 50 games for the Chicago Steel.

With talent like Celebrini and Hutson, alongside a healthy mix of young and veteran talent, anything less than a Frozen Four or National Championship appearance would be a huge disappointment for the Terriers.

Anthony’s Pick: Minnesota Golden Gophers

It’s a new look for the Gophers this season as the core saw a major shakeup over the summer. Logan Cooley was ready to return to the program for a second straight season, but changed his mind and went pro with the Arizona Coyotes. Matthew Knies was brought to the Toronto Maple Leafs during their playoff run last season and looks to stay on the club’s roster. Two Hobey Baker finalists are off to the next level. Brock Faber is another notable player who will bring his skill to the Minnesota Wild.

These players were so key to the run that saw the Gophers fall just short in the national championship. Now, they will have a new look up front. Jimmy Snuggerud will remain with the program for a second year, he put up some impressive numbers last season as well.

2023 first-round pick Oliver Moore is ready to lace up the skates with Minnesota and he brings a very fast and skilled style of play to the ice.

Even with a large amount of talent leaving, the Minnesota Golden Gophers have always been a program that doesn’t go away easily. They have the resume to win titles, and they don’t seem likely to fall apart this year.

Evan’s Pick: Boston College Eagles

Boston College brought in one of the most stacked recruiting classes in recent memory. They added six players from the U.S. National Development Team including 2022 first-round NHL draft picks Will Smith, Ryan Leonard and Gabriel Perrault.

Add to that a roster already consisting of multiple drafted players including Cutter Gauthier and Jacob Fowler and the Eagles look poised to become the next power team in college hockey.

Looking past this year, the squad landed potential 2025 top NHL pick James Hagens and his brother Michael.

Head Coach Greg Brown was critical as an associate coach during Boston College’s early 2010s success and clearly has the trust of top-level talent at the college level.

Boston College is preparing to take a step up in 2023.

Will’s Pick: The University of Michigan Wolverines

The University of Michigan is one of the more historic programs in college hockey history.

The Wolverines won the Big Ten Conference in back-to-back seasons while making Frozen Four Appearances in both seasons.

The Wolverines have been a force in college hockey, both in the present and the past, and they are not going away any time soon.

Michigan did lose four key players to the NHL; Adam Fantilli, Luke Hughes, Mackie Samoskevich and Erik Portillo.

The Wolverines also lost four players to the transfer portal, but only two players who produced more than 10 points last season, Eric Ciccolini and Keaton Pehroson.

The Wolverines also added five players from the portal, including two players who are just in their sophomore year in Tyler Duke (D, Ohio State) and Josh Eernisse (F, St. Thomas).

Michigan’s core of freshmen last season was among the best in the NCAA last season, if not the best. That core of sophomores added two more players while losing one (A. Fantilli).

While the losses were big for Michigan in the offseason, it did not scratch their depth. The Wolverines are my pick to make the 2024 Frozen Four.

William James is a fourth-year print/digital journalism student. To contact him, email wmj5101@psu.edu.

Anthony Desher is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email acd5698@psu.edu.

Evan Smith is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ers5828@psu.edu

Josh Bartosik is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jsb6137@psu.edu.