What A Day For Hockey; Chiclets University College Hockey Season Preview
What day for hockey fans. First, the new series “Faceoff” dropped on Amazon at midnight which is straight hockey porn, then we have the NHL season kicking off at 1pm in Prague, and last but not least, the official start to the college hockey season with #3 Michigan State and Lake Superior State at 6:07pm followed by a slate of games. With that, now is probably a better time than ever for a Chiclets University season preview. So let's dive in.
Chiclets University Week 1 Rankings
Denver
Boston College
Michigan State
Minnesota
Boston University
North Dakota
Cornell
Michigan
Quinnipiac
Wisconsin
Tough to pick against Denver this season. With the return of Zeev Buium, goalie Matt Davis, and senior Jack Devine, they are going to look just as good, if not better than last season. Losing Massimo Rizzo and Tristan Brozz is a tough loss, but I think the Pio’s will sit atop the ChicletsU rankings for most of the season due to their depth, coaching, and goalie. Minnesota is a team i really like this season as well. I think I speak for everyone when I say the news about Jimmy Snuggerud returning shocked all of college hockey. But he clearly believes they have unfinished business, add in the fact 2023 15th overall pick Matthew Wood has transferred to Minny, plus the return of Oliver Moore & Brody Lamb, and the Gophs are looking at preseason WAGON status. Speaking of Wagons, Michigan State is coming back LOADED. The Ice Man Issac Howard (the coolest man in college hockey), along with Captain Red Savage (coolest name in college hockey), and goalie Trey Augustine, the Spartans have tons of fire power. Will they be able to replace Artyom Levshunov? Probably not. They did get a good transfer from Colorado College in defenseman Nicklas Andrews who, was nominated for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference's defensive defenseman of the year award.
National Champion: Boston College
I have Boston College over Minnesota in the National Championship. BC is on a revenge tour after losing in the National Championship last season. They have the best goalie in college hockey in Jacob Fowler, they have the best player in college hockey in Ryan Leonard, and they’ll likely have the best freshman in the country in James Hagens. Eagles are coming for blood this season.
Hobey Baker: Ryan Leonard
Ryan Leonard looked NHL ready last season. He was bigger, faster and stronger than 99% of the kids he played against. We are talking about a kid who had 60 points in 41 games as a Freshman. He looks like when your D1 buddy comes home for the summer and plays a game or two on your beer league team. It’s unfair. He’s just better than everyone else. Dont forget the fact Gabe Perrault (steal of the 2023 draft) is returning, along with #1 recruit in the country James Hagens. All signs point to the Hobey staying in Boston. That is, unless Zeev Buium has something to say about it.
Tire Pump: Maine, ASU
I have to give Maine and Arizona State a tire pump for a few reasons, but mainly because i love the future of the programs and wanted to give them a shoutout. I love what Head Coach Ben Barr is building at Maine. With the rink renovations coming and another good season in Orono, we could see an early 90's dominance from the Maine Black Bears. I wanted to give Arizona State a tire pump because they have finally joined a conference. The Sun Devils will play in a conference (NCHC) for the first time since going D1 in 2015. I think that’ll be great for recruiting. We have seen it in the NHL, but if you can choose to play hockey in a warm city, why not do it??
College hockey has been gaining massive traction the past few years and I fully expect that to continue this season. The skill, the facilities, the atmospheres…there really is nothing like it. Make sure to tune into Season 2 of Chiclets University all season, with episodes dropping once a month. First up, The United State Military Academy.