The men's Hockey East Coaches' Preseason Poll for the 2022-23 season was released Tuesday morning with Northeastern leading the way as the No. 1 team. Boston University came in at No. 2, while UMass snagged the No. 3 spot.
Last season, UMass scored the No. 1 spot in the Hockey East Coaches poll, and the Minutemen then took down UConn in the Hockey East Tournament championship.
Northeastern, which ranked fourth in the '21-22 Coaches poll, finished the regular season first in the conference.
Let's take a look at the complete poll and analyze how each Hockey East squad looks heading into the season. Total poll votes are listed after each team name with first-place votes in parenthesis.
1. Northeastern: 105 (7)
Last season: 25-13-1 (15-8-1 Hockey East)Â
Key returners: Devon Levi, Aidan McDonough, Sam Colangelo, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, Justin Hryckowian, Jack Hughes, Jayden Struble
With goalie Devon Levi returning for his second season, it's no surprise that Northeastern cracks the No. 1 spot. Levi posted a dazzling .952 save percentage and 1.54 goals against average last season, all while backstopping the Huskies to an NCAA tournament berth. He was the main reason why Northeastern came oh-so-close to upsetting No. 1 Western Michigan in last year's NCAA tournament, when he stopped 34 of the 36 shots sent his way and forced overtime. Levi is an easy preseason favorite for the Hobey Baker Award.
2. Boston University: 94 (1)
Last season: 19-13-3 (13-8-3 Hockey East)
Key returners: Domenick Fensore, Wilmer Skoog, Jay O'Brien, Matt Brown, Ethan Phillips, Drew Commesso
With new head coach Jay Pandolfo (Winchester, Mass.) at the helm, along with new assistants in Joe Pereira (West Haven, Conn.) and Kim Brandvold, the Terriers are looking to start a new chapter in their storied history. A glimmer of that promise was seen last season when BU won 13 of its final 16 regular season games, which included a Beanpot title. A lot of last year's group that won the Beanpot is returning to Comm. Ave. That group will be led by junior goalie Drew Commesso (Norwell, Mass.), who won Hockey East Goaltender of the Month twice last season and made two starts for the U.S. Olympic Team in Beijing. Pandolfo will also be helped by a freshman class that has three NHL Draft picks — forwards Devin Kaplan and Ryan Greene along with defenseman Lane Hutson.
3. UMass: 93 (3)
Last season: 22-13-2 (14-8-2 Hockey East)Â
Key returners: Scott Morrow, Reed Lebster, Cal Kiefiuk, Ryan Ufko, Eric FaithÂ
It's no secret that UMass has lost a lot from last season's team, most notably star forward Bobby Trivigno, reliable center Josh Lopina and trusty netminder Matt Murray. Those three were instrumental in the Hockey East Tournament championship, as well as a berth in last season's NCAA tournament. It's also no secret that head coach Greg Carvel has built a sustainable culture and program that's survived the losses of impact players like Cale Makar, John Leonard, Mitchell Chaffee and Filip Lindberg in recent years. Expect the Minutemen to always be in the mix and watch for Scott Morrow to be one of the top defensemen in the country.
4. Providence: 75
Last season: 22-14-2 (12-11-1 Hockey East)Â
Key returners: Brett Berard, Nick Poisson, Parker Ford, Patrick Moynihan, Max CrozierÂ
The Friars look poised for a deep run in the Hockey East playoffs and a legitimate shot at the NCAA tournament. Providence returns its top five point-getters from last season, highlighted by forwards Brett Berard (East Greenwich, R.I.), Nick Poisson and Parker Ford (Wakefield, R.I.). Despite being young in net with Jaxson Stauber departing and freshman Philip Svedeback most likely replacing him, the Friars have eight seniors — the second-most in Hockey East. Head coach Nate Leaman is known for putting together teams that are tough to play against. This group has that DNA.
