Three Takeaways From The 2026-27 NCAA Hockey Season's First Month

College hockey's 2026-27 season is almost a month into the books. 

The Badgers were shot out of a cannon at the end of last season, and took everyone by surprise. Professional departures including Quinn Finley, Ben Dexheimer and Aiden Dubinsky left me unsure of where Wisconsin would finish despite their strong recruiting class. However, those newcomers made the Badgers into a deeper team than the 2026 National Championship runner-ups.

As we head toward November, 70% of Wisconsin's roster has at least a point and nearly 50% have two or more points. Additionally, just a pair of Badgers are tied for a team high two goals. This spreading of scoresheet wealth helps shift the focus away traditional star performers, keeping opponents guessing and allowing fresh faces, like Zach Wooten, to shine. If the guys in cardinal and white continue their wide berth of offense, they have a chance to win the Big Ten outright. 

If you had asked myself and my co-editor Owen Cameron who an NCHC dark horse was in August, I don't think either one of us would have picked Colorado College. The Tigers were ranked sixth in the NCHC Preseason Media Poll and have clawed through highly ranked competition. Colorado College swept former No. 10 UMass on opening weekend. Then, they went toe to toe with UConn, splitting the series via an overtime loss before rolling through Air Force.

As a result of these victories, Colorado was catapulted into the No. 9 spot on USCHO's Oct. 26 Rankings. The Tigers' biggest test yet is during their upcoming two game set against No. 7 Minnesota–Duluth. A lot of people are high on the Bulldogs for the 2027 Frozen Four, so this is Colorado's chance to cement themselves as a true at-large tournament bid favorite.

Denver is going for yet another repeat title under Head Coach David Carle and remain the by and large favorite as it stands today. However, the Pioneers added nine new players including eight freshmen for the 2026-27 campaign. As a result, this group is still in its forming–storming–norming–performing phase. They were swept by now No. 1 Michigan at home and lost in a shootout to Boston College the following weekend.

That isn't to say Denver is no longer a favorite come springtime. As the year continues, Denver will heat up, remaining at or near the top of college hockey. However a month in, it is important to acknowledge this Pioneers squad is not the same team which went on a 17 game winning streak to end last season and capture the 2026 NCAA Championship.