T-5. Boston College: 71
Last season: 15-18-5 (9-12-3 Hockey East)Â
Key returners: Nikita Nesterenko, Marshall Warren, Trevor KuntarÂ
The 2021-22 season was disappointing for Boston College. The squad's top four point-getters aren't on this year's roster and legendary head coach Jerry York (Watertown, Mass.) announced his retirement this spring. In some ways, this is a fresh start. The Eagles have a new head coach in Greg Brown (Southborough, Mass.) as well as nine freshmen and three graduate transfers. The freshman everyone will have their eyes on is forward Cutter Gauthier. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native was selected with the fifth overall pick by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2022 NHL Draft. Still, Gauthier isn't the only incoming BC freshman who has had his name called at the NHL Draft — defenseman Charlie Leddy was taken by the New Jersey Devils in 2022 and forwards Oskar Jellvik and Andre Gasseau were both taken by the Boston Bruins in 2021.
T-5. UMass Lowell: 71
Last season: 21-11-3 (15-8-1 Hockey East)Â
Key returners: Carl Berglund, Ryan Brushett, Matt Crasa, Jon McDonaldÂ
The River Hawks face a massive question: what will life be like without Owen Savory in net? Savory posted a .926 save percentage and 1.93 GAA in 29 games for UMass Lowell last season. He backstopped UMass Lowell into the NCAA tournament where the River Hawks fell to Denver, the eventual national champion, in the first round. The River Hawks will also have to compensate for the losses of forwards Andre Lee and Lucas Condotta — two of UML's top three point-getters last season.
7. UConn: 70
Last season: 20-16-0 (14-10-0 Hockey East)Â
Key returners: Ryan Tverberg, Hudson Schandor, John Spetz, Harrison Rees
Hockey East has had a great track record of rising programs in recent years, most notably Providence winning the national championship in 2015 and UMass in 2021. Both programs have turned themselves into consistent contenders. UConn seems to be following that blueprint under head coach Mike Cavanaugh (North Andover, Mass.). When the Huskies beat Boston University in the Hockey East quarterfinals last March, it was their first playoff win since joining the conference in 2014. They went to the Hockey East Tournament championship game, where they fell to UMass, 2-1, in overtime. The Huskies lost a lot from last year's team, like Jachym Kondelik and Vladislav Firstov, which is why they rank at No. 7 in the Coaches' Poll.
8. Merrimack: 44
Last season: 19-15-1 (13-11-0)Â
Key returners: Jordan Seyfert, Ben Brar, Hugo Ollas, Alex JefferiesÂ
Last year Merrimack had its first winning season since 2011-12. The Warriors went on quite a run beginning Jan. 8, claiming 11 of their final 15 games. Can Merrimack build on last season's success? They only had three seniors and three graduate students, which means a fair amount of last year's squad will be returning.
9. New Hampshire: 37
Last season: 14-19-1 (8-15-1 Hockey East)Â
Key returners: Colton Huard, Robert Cronin, Kalle Eriksson, Liam Devlin, Harrison Blaisdell, Chase StevensonÂ
New Hampshire lost Tyler Ward, Jackson Pierson and Filip Engaras — the program's leading scorers from last season. They also lost trusty netminder Mike Robinson. Still, that doesn't mean all hope is lost. Sophomore defenseman Colton Huard is expected to take big strides after posting 16 points in 28 games as a freshman. Sophomore forwards Liam Devlin (Needham, Mass.), Robert Cronin (Plymouth, Mass.) and Kalle Eriksson will also be expected to put up more points.
10. Vermont: 29
Last season: 8-25-1 (6-16-2 Hockey East)Â
Key returners: Jacques Bouquot, Robbie Stucker, William Lemay, Gabe CarriereÂ
The Catamounts are still a team building their program back up under head coach Todd Woodcroft. It's a young squad with seven first-year players, as well as 10 sophomores. The one constant from last season will most likely be goalie Gabe Carriere. He shouldered most of the load last season, starting 21 games and playing to a .902 save percentage and 2.91 GAA.
11. Maine: 26
Last season: 7-22-4 (5-17-2 Hockey East)Â
Key returners: Lynden Breen, Donavan Villeneuve-Houle, David Breazeale, Ben Poisson, Victor OstmanÂ
Last season went as expected in Ben Barr's first campaign as bench boss. The Black Bears weren't great, but they showed glimmers of what a good hockey team will mean for Orono like when they trounced New Hampshire, 6-3, on Feb. 18 in a primetime NESN game. Maine actually brings back a fair amount of last year's team — forwards Lynden Breen and Donavan Villeneuve-Houle ranked Nos. 1 and 2 on the Black Bears in points last season. Still, they have 16 new players — Maine is still very much a rebuilding team.